Thematic Sessions
Session 1: Plasticity and (mal)adaptation on an intra- and intergenerational scale:
Acclimatisation and the ability to adapt to a changing environment are forms of environmental reactivity resulting from phenotypic plasticity, defined as the ability of an organism to respond to an environmental factor by changing its form, state, movement or rate of activity. Plasticity can be characterised at different levels of organisation, from the molecular to the social. It can be continuous or discontinuous, reversible or irreversible, and adaptive, maladaptive or neutral; it can be developmental, when the early environment participates in the construction of adult phenotypes, through its influence on epigenetic marks, and influences their adaptive capacities as well as those of subsequent generations. This session will explore the different dimensions of plasticity and their role in the acclimatisation and (mal)adaptation of individuals, over one or more generations, to changing environments.
Keywords: phenotypic and developmental plasticity, biotic and abiotic factors, acclimatisation, individual and parental effects.
Session 2: Linking scales and approaches:
Animal responses to environmental change can be studied at multiple levels of biological organisation, from molecular mechanisms to phenotypic responses of the whole organism, including its physiological and behavioural dimensions. A full understanding of these responses also requires them to be studied from the individual to the population and at multiple spatial and temporal scales, which is a major challenge for animal ecophysiology researchers. This coupling of scales relies in part on a combination of in situ observations, laboratory experiments and modelling of complex biological systems. This session will highlight the coupling of scales and approaches in all its forms and encourage contributions using integrated methodologies.
Keywords: individual, sub-individual, community, population, laboratory experiments, modelling, observation, time and space scales.
Session 3: Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology:
Comparative physiology exploits the diversity of functional characteristics of different species. It is concerned with the major physiological functions of animals in relation to their environment at different levels of integration, from the organism to the molecule. It is closely related to evolutionary physiology, which (i) characterises the evolutionary mechanisms that allow new physiological adaptations to emerge, and (ii) identifies the evolutionary constraints that limit the adaptive potential of organisms. This session will highlight work in comparative and evolutionary physiology that addresses the challenge of determining the details of physiological mechanisms while gaining insight into the evolutionary or adaptive significance of a physiological process or trait.
Keywords: phenotypic plasticity, reaction norms, comparative approach, phylogeny.
Session 4: Ecophysiology applied to conservation: the contribution of ecophysiology as a diagnostic tool for biodiversity erosion:
Ecophysiology, or more specifically conservation physiology, plays a central role in understanding the responses of organisms, populations and ecosystems to recent environmental pressures. This discipline assesses the impact of the factors responsible for biodiversity erosion (invasive species, pollution, global warming, fragmentation, overexploitation). It provides the mechanistic links between physiological responses to environmental stress and estimates the survival capacity of species, with the aim of better informing conservation strategies. This discipline thus contributes to the development of conservation and restoration policies.
Keywords: biodiversity, biological invasions, ecotoxicology, habitat.
