This conference will examine the ecophysiology of arctic plants and soil organisms and consider how this information can be used to understand ecosystem processes in general and the response of arctic ecosystems to impending climate change in particular. The conference will make a significant contribution to bridging the gap between physiological ecology and ecosystem ecology; ecophysiology can provide insight into the controls over ecosystem processes, and ecosystem ecology provides a context in which to evaluate the importance of various ecophysiological traits. The meeting will be held in Churchill, Manitoba, and will last 4 days. It will involve 20-25 presentations by physiological ecologists who have worked in the Arctic. Also included in the meeting will be ecosystem ecologists who have not worked in the Arctic. Their role will be to provide a global context and to ensure that the presentations and discussion remain focused on the link between physiological ecology and ecosystem ecology. Additional discussion will address the types of research at the interface between ecophysiological and ecosystem ecology that will facilitate predictions of ecosystem response to impending climate change. The products of the meeting will be an edited volume, a symposium at the Toronto meeting of the Ecological Society of America, and a summary of research needed to provide ecophysiological insight into the response of arctic ecosystems to impending climate change.
