September 8, 2016— As the climate of the southwestern United States is predicted to warm and experience a shift in the seasonal distribution of precipitation, understanding soil-plant relations is essential for adapting land management strategies for maintaining ecosystem health and conserving plant diversity.

The “Soils and Landscapes of the Southwestern United States” symposium planned at the Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, will address this important topic. The symposium will be held Monday, November 7, 2016 at 1:25PM. The meeting is sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America.

“Soils are one of the foundations of civilization,” says Craig Rasmussen, University of Arizona. “The Southwest encompasses a broad range of soil forming environments that results in tremendous soil diversity. That has implications of land use, management, and ecosystem services. Understanding how soils form is central to addressing the soil diversity and has direct ramifications for addressing land use and management issues in this region.” The desert Southwest spans a broad range of soil forming factors overlying a complicated tectonic history, providing for a complex array of soil-landscapes and soil forming processes.

Janis Boettinger, Utah State University, will discuss examples of soil-plant relations in the southwestern United States, along with some suggestions for using this information for adapting land management.

For more information about the Resilience Emerging from Scarcity and Abundance 2016 meeting, visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/. Media are invited to attend the conference. Pre-registration by Oct. 26, 2016 is required. Visit https://www.acsmeetings.org/media for registration information. For information about the “Soils and Landscapes of the Southwestern United States” symposium, visit https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2016am/webprogram/Session15446.html.

To speak with one of the scientists, contact Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org  to arrange an interview.