Conference on Environmental and Physiological Integration of Long-Distance Transport Processes in Plants, Petersham, Massachusetts, October, 2002

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This award supports a conference on Environmental and Physiological Integration of Long-Distance Transport Processes in Plants, to be held at the Harvard Forest, Petersham, MA in October 2002. The goal of this conference will be to review and synthesize new ideas and insights in the area of long distance transport in plants, emphasizing both the biophysics of transport through the xylem and phloem and the emerging area exploring interactions between the two. In the past, xylem transport has been viewed largely in terms of physical processes, while movement in the phloem has been studied primarily with reference to membrane transport and osmotic regulation. There is now greater appreciation for the role of living cells and biochemical processes in the xylem, as well as the need to understand the hydraulic components involved in carbohydrate movement. Thus, the time is ripe for a conference that brings together these two converging areas and explores the ways in which these two pathways influence each other. The funds provided by this award will support the participation (travel and housing) of a diverse group of scientists, including women and scientists early in their research careers. Vascular transport plays an important role in understanding both how plants respond to drought and the mechanisms by which they control patterns of carbon allocation required for growth. By bringing together individuals with expertise in long-distance transport processes, we believe that this conference and the resulting proceedings (to be published as a book by Academic Press) will have lasting value by virtue of stimulating new insights, revealing new research opportunities and opening the door for new collaborative efforts.