Dear colleagues,

Andrea Battisti (Univ. Padova) and myself are organizing a session entitled “Tree vulnerability to pests in relation to climate change” during the next ClimTree Conference to be held in Zürich, CH, 1-5 September 2013.

The session will address the relationships between climate change and the populations of insects and pathogens of forest trees at three levels, i. how tree susceptibility can be modified by climate change, ii. how insects and pathogens respond to changes through range and performance shifts, iii. how natural enemies may react to changes in the lower trophic levels and to the climate change as well. The session welcomes contributions on talks specifically addressing one of the identified levels or considering all of them in specific temperate forest ecosystems. Impacts of climate change on communities of organisms, and their interactions, will be also considered. Talks on the effects of climate variables other than an increase in temperature, eg. change in rainfall regime or in frequency of climate anomalies, are encouraged. The session is open to both synthesis papers and presentation of experimental results, provided that they are related to important tree species of temperate ecosystems.

There are still some rooms available for talks and posters. So, we invite you to register if you are interested. The deadline for registration has been extended to 29 April, 2013. The last congress circular is attached.

Best regards

Alain 

-- 
Dr. Alain ROQUES
Directeur de Recherches
INRA- Zoologie Forestiere
Centre de recherche d'Orléans
2163 Avenue de la Pomme de Pin
CS 40001 ARDON
45075 ORLEANS Cedex 2
FRANCE
Tel: (33)0238417858
Fax : (33)0238417879
Mail : alain.roques@orleans.inra.fr