Welcome
Dear colleagues and friends,
We welcome you to the 9th Plant Litter Processing in Freshwaters Congress (PLPF9) that will be held at the University of Minho, in Braga, Portugal from 16th to 19th of May 2022.
The focal theme of the congress is Global Change and Terrestrial-Aquatic Connections aiming to encourage discussions on global challenges related to environmental degradation, climate, biodiversity loss, clean and accessible water for all within the Sustainable Development Goals. We expect to inspire more sustainable practices for the management and efficient use of water resources, as well as for the protection of ecosystems.
Plant Litter constitutes a major organic resource that makes most rivers and lakes dependent on heterotrophy; therefore, the quantity and quality of riparian and terrestrial vegetation is important for the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems. In this meeting, we will pay particular attention to the role of biodiversity, the ecological patterns and processes and underlying mechanisms, the impacts of multiple stressors, such as emerging contaminants, wildfires and climate-related stressors. We will highlight the importance of new tools (omics, next generation sequencing, bioinformatics, and modelling big data) to better understand ecological complexity towards an adaptation of biodiversity and ecosystems to global pressures.
The meeting is open to students, researchers, managers and stakeholders involved in the fields of ecology and ecotoxicology in freshwaters and across ecosystem boundaries aiming to contribute to the scientific progress and to provide society with knowledge and tools to face the challenges for social and ecological transformations.
The congress will be an excellent opportunity for exchanging ideas and knowledge, as well as for improving collaborative network and capacity building.
We invite you to join us and to contribute with your recent results and expertise to make the PLPF9 an inspiring and oustanding congress.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to this exciting event.
On behalf of the organizing committee,
Fernanda Cássio and Cláudia Pascoal