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Field physiology: physiological insights from animals in nature
Daniel P Costa1, Barry Sinervo
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA. costa@biology.ucsc.edu
Annual Review of Physiology
|February 24, 2004
Summary
Field physiology reveals how organisms maintain homeostasis in their natural environments, crucial for understanding physiological limits and evolutionary ecology. This approach integrates natural history with physiological measurements, especially in extreme conditions.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Comparative physiology documents organismal variation.
- Field physiology investigates real-time homeostatic mechanisms in natural settings.
- Understanding natural history is key to formulating physiological hypotheses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review field physiology's contribution to understanding organismal function.
- To highlight how field measurements are essential for physiological insights.
- To explore physiological limits and homeostasis in diverse environments.
Main Methods:
- Focus on field physiology studies.
- Analysis of physiological mechanisms in natural habitats.
- Examination of data from extreme environments.
Main Results:
- Field physiology provides crucial insights into homeostatic mechanisms.
- Studies on diving, thermal, reproductive, and endocrine physiology exemplify the approach.
- Physiological limits and homeostasis are central themes.
Conclusions:
- Field physiology bridges physiological ecology and evolutionary ecology.
- Understanding organismal function in nature requires field-based physiological analysis.
- Homeostasis and physiological limits are cornerstones of this field.