Conservation Symposium Series
Ecology Underfoot: The Secret Life of Soil

Friday, September 11, 2009 from 9 am to 4 pm

The Sixth-Annual Conservation Symposium at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Presented by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Conservation Symposium Series

Soil life is the Earth's most abundant terrestrial ecosystem and supports a tremendously diverse biota. Organisms range in size from the tiniest single-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa; to the more complex nematodes and micro-arthropods; to the visible earthworms, insects, small vertebrates, and plants. The interactions of these organisms maintain a healthy soil food web and provide a foundation for energy flow and nutrient cycling.

Two prominent authors and researchers will deliver the morning and afternoon keynote addresses: Jeff Lowenfels, author of Teaming With Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, will reveal who's down there, who's eating whom and how plants manipulate other organisms' actions for their own benefit. Dr. Cindy Hale, author of Earthworms of the Great Lakes and Research Associate at the University of Minnesota, will present her research on exotic earthworm invasions and how these non-native invaders may be affecting other creatures that rely on the forest floor, such as ants, spiders, amphibians, mammals and ground nesting birds. Other discussions will include mycorrhizal fungi, the role ant communities play in our soil, and the status of the Ohio-extirpated American Burying Beetle.

View the Conservation Symposium Schedule

Conservation Symposium Field Trips
Symposium Registration includes participation in one field trip on either Thursday, September 10th or Saturday, September 12th. (You may register for one trip each day for an additional fee). Trips are rain or shine. Directions are sent to participants in advance. 

Symposium Registration  
Fee: $20 per person
For more information, call (216) 231-4600 or 1-800-317-9155, ext. 3505. 

This Conservation Symposium Series event is made possible by the generous support of  Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland Zoological Society, Geauga Park District, Lake Metroparks, Metroparks, Serving Summit County, Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, The Holden Arboretum, The Nature Conservancy, The Trout Club of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Western Reserve Land Conservancy