Collaborative Research: Meeting: Vascular Transport in Plants - Research Frontiers and Priorities (Washington, DC March 2015)

该提案寻求为一个研讨会提供资金，该研讨会的重点是植物水运输研究的现状和未来。植物水分运输系统是植物光合作用速率和生长的核心决定因素，因此也是陆地系统生产力的核心决定因素。植物水分系统也是干旱和病原菌影响的关键场所。这项提议是为了举办一次关于植物维管运输研究的当前和未来方向的研讨会。研讨会的目标是整合当前的研究，确定最令人兴奋的新研究领域，突出与其他科学学科的接口研究，并促进从业者之间的新合作和新方法。之前的工厂液压车间在2003年和2008年都取得了巨大的成效。然而，2008年至2014年期间，这一研究领域在概念和方法上取得了重大进展。需要召开一次新的会议，集中讨论当前令人兴奋的问题，关于测量和分析的争议，以及植物维管生物学的未来方向。通过整合各领域的专业知识，包括在生物成像、植物解剖学、计算模型和实验室测量方面新开发的方法，研讨会将使详细讨论和提高研究前沿的分辨率成为可能，这将导致更多的合作和跨学科项目。与包括基因组学、植物病理学和纳米工程在内的其他领域联系的机会是至关重要的，在研讨会上，植物水力学领域的广泛科学家将确定如何以最有成效的方式做到这一点，并将他们的发现传播到该领域。时间将用于综合项目的讨论和开发，所需仪器的开发，以及朝着开发共识方法的方向发展。组织者将与与会者协商或协作，编写一份全面的会议报告和协作论文，作为研讨会期间讨论的直接成果，在影响较大的期刊和项目上发表。这项研究在生物对全球变化的反应、农业产量和森林保护方面具有重大的更广泛的影响。讲习班涉及不同的参与者群体，包括妇女和代表性不足的少数群体，并将促进不同的资深和初级科学家之间的联系，从而有助于职业发展。学生和博士后的指导，特别是代表不足的群体的成员将是一些讨论的焦点。植物水分运输依赖于物理和生化过程，因此在物理和分子生物学方面的突破既提供并扩展了核心理解和测量。植物水力学中使用的几种基本方法最近在提供无偏见估计的能力方面受到了挑战。关于方法的争论已经发展到包括估计木质部发生栓塞的条件、量化水分胁迫对木质部电导率的影响的方法以及植物对干旱的反应和恢复的机制等方面的争议。因此，研讨会将是一个及时和有价值的工具，可以促进不同的、广泛的研究小组对研究进行讨论和分析。研讨会将在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿举行，为期两天半，有30多人参加。第一天的会议将集中讨论植物水力学和水分关系，第二天将集中讨论与其他领域的接口，包括韧皮部功能、生态基因组学、木质部病理学、大范围生态学和纳米设计。第三天将专门讨论和开发综合项目和/或仪器开发。

This proposal seeks funding for a workshop focused on the current and future state of research in plant water transport. The plant water transport system is a central determinant of plant photosynthetic rate and growth, and thus of the productivity of terrestrial systems. The plant water system is also a key locus for the impact of drought and pathogens. This proposal is for a workshop on the current and future directions in the study of plant vascular transport. The goals of the workshop are to integrate current research, identify the most exciting new areas of research, highlight research at the interface with other scientific disciplines, and to promote new collaborations and approaches among practitioners. Previous plant hydraulics workshops in 2003 and 2008 have been enormously productive. However, large conceptual and methodological advances in this research area have marked the period between 2008 and 2014. A new meeting is needed to focus on issues of current excitement, controversies regarding measurements and analyses, and future directions in plant vascular biology. By integrating expertise across fields, including newly developed approaches in bio imaging, plant anatomy, computational models and lab measurements, the workshop will enable detailed discussion and improved resolution of research frontiers that will result in increased collaboration and inter- and trans-disciplinary projects. Opportunities to connect with other fields, including genomics, plant pathology, and nano-engineering, are critical, and at the workshop, a wide range of scientists in plant hydraulics will identify how to do this in the most productive way and disseminate their findings to the field. Time will be devoted to discussion and development of integrative projects, needed instrumentation development, and moves toward developing consensus methods. The organizers, in consultation or collaboration with participants, will produce a comprehensive meeting report, and collaborative papers for publication in high impact journals and projects as a direct outcome of discussions during the workshop. The research has significant broader impacts in organismal response to global change, agricultural yield, and forest conservation. The workshop involves a diverse community of participants, including women and under-represented minorities, and will contribute to networking between diverse senior and junior scientists, thereby helping career development. Mentorship of students and postdocs, and in particular, members of under-represented groups will be the focus of some discussions.Plant water transport relies on physical and biochemical processes, and thus breakthroughs in physics and molecular biology both inform and extend the core understanding and measurements. Several of the foundational methods used in plant hydraulics have been recently challenged in their ability to provide unbiased estimates. The debate over methods has grown to include controversies concerning estimation of the conditions under which xylem embolism occurs, the methods to quantify the impact of water stress on xylem conductivity, and the mechanisms by which plants respond to and recover from drought. Thus, a workshop would be a timely and valuable tool to promote discussion and analysis of research among diverse, widespread research groups. The workshop will take place over 2.5 days, in Arlington, VA, with over 30 participants. The first day of the meeting will concentrate on plant hydraulics and water relations, while the second day will focus on interfaces with other field, including phloem function, ecological genomics, xylem pathology, broad-scale ecology, and nanodesign. The third day will be devoted to discussion and development of integrative projects and/or instrumentation development.