Coping with uncertainty: integrating physiology, behavior, and evolutionary ecology in a changing world

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Physiology

Background:

• Global environments are increasingly variable and uncertain.
• Predicting species' responses to environmental change is a major biological challenge.
• Understanding how organisms cope with uncertainty is crucial for conservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how integrating physiological mechanisms with behavior and evolutionary ecology can elucidate organismal coping strategies.
• To review core principles and topics discussed in a symposium on environmental uncertainty.
• To highlight the importance of a phenome-wide approach to understanding trait interactions.

Main Methods:

• Review of symposium presentations and core principles.
• Integration of physiological mechanisms with behavioral and evolutionary ecology.
• Phenome-wide analysis of trait interactions and trade-offs.

Main Results:

• Physiological mechanisms provide insights into ecological constraints and trade-offs.
• Integrated phenome analysis reveals inter-trait relationships and trade-offs.
• Phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution are key mechanisms for coping with uncertainty.

Conclusions:

• Integrating diverse biological fields is essential for understanding organismal responses to environmental change.
• A comprehensive view of the phenome is critical for predicting species' resilience.
• Future research should focus on the interplay between plasticity and evolution in variable environments.