This proposal requests support for a symposium entitled "Plant Gametes and Fertilization" sponsored by the Botanical Society of America in conjunction with the American Institute of Biological Sciences Annual Meeting in Richmond, Va., August 7, 1990. The objective is to stimulate research in the U.S. on plant reproduction, specifically on the study of gametes and fertilization in flowering plants, by presenting current research in the field. Emphasis will be on the questions being asked and the experimental approaches used to answer them. Topics will include isolation and characterization of sperm and eggs, fertilization in vivo and in vitro and methods used in the study of algal gametes and fertilization. By inviting international speakers and Americans who have worked abroad, the symposium will provide an overview of this expanding international field. Invited talks will be followed by an open session of contributed papers on plant gametes and fertilization to which any member may submit an abstract. %%% Sexual reproduction in flowering plants has emerged as an area of significant scientific progress in the last five years, in addition to its obvious importance to agriculture. This meeting will provide access for U.S. scientists to the latest work in this area.
