Understanding and Conserving Genetic Diversity in Native Plant Restoration

Last month I had the pleasure of moderating a symposium at the Society for Ecological Restoration North American Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The theme of the conference was Cross-Biome Connections: Ecological Restoration on a Diverse Continent. I wanted to organize a symposium that would fit into this theme. So, in organizing the speaker lineup, I invited scientists at different career levels, from different institution types (e.g. academia and government), who conduct research in different ecosystems across Canada and the United States. 

The symposium was titled “Understanding and conserving genetic diversity in native plant restoration.” The motivation for this symposium was to bring together researchers who are working on seed sourcing questions from the perspective of considering the significance of genetic diversity on restoration outcomes. The invited scientists each approach this area of research from multiple perspectives using complimentary experimental and analysis methods. 

In particular, researchers studying restoration practices in temperate coniferous forests in British Columbia as well as various grassland types in the U.S. are tackling similar challenges but with different species and resources, in different biomes. I hoped that by bringing these scientists together to speak in the same symposium, it would be informative and constructive for audience members and speakers alike. Many challenges, such as trying to predict future environmental (e.g. climate) conditions and anticipate what genetic variation will enable plant communities to cope and thrive, are global. By sharing knowledge from different regions of the continent, the symposium could spark new collaboration and advance mutual research and restoration goals. 

The symposium had four engaging speakers who presented research addressing the challenges of identifying and conserving appropriate genetic diversity. Each speaker brought a unique yet complimentary set of expertise that they use in creating restoration solutions. I was pleasantly surprised with the high attendance and thoughtful audience questions. I think this highlighted the value of conferences that gather people in shared spaces. 
 

This article was contributed by April Goebl, Ph.D., assistant research scientist.