Dr. John Sutherland has proposed the organization of a workshop meeting to discuss important new research opportunities and initiatives in coastal marine ecology. Participation will include both long-standing leaders in benthic ecology, as well as some of the creative young scientists who are shaping the future of the discipline. This area of research is changing rapidly with the collaboration of scientists from various disciplinary backgrounds, all leading to much increased understanding of how living organisms interact with one another and their physical setting to determine the structure, functioning, development, and diversity of natural communities in the coastal regions of our nation and world. Many of these collaborative investigations are beginning to provide basic scientific knowledge that can be useful in the development of marine biotechnologies, for example, studies on how plant chemical defense compounds (natural herbicides) act to deter herbivores. Dr. Sutherland is a leading figure in coastal marine ecology. He has been a productive research scientist with funding from the Biological Oceanography Program. The Program recommends support for the proposed workshop at $10,000.
