37 th annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Plants in a changing world. Second Announcement

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1 37 th annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Plants in a changing world Second Announcement Department of Botany, Rhodes University Monday 17 Wednesday 19 January 2011

2 The 37 th annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists will be held at Rhodes University in Grahamstown from the 17 th to 19 th of January The conference will be held in conjunction with the 9th SASSB conference Biodiversity Matters from the 19 th to 21 January 2011, with overlapping sessions on the 19 th of January. Scientific programme: The theme Plants in a changing world is broad, inclusive, covers all aspects of Botany and is topical in the popular press. You are encouraged to consider how your research fits into this theme. Other descriptive and experimental studies are also encouraged as such information is required to understand how plants may respond to changing environments. International speakers who will be giving plenary presentation at SAAB 2011 include: David Beerling David Beerling is Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield. He has published over 100 papers in international scientific journals investigating the fundamental relationship between the ancient biosphere and climate. Recently he authored the acclaimed book The Emerald Planet: How Plants Changed Earth's History 1. Before this he held a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, where his work on the evolution of life and the physical environment was recognized by the award of a prestigious Philip Leverhulme Prize in earth sciences (2001). Peter Weston Peter Weston is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at the National Herbarium of New South Wales, Sydney. He has wide ranging interests including pollination, systematics and biogeography, ecology and philosophy. He has been part of a recent collaborative effort to examine biome transitions in evolutionary history, and has made important contributions to the debate surrounding the use of fossils as calibrations in molecular dating studies. He also has interests in assessing species responses to climate change and the Australasian flora in general. The conference will include a number of themed sessions, with an emphasis on linking theory to its application in the context of global change. Participants are invited to suggest additional themes, and to organise and chair sessions. Session themes will include (but are not limited to): Plant responses to global climate change: from individuals to ecosystems Mitigating impacts of global change on biodiversity Ecosystem repair Invasion biology Biological control of plant invasions Plant use and ethnobotany Integrating cultural values into biodiversity conservation Biogeography: what can we learn from past and present plant distributions? Palaeobotany and palaeoecology Long-term monitoring of ecosystems Plant-animal interactions Adapting to global change: complex social-ecological systems Taxonomy, systematics and phytogeography 1 Copies will be on sale for approximately R150.

Presentation formats: Oral presentations should be 15 minutes long followed by 5 minutes for questions. Posters should be A0 or smaller (841mm x 1189mm).

3 Presentation formats: Oral presentations should be 15 minutes long followed by 5 minutes for questions. Posters should be A0 or smaller (841mm x 1189mm). Posters will be arranged into themed sessions and each poster presenter will be allocated 5 minutes to present an overview of their work. Venue: Rhodes University has a small intimate campus and all conference venues (lecture theatres, dining halls, residences and function venues) are within easy walking distance of one another (no more than 5 minutes). You will NOT need your car once in Grahamstown. Maps of campus including the conference venues are available at venue. Garden of the Department of Botany, Rhodes University Getting to Grahamstown: For those wishing to fly, a shuttle service is available between Port Elizabeth Airport and the conference venue (R250 one way, R450 return details available on the conference registration web page). As noted above, you will not need a car while in Grahamstown. For those wishing to hire a car between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown, Avis, Budget and Europcar have branches in Grahamstown. Accommodation: Bed and breakfast accommodation is available on campus in university residences at a cost of R285 per night (further details at accommodation). If you require university accommodation, please book online when you register. Alternatively, there are numerous hotels, B&Bs, local Backpackers and camping facilities close to campus. Details of these can be found at

4 Field Trips: Two field trips are planned during SAAB An afternoon excursion will take place on Tuesday 18 th January after the sessions to see the flora and vegetation on the surrounding hills of Grahamstown (the Rietberge) now cleared of alien vegetation. This will be of interest to those working on ecological rehabilitation after alien clearing, and anyone interested in seeing the local grassy fynbos, grasslands and forests. A two day post-conference field excursion will be held depending on sufficient interest (12 or more participants), departing on Thursday 20 th January. The field excursion will examine the dominant biomes of the Albany Centre of Endemism including the thicket, grassy fynbos, forests and nama-karoo. Cost will be about R500 per day, depending on the class of accommodation. Please indicate whether you are interested and any specific areas or vegetation types that you would like to visit. Also provide preferences on where you would like to go, what type of accommodation you prefer and where you would like to complete the trip. Reply to Roy Lubke at r.lubke@ru.ac.za by 30 October Interested SAAB delegates may also wish to apply for inclusion in the planned SASSB postconference field trip to the newly described Sneeuberg centre of plant endemism (see South African Journal of Botany 75: ). This trip (of at least three days) will depart from Rhodes on Saturday the 22nd January and visit one or more remote areas of this region. This trip is being co-ordinated by Prof Nigel Barker and Dr Ralph Clark. Please Nigel Barker (n.barker@ru.ac.za) if you are interested in participating in this trip. Deadline: 30 October Social events: A number of social events are planned for SAAB These include: Welcome cocktail party, Sunday 16 Jan 2011, 18:00, Barratt Lecture Theatre complex. Spit Braai, Monday 17 Jan2011, 19:00, Department of Botany. Free Night, Tuesday 18 Jan 2011 (local field trip from 5pm). Gala Dinner, Wednesday 19 Jan2011, 19:00. Trade delegates: A number of companies have confirmed their attendance at SAAB These include: Leica, Celtic Molecular Diagnostics, Wirsam Scientific. Registration and fees: Registration will take place online ( registration), opening on 23 September Abstracts should be submitted by to conferences@ru.ac.za by 01 Dec 2010 (details of format for abstracts is available at abstracts). Abstracts should be 300 words or less. Payment for early bird registration closes on 15 November Early bird registration for SAAB members is R1100 and includes welcome cocktail party, conference materials, lunches and teas for three days. A SAAB membership is required (R165). Registrations for registered students is R875 and includes SAAB membership (R75) as well as welcome cocktail party, conference materials, lunches and teas for three days. A discount is available for those registering for both SAAB and SASSB conferences. Other costs include the Spit Braai (R100) and Gala Dinner (R200).

Contacts: For further information, please contact the organising committee at: Webpage: http://atashost.co.za/saab/ Email: conference@ru.ac.za (general queries including abstracts, registration & accommodation) saab2011@ru.

5 Contacts: For further information, please contact the organising committee at: Webpage: (general queries including abstracts, registration & accommodation) (enquiries about the scientific program) Phone: (+27) Fax: (+27) Postal Address: Department of Botany Rhodes University PO Box 94 Grahamstown 6140

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