2016 Multiscale Plant Vascular Biology: Identifying Interdisciplinary Opportunities for a New Era of Plant Vascular Biology, June 26-July 1, 2016, Sunday River, Newry, Maine.

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The ability of plants to transport water strongly influences where they occur and how well they grow and survive. Water transport is critical because plants must replace water that evaporates from leaves during photosynthesis with water transported from the soil to the leaves in xylem (wood). Carbon gained from photosynthesis is distributed throughout the plant body by water transport in another type of transport tissue, the phloem. This proposal will support the participation of early career scientists (graduate students and postdoctoral researchers) at the first meeting of a Gordon Research Conference drawing together researchers who study the controls on water transport at scales ranging from the cell to the ecosystem. Poster presentations, discussions and keynote speakers presenting their most recent research will be used to promote interdisciplinary approaches to investigating plant water transport. This meeting will provide an opportunity to strengthen ties among disjunct research communities and facilitate new research opportunities to integrate their disparate approaches. The conference will highlight research opportunities and challenges in understanding tree mortality during extreme droughts, as well as traits that enhance agronomic and natural plant growth and survival in the face of decreasing water availability. Plant carbon gain and survival depend on sustaining xylem and phloem function as soil moisture and environmental conditions fluctuate. The increasing frequency of drought-induced mortality highlights the need to understand transport limitations. Researchers worldwide are expanding our knowledge of plant water transport limitations from molecular to landscape hydrological scales but interdisciplinary communication and collaboration has been lacking. In particular the research on detailed cellular metabolism related to transport has not been clearly linked to whole plant physiology and physiological ecology research on the relationship of hydraulic function to environmental conditions, mortality and climate change. Moreover, cellular and organismal level research has not been strongly connected to ecosystem and hydrological studies and the development of large-scale models until very recently. To connect these isolated research communities, this conference will bring together leaders and early career scientists from across the full spectrum of water transport research to synthesize advances across research areas, catalyze new interdisciplinary efforts, and establish a permanent mechanism of stimulating dialogue within the water transport community. Speakers will present original unpublished research emphasizing the gains that can be made through interdisciplinary collaboration. By recruiting and supporting a diverse group of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, productive participation of these young scientists will be facilitated, enhancing future research in these fields for the future.