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From May 13-15, 2024, the University of Arizona Ecosystem Genomics Community, participated in the annual Convergence Institute. The Convergence Institute is a 3-day summit meeting that is equal parts science, training, inclusion, professional development, evaluation, and science communication. A student pre-session offers professional development on a variety of topics. Each year, participants hear from a rotating panel about the challenges of ecosystem genomics, then present and– depending on their cohort– receive feedback on their proposed or completed summer research experiences. Students who have completed their NRT requirements are invited to help lead sessions and introduce presentation themes. This report was written by students participating in the team skills and writing workshops presented during the pre-session by Dr. Anne Mook, Mook, a senior team scientist at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS) at Colorado State University. The report includes an executive summary, general components of the institute, objectives, 2024 institute overview, conclusions, a participant directory, organizers and panelist directory, presentation topics by theme and key takeaways, relevance of convergence research, future directions, defining and evaluating Ecosystem Genomics as an emerging field and Appendices. 

Coastal dune restoration often focuses on weed removal to reestablish native vegetation communities. Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) initiated large‐scale dune restoration after becoming concerned about loss of dune and rare species habitat from spread of non‐nativeAmmophila arenaria(European beachgrass). Two projects removed beachgrass from 146 ha of heavily invaded dunes using either mechanical removal or herbicide treatment. PRNS conducted pre‐ and post‐restoration vegetation monitoring for 10 years post‐implementation, evaluating success in (1) eradicating beachgrass and (2) reestablishing vegetation communities similar to native dunes in cover, diversity, and species composition. Both methods eradicated beachgrass with annual retreatment. However, they were less successful in rebuilding vegetation communities with comparable native species cover and/or richness. Mechanical removal areas remained largely barren expanses of sand that struggled to support native plants except for a rare perennial, Tidestrom's lupine (Lupinus tidestromii). Tidestrom's lupine and other rare plants now number in the hundreds of thousands. Conversely, herbicide‐treated backdunes were dominated by standing dead beachgrass that resisted decomposition even after 7 years, which hampered native and rare plant establishment. Delayed decomposition was less of an issue in herbicide‐treated foredunes, because sand overwash buried necromass. Restored areas also contended with subsequent invasion by secondary plant invaders. By 2021, only older herbicide‐treated backdunes, and to a lesser extent, mechanical backdunes, showed signs of convergence with native dunes. Successful convergence may be hindered by lingering physical and microbial legacy effects of beachgrass invasion and treatment method. Adaptive restoration may be needed to counter effects and improve project success. 

A recentRestoration Ecologyarticle by Merchant et al. (2022) suggested that practitioners do not regularly use functional traits in restoration planning. We disagree and provide our collective experience that practitioners do leverage trait‐based approaches and information, but in ways that are different from researchers. Here, we provide an expanded perspective that incorporates practitioner voices to provide a more complete assessment of how traits are used in restoration practice. We highlight that a major challenge in the field of restoration ecology that leads to a disconnect between researchers and practitioners is a different set of knowledge systems, goals, incentives, and limitations. We provide approaches that researchers can use to connect with practitioners and leverage their knowledge.