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17th Penn State Plant Biology Symposium (May 19-21, 2009)

The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute will support ten graduate or undergraduate students from the College of Earth Mineral Sciences departments or institutes to attend the Plant Biology Symposium which will take place May 19-21, 2008 in the Life Sciences Building, University Park.

If you wish to apply for support to attend this Symposium, please contact Debbie Lambert prior to May 15, 2009. The deadline for abstract submission is March 31, 2009.  For more information regarding this Symposium, go to: http://plantbiosymposium.psu.edu

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Regulatory role of soil resources in plant and ecosystem responses to climate change

The function of plants in both natural and agricultural ecosystems is primarily constrained by suboptimal soil resource availability. Water and N deficit are major limitations to plant growth on earth and most terrestrial vegetation is supported by weathered soils with some combination of low P, low Ca, and Al toxicity. The influence of climate change on plant resource acquisition and utilization is important yet complex, and poorly understood, making it difficult to predict how future climate scenarios may impact plant function and the multiple ecosystem processes they influence. A primary motivation for this plant symposium is to synthesize current understanding of plant and soil interactions in the context of climate change and from there explore the cascading effects on ecosystem processes, including impacts on agriculture, and food security. The symposium will feature leading experts on plant and ecosystem resource use in a changing world. This symposium is structured with plenty of time for informal interaction. Speakers and participants will explore knowledge gaps, emerging ideas, and discuss future research needs.