Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden

In a changing climate, plant species will respond in various ways. Some will cope by changing their physiology, some will adapt via natural selection, some will migrate, and others, unable to make these changes, will go extinct.

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by phone: (847) 835-8261

Registration fee: $79/$119 ($79 before May 11)

Become enlightened about assisted migration
and its role in fighting plant extinction in this year's Janet Meakin Poor Research Symposium.

In a changing climate, plant species will respond in various ways. Some will cope by changing their physiology, some will adapt via natural selection, some will migrate, and others, unable to make these changes, will go extinct. When fragmentation limits migration potential of plants or when natural migration and adaptation rates are outstripped by the pace of climate change, some conservation biologists propose purposeful, human-mediated migration, known as "assisted migration" or "managed relocation," as a way to prevent extinction. In this symposium, we examine this controversial topic from both sides of the issue and suggest ways that the benefits of assisted migration can be maximized while the costs and risks can be minimized.

9 a.m.

Welcome Remarks and Chicago Horticultural Society's Hutchinson Award Presentation

Awarded to Chicago Wilderness, with John D. Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources accepting on behalf of Chicago Wilderness

9:15 a.m.

Keynote Presentation
"Can Plants Adapt to Climate Change?"

Art Weis, Ph.D., professor, director, Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker's Hill,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

10:15 a.m.

"Big and Little Are Not the Same: How Range and Population Sizes Could Affect Management Strategies Under Climate Change"

Pati Vitt, Ph.D., curator, Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank
Conservation Scientist, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL

10:50 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.

"Managed Relocation"

Jason McLachlan, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

Noon

"Is Managed Relocation another Pathway for Biological Invasions?"

Sarah Reichard, Ph.D., associate professor, School of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Lunch

1:45 p.m.

"Multistage Modeling Approach to Evaluate Migration Potential of
Tree Species Under Climate Change"

Anantha M. Prasad, ecologist, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service,
Delaware, OH

2:15 p.m.

"The Other Assisted Migration:
Moving Genotypes Within a Species Range"

Jessica Dawn Pratt, vice president, OCSCB, and Ph.D. Student, Mooney Lab, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA

2:45 p.m.

Stretch Break

3 p.m.

"Assisted Migration and Invasive Species: Exploring an Ethical Dilemma"

Jay Odenbaugh, associate professor, Department of Philosophy, Environmental Studies, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon

3:30 p.m.

Panel Discussion, Q & A

4 p.m.

Recognition of Graduates

Celebrate with us as we recognize this year’s graduates of the Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden Master's Program in Plant Biology and Conservation.

4:15 p.m.

Reception and Posters (Submit a poster application)

5:30 p.m.

Adjourn