Front Matter

Abstract

The Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology bring together scientists from all over the world to present and evaluate new data and ideas in rapidly moving areas of biological research. Each year, a topic is chosen that appears to be at a stage where general and intensive scrutiny and review are needed. Criteria for selection of topics are numerous, but they include the rate of progress in a given field, how recent research is highlighting connections between fundamental biological mechanisms, and the potential applications of the new discoveries to human health and society. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory selected the theme of The Biology of Plants for the historic 77th Symposium in the series. Plants are integral to human well being, and many species have been domesticated for more than 10,000 years. Evidence of plant scientific investigation and classification can be found in ancient texts from cultures around the world (Chinese, Indian, Greco-Roman, Muslim, etc.), whereas early modern botany can be traced to the late 15th and early 16th centuries in Europe. During the past several decades, plant biology has been revolutionized first by molecular biology and then by the genomic era. The model organism Arabidopsis thaliana has proved to be an invaluable tool for investigation into fundamental processes in plant biology, many of which share commonalities with animal biology. Plant-specific processes from reproduction to immunity and second messengers have also yielded to extensive investigation. With the genomes of more than 30 plant species now available and many more planned in the near future, the impact on our understanding of plant evolution and biology continues to grow. Our increased ability to engineer plant species to a variety of ends may provide novel solutions to ensure adequate and reliable food production and renewable energy even as climate change impacts our environment. The decision to focus the 2012 Symposium on plant science reflected the enormous research progress achieved in recent years andwas intended to provide a broad synthesis of the current state of the field, setting the stage for future discoveries and application. This is the first Symposium in this historic series that focused exclusively on the botanical sciences. The Symposium spanned a broad range of areas of investigation including genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, developmental biology, physiology, and population/ evolution studies at levels ranging from the single cell to the entire organismand from single genes to genomes; plant-specific processes and pathways featured broadly throughout the meeting. Effort was made to balance fundamental biological discoveries with applications relevant to societal well being including improved crops, fuel, and habitat.