Proteomics research has developed until recently in a relative isolation from other fast-moving disciplines such as ecology and evolution. This is unfortunate since applying proteomics to these disciplines has apparently the potential to open new perspectives. The huge majority of species indeed exhibit over their entire geographic range a metapopulation structure, occupying habitats that are fragmented and heterogeneous in space and/or through time. Traditionally, population genetics is the main tool used to studying metatopulations, as it describes the spatial structure of populations and the level of gene flow between them. In this Viewpoint, we present the reasons why we think that proteomics, because of the level of integration it promotes, has the potential to resolve interesting issues specific to metapopulation biology and adaptive processes.
Keywords:Metapopulation / Population / Population proteomics 1712 Proteomics 2006Proteomics , 6, 1712Proteomics -1715 Proteomics as a scientific field has, until now, developed in relative isolation from other fast-moving disciplines such as ecology and evolutionary biology. This is unfortunate since applying proteomics to these areas has the potential to reveal new perspectives and lines of research. For instance, one recent review paper shows how proteomics can potentially provide highly valuable information in phylogenetic analyses, permitting the detection and characterization of specific proteins that have evolutionary value in terms of defining mono-, para-and polyphyly [1]. Similarly, some studies have demonstrated how proteomics can be used to investigate natural variations within species populations [2][3][4][5][6][7].Because of its pivotal role in ecological and evolutionary thinking, adaptation has been extensively studied by all biologists engaged in this area over recorded historical time, indeed from Aristotle onwards. An important aspect of recent theoretical and experimental studies on adaptive processes is the recognition that these phenomena have to be examined in the context of metapopulation structure [8]. The large majority of species exhibit a metapopulation structure over their geographic range, occupying as they do habitats that are fragmented and heterogeneous in space and/or through time. Understanding the ecology of populations at a metapopulation level (i.e., metapopulation ecology) is of interest not only for evolutionary ecologists but also for any scientists who bridge fundamental ecology and applied problem solving, like agronomy and ecosystem management in biological conservation perspectives.Traditionally, a major goal of population genetics has been, and still is, the measurement of genetic variation within and between populations and the estimation of