Our Program Committee is currently developing the detailed program. However, you can see the 2012 Workshop description for a reasonable idea of what will happen: http://www.andinabbar.weebly.com/workshops.html
The format will consist of meetings, in small or large groups, every morning. Afternoons will be reserved for walking or other small group activities. There will be additional sessions in the evenings, for debate and/or the development of camaraderie amongst the attendees, accompanied by alcoholic or other beverages. We will include innovative methods designed specifically to encourage openness and debate.
The main themes for debate will be:
Population genetics and adaptation
Spatial ecology of weeds and site-specific management
Seed banks, bud banks and their management
Other topics will inevitably be raised as the meeting progresses
Population genetics and adaptation. These processes are fundamental to biology; techniques have advanced rapidly. However, with the exception of herbicide resistance, little has been done in relation to weeds other than to describe variation. Appreciation of the principles of population genetics by weed scientists is often rudimentary and learned in a crop breeding rather than ecological context. Even in invasion ecology, it is common to assume particular population genetics processes without actually demonstrating them in action. It is likely that weeds and invasive species will evolve in response to selection pressures other than herbicides. However, in many cases the traits associated with population vital rates may be so plastic that responses to factors such as climate change will not involve significant adaptation and will not result in new weed community composition. What are the important questions in population genetics for weeds and invasive species? What are the methods most appropriate to answering these questions? How do we get better uptake/more effective use of these methods? How do we achieve better integration of weed ecology, population genetics and herbicide research?
Spatial ecology of weeds and site-specific management. Over the past three decades, numerous studies have described spatial patterns in weeds and invasive species. Theoretical dispersal research has been extensive and focussed on wind (and to a much lesser extent animals); empirical dispersal data are confined to a relatively small number of case studies; dispersal has been added to population models to predict rates and patterns of spread. What are the main lessons learned from studies of spatial pattern and dispersal; what do we still need to know? What other spatial processes and factors are important? There has been impressive work on detection and spatial herbicide application technology: there has even been proof-of-concept in the field. But this has not resulted in the widespread adoption of new technology for weed management or local weed impact assessment. Why is that? Is it simply a matter of investment, marketing and barriers to adoption? Or have we not been doing the right research? What is it that we really need to do to move forward? Spatial ecology also has clear implications for population genetics and evolution: how could the two research topics be better integrated?
Seed banks, bud banks and their management. There has been an enormous amount of work by weed scientists describing seed banks (and in a few cases bud banks in clonal species) and seedling emergence in response to management. But there are still significant gaps in our knowledge, such as the influence of parental environment and fine-scale interactions between soil physics and seed behaviour. Integrated Weed Management (eg to tackle herbicide resistance) is based on the principle of managing seedbanks and seed production, but sufficient data exists for only a few species and most models are highly simplistic and unvalidated. Laboratory work has described the germination requirements for the seeds of many species and has been combined with field experiments to describe cycles of dormancy. These studies have led to predictive models of seedling emergence. But despite all this, most farmers merely pick perhaps one option to go with their herbicides, rather than truly integrating the array of possible management options; there also seems to be surprise when a particular species responds to a widespread change in farming practices. Why has most of the research work not affected weed management? Why is it that our predictive ability for changes in community composition is still poor? To what extent can we hope to predict without consideration of inter- and intra-population variability, or is that just too hard? What research is needed next? Have we adequately considered what will be useful to managers?
The format will consist of meetings, in small or large groups, every morning. Afternoons will be reserved for walking or other small group activities. There will be additional sessions in the evenings, for debate and/or the development of camaraderie amongst the attendees, accompanied by alcoholic or other beverages. We will include innovative methods designed specifically to encourage openness and debate.
The main themes for debate will be:
Population genetics and adaptation
Spatial ecology of weeds and site-specific management
Seed banks, bud banks and their management
Other topics will inevitably be raised as the meeting progresses
Population genetics and adaptation. These processes are fundamental to biology; techniques have advanced rapidly. However, with the exception of herbicide resistance, little has been done in relation to weeds other than to describe variation. Appreciation of the principles of population genetics by weed scientists is often rudimentary and learned in a crop breeding rather than ecological context. Even in invasion ecology, it is common to assume particular population genetics processes without actually demonstrating them in action. It is likely that weeds and invasive species will evolve in response to selection pressures other than herbicides. However, in many cases the traits associated with population vital rates may be so plastic that responses to factors such as climate change will not involve significant adaptation and will not result in new weed community composition. What are the important questions in population genetics for weeds and invasive species? What are the methods most appropriate to answering these questions? How do we get better uptake/more effective use of these methods? How do we achieve better integration of weed ecology, population genetics and herbicide research?
Spatial ecology of weeds and site-specific management. Over the past three decades, numerous studies have described spatial patterns in weeds and invasive species. Theoretical dispersal research has been extensive and focussed on wind (and to a much lesser extent animals); empirical dispersal data are confined to a relatively small number of case studies; dispersal has been added to population models to predict rates and patterns of spread. What are the main lessons learned from studies of spatial pattern and dispersal; what do we still need to know? What other spatial processes and factors are important? There has been impressive work on detection and spatial herbicide application technology: there has even been proof-of-concept in the field. But this has not resulted in the widespread adoption of new technology for weed management or local weed impact assessment. Why is that? Is it simply a matter of investment, marketing and barriers to adoption? Or have we not been doing the right research? What is it that we really need to do to move forward? Spatial ecology also has clear implications for population genetics and evolution: how could the two research topics be better integrated?
Seed banks, bud banks and their management. There has been an enormous amount of work by weed scientists describing seed banks (and in a few cases bud banks in clonal species) and seedling emergence in response to management. But there are still significant gaps in our knowledge, such as the influence of parental environment and fine-scale interactions between soil physics and seed behaviour. Integrated Weed Management (eg to tackle herbicide resistance) is based on the principle of managing seedbanks and seed production, but sufficient data exists for only a few species and most models are highly simplistic and unvalidated. Laboratory work has described the germination requirements for the seeds of many species and has been combined with field experiments to describe cycles of dormancy. These studies have led to predictive models of seedling emergence. But despite all this, most farmers merely pick perhaps one option to go with their herbicides, rather than truly integrating the array of possible management options; there also seems to be surprise when a particular species responds to a widespread change in farming practices. Why has most of the research work not affected weed management? Why is it that our predictive ability for changes in community composition is still poor? To what extent can we hope to predict without consideration of inter- and intra-population variability, or is that just too hard? What research is needed next? Have we adequately considered what will be useful to managers?
