Overview
Global Change is introducing threats to the preservation of natural resources. However,
up to now, it is difficult to measure with reliable accuracy the real impact of
these threats and their long term consequences.
Among Earth's biodiversity hotspots, the Mediterranean Basin might be suggested
as a model region for Global Change research in many aspects, particularly in relation
to the importance of natural resources use changes. The exceptional levels of biodiversity
in the Mediterranean and the anticipated consequences of its possible reduction
justify the high priority given to the issue of interactions between Global Change
factors and biodiversity in this region. The large body of preexisting ecological
knowledge should facilitate progress on complex issues relating to interactions
among multiple drivers of Global Change, including climate, atmospheric, land use
and socio-economic changes.
Goal
This meeting
should provide a more general view to common problems in the Mediterranean, gathering
some leading experts in different fields that can collectively provide a cutting-edge,
multifaceted view of the manifold ecological and evolutionary implications of global
change.
Investigating phenotypic responses of individuals using a multidisciplinary approach
at scales above and below the organism, provides a suitable framework for predicting
the consequences of Global Change on wildlife and understanding feedbacks with the
biosphere. Fastening inter-institutional relationships by exchanging experiences
and sharing standards and data to deal with the threats posed by the impact of Global
Change is the main objective of the symposium. Held in an informal but stimulating scientific atmosphere, this meeting will address four major research topics:
plasticity
and epigenetics;
physiological response;
use of stable isotopes and
ecological modeling
for tracing the effects of global change.
Details
This symposium is the second scientific meeting organized within the
EcoGenes project, funded under the Research Potential theme of
the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). EcoGenes subsidizes the symposium.
Registration is free.
Travel costs and accommodation are not included, and participants are responsible
for their own travel arrangements.
The number of participants is limited. The Organizing Committee may accept or reject
the application without debate.
The Global Change in the Mediterranean is a closed symposium regarding speakers,
however participants are invited to submit a proposal for posters, whose abstracts
will be reviewed by the Committee.