What is conservation physiology? Perspectives on an increasingly integrated and essential science(†)

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Physiology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Human activities significantly impact global ecosystems, posing challenges for conservation practitioners and resource managers.
• Traditional conservation approaches often focus on population and community characteristics, with less emphasis on underlying mechanisms.
• Understanding specific causal mechanisms is crucial for effective decision-making in conservation and environmental management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To redefine and broaden the concept of conservation physiology to encompass all taxa, from microbes to animals.
• To highlight the importance of physiological mechanisms in understanding and addressing conservation challenges.
• To expand the applications of conservation physiology beyond imperiled species to include invasive species management and restoration planning.

Main Methods:

• Integrating physiological knowledge into ecological models to improve predictions of organism responses.
• Utilizing physiological tools to establish cause-and-effect relationships between environmental stressors and organismal health.
• Applying a broad definition of physiology, encompassing function, development, bioenergetics, environmental interactions, and fitness.

Main Results:

• Physiological knowledge enhances the ability to identify optimal habitats and stressor thresholds for diverse organisms.
• Incorporating physiology into ecological models improves predictive accuracy regarding environmental change impacts.
• Conservation physiology provides a mechanistic basis for developing effective conservation and resource management strategies.

Conclusions:

• Conservation physiology offers a universally applicable framework for understanding and addressing environmental challenges across all taxa.
• This interdisciplinary field is essential for evidence-based conservation actions, resource management, and ecological restoration.
• Emphasizing physiological diversity at multiple scales is key to advancing conservation and resource management practices.