MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Experts in a new field that explores how genes adapt in response to environmental changes are meeting this weekend in Kansas City.

Kansas State University's Loretta Johnson and Michael Herman teamed up a decade ago to start research in the field of ecological genomics. Now, the university's Ecological Genomics Institute is putting on a 10th anniversary symposium from Friday through Sunday at the Marriott on the Country Club Plaza.

When Johnson and Herman first collaborated, their research appeared unrelated. Johnson had been studying the root systems of prairie grass, while Herman's research was focused on a type of roundworm.

Herman says they decided they could forge a new area that explores genomes' role in ecological interactions. Johnson says the research helps predict how organisms will respond to environmental change.