FERNANDO, DANILO1 and DAVID GIFFORD2.* 1Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210.; 2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9.. - Conifer Reproductive Biology: A Tribute to John N. Owens.
This symposium will serve as a venue to honor the retirement of Dr.
John N. Owens, whose scientific career was entirely devoted to the
advancement of our knowledge on the reproductive biology of conifers.
The speakers presenting in this symposium have in one way or another
been influenced by the work of the honoree. Since there has been no
meeting held specifically on conifer reproduction, this symposium also
serves to bring together some of the scientists in this field, and to
showcase the current state of research in conifer reproduction. The
approaches that are being used are varied and range from Cell and
Molecular Biology to Evolution. Although the topics and approaches are
varied, the transition between the talks will be smooth as they are
grouped into two parts. The first part includes topics on the
following: pattern of gene expression in developing pollen tubes, use
of pollen tubes as a model system to study polarized growth, molecular
biology of embryo maturation, and structure and biochemical changes
during seed germination and early seedling growth. The second part
covers topics such as: survey of pollination mechanisms across
families, dynamics of gametophyte interactions and developmental
plasticity, fossil evidences of reproductive biology in araucarians,
and finally, paleontological evidence for evolution of conifer
reproduction. We hope that this symposium will not only foster
information exchange, but also stimulate further investigations on
this important field of biology.
Key words: Conifer, John N. Owens, reproductive biology