RC14. One day symposium: Phenotypic plasticity in the age of 'omics

21st April 2009, at ANU, Canberra.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE Adrienne Nicotra - Australian National U (Leader) - phenotypic plasticity, ecophysiology, comparative ecology Pieter Poot - U Western Australia - plasticity and ecotypic variation in Australian endemics, ecophysiology, comparative ecology Christina Richards - New York U, USA - evolution of phenotypic plasticity, ecological consequences of epigenetic variation Fernando Valladares - Centro de Ciencias Medioambientales, Spain - plant ecology, ecophysiology, mediterranean climates, plasticity Owen Atkin - Australian National U - phenotypic plasticity, ecophysiology Ulrike Mathesius - Australian National U - proteomics, functional genomics, cell signalling Bob Furbank - CSIRO Plant Industry - molecular genetics, photosynthetic physiology Jean Finnegan - CSIRO Plant Industry - plant epigenetics, flowering Mark van Kleunen - U Bern, Switzerland - limits ot the evolution of plasticity, plant-animal interactions, plant reproductive ecology Stephen Bonser - U NSW - plant ecology and evolution, plasticity, reproductive ecology Michael Purugganan - New York U, USA - evolutionary and ecological genomics, genetics of domestication

see list ...

On Tuesday 21st April there will be an intensive 1-day symposium held at the School of Botany and Zoology at the Australian National University. The symposium is being held in conjunction with the launch of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, and the 1st International Plant Phenomics Symposium on the 21st to the 24th of April 2009 in Canberra. The Plasticity Symposium is open to attendees of the Phenomics meeting as well as other interested researchers, ECR and HDR.

We encourage researchers with an interest in phenotypic plasticity in plants to join us for a day of structured talks and discussions on the current state of research and exciting future directions in phenotypic plasticity. Speakers will present background information suitable for researchers new to the field as well as the latest research in each topic. Topical discussions will provide opportunities for attendees and speakers to explore areas for synthesis across fields and for future research directions.

There is no charge for the symposium but we ask that people register in advance for catering purposes (lunch and teas will be provided).

Schedule (updated 16 March 2009)
Registration (closes Friday 27 March)

The Plasticity Symposium is a part of WG 59 Phenotypic Plasticity. The WG brings together Australian and international researchers with evolutionary, ecological and physiological backgrounds and will assess plasticity in the context of its underlying genetic mechanisms.

Background
Over recent years, phenotypic plasticity (the range of phenotypes a single genotype can express as a function of its environment) has moved from being seen as a troublesome source of noise, to being accepted as a characteristic that is itself under selection and of ecological and evolutionary significance. It is now recognised that plasticity is heritable and can be altered in artificial selection experiments. The question of whether natural selection on phenotypic variation itself could play a significant role in the evolution of species is the subject of considerable debate.

In the context of rapid global climate change it is critical to understand the historic role and future potential of this sort of phenotypic evolution. For climate will change faster than species can adapt, and novel environments can be expected to elicit novel phenotypes that we cannot predict. If we can understand the genetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity, we may well even be able to breed for adaptive phenotypic plasticity that improves performance over a broad range of conditions.

See lists of background papers for suggested readings.

Last Updated March 2009