The Smithsonian Paleobiology ETE group will host a 3-day workshop entitled Stranger than we can suppose: Evaluating ecological possibility past, present, and future, to discuss specific topics relating to the Earths ecology from the standpoint of two different scientific disciplines paleobiology and ecology. This workshop builds upon the results of the September, 2007, Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems (ETE) workshop, Paleontological Powers of Ten: Issues of Scale in Paleoecology, and is part of a broader initiative to stimulate productive exchange between ecology and paleobiology. The workshop will include specialists in marine invertebrates, terrestrial plants, and terrestrial vertebrates. The workshop is intended to build strategies for transmitting knowledge among paleoecologists and ecologists and to generate new collaborations directed at specific problems and theme topics. The workshop will strengthen intellectual knowledge sharing and promote synthesis of ecological knowledge from both major areas of scientific enquiry. The meeting will involve a total of 45 attendees including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, young and established professionals, with one-quarter of the invitees being ETE scientists.
