1. Bridging disciplines to advance elasmobranch conservation: applications of physiological ecology
- Author
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Christine N. Bedore, Jennifer S. Bigman, Kady Lyons, J L Imhoff, James M. Anderson, T. Gunn, Christopher G. Lowe, Kevin C. Weng, Richard W. Brill, Aaron B. Carlisle, Dovi Kacev, Ashley S. Galloway, Christopher G. Mull, and E. J. Cave
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Ecological niche ,0303 health sciences ,Physiology ,Ecological Modeling ,Niche ,Environmental ethics ,Conservation ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Overexploitation ,Effects of global warming ,Threatened species ,Perspective ,physiological ecology ,Management practices ,Organism ,elasmobranch ,030304 developmental biology ,Nature and Landscape Conservation - Abstract
Physiology and ecology are intimately linked; thus, ecological observations can be strengthened by an understanding of organismal physiology. Through a symposium entitled “Applications of Physiological Ecology in Elasmobranch Research” at the 2017 American Elasmobranch Society meeting, we demonstrated the strengths of collaborative efforts across disciplines for informing conservation efforts., A strength of physiological ecology is its incorporation of aspects of both species’ ecology and physiology; this holistic approach is needed to address current and future anthropogenic stressors affecting elasmobranch fishes that range from overexploitation to the effects of climate change. For example, physiology is one of several key determinants of an organism’s ecological niche (along with evolutionary constraints and ecological interactions). The fundamental role of physiology in niche determination led to the development of the field of physiological ecology. This approach considers physiological mechanisms in the context of the environment to understand mechanistic variations that beget ecological trends. Physiological ecology, as an integrative discipline, has recently experienced a resurgence with respect to conservation applications, largely in conjunction with technological advances that extended physiological work from the lab into the natural world. This is of critical importance for species such as elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays), which are an especially understudied and threatened group of vertebrates. In 2017, at the American Elasmobranch Society meeting in Austin, Texas, the symposium entitled `Applications of Physiological Ecology in Elasmobranch Research’ provided a platform for researchers to showcase work in which ecological questions were examined through a physiological lens. Here, we highlight the research presented at this symposium, which emphasized the strength of linking physiological tools with ecological questions. We also demonstrate the applicability of using physiological ecology research as a method to approach conservation issues, and advocate for a more available framework whereby results are more easily accessible for their implementation into management practices.
- Published
- 2019