We are pleased to announce the VI Southern Connection Congress to be held in Bariloche, Argentina on February 15-19, 2010. The meeting will be held at Hotel Panamericano Bariloche (http://www.panamericanobariloche.com).

Southern Connection is a non profit organization, member countries are Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa (known as the ‘Gondwana countries’); and from North America and Europe.

Southern Connection aim is to provide a venue for communication among scientists, principally biologists, working on southern temperate ecosystems and biota. Southern Connection undertakes this role through congresses, meetings, publications, and other activities. Previous Southern Connection congresses have been held in Australia (1993 and 2007), Chile (1997) New Zealand (2000) and South Africa (2004).

VI Southern Connection Congress will consider the past history, current characteristics, and future perspectives of southern temperate ecosystems and biota in a global context.

Original studies that describe results in themes such as composition, ecosystems structure and dynamics, ecophysiology, biological interactions and invasions, population genetics, reproductive biology, taxonomy, phylogeny, evolution, paleobiology, biogeography, macroecology, conservation, restoration and sustainable management are welcome.

The meeting will include conferences, symposia, sessions of oral contributed papers, poster sessions, and field trips.

The official language of the Southern Connection Congress is English, but additional Spanish versions of abstracts are welcome.

Organizing Committee:

Cristina Acosta, Guillermo Amico, Marina Arbetman, Melisa Blackhall, Donald Bran, Carolina Calviño, Laura Cavallero, Vanina Chalcoff, Laura Chazarreta, Soledad Díaz, Natalie Dudinszky, Cecilia Ezcurra, Jorgelina Franzese, Luciana Ghermandi, Sofía González, Javier Grosfeld, Thomas Kitzberger, Sergio Lambertucci, María Natalia Lescano, Dardo López, Paula Mathiasen, Carolina Morales, Gabriela Pirk, Andrea Premoli, Estela Raffaele, Andrea Relva, Adriana Ruggiero, Malena Sabatino, Cintia Souto, Karina Speziale, Ma. Laura Suarez, Romina Vidal-Russell and Victoria Werenkraut.