Striving for population-level conservation: integrating physiology across the biological hierarchy

Abstract

The field of conservation physiology strives to achieve conservation goals by revealing physiological mechanisms that drive population declines in the face of human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC) and has informed many successful conservation actions. However, many studies still struggle to explicitly link individual physiological measures to impacts across the biological hierarchy (to population and ecosystem levels) and instead rely on a ‘black box’ of assumptions to scale up results for conservation implications. Here, we highlight some examples of studies that were successful in scaling beyond the individual level, including two case studies of well-researched species, and using other studies we highlight challenges and future opportunities to increase the impact of research by scaling up the biological hierarchy. We first examine studies that use individual physiological measures to scale up to population-level impacts and discuss several emerging fields that have made significant steps toward addressing the gap between individual-based and demographic studies, such as macrophysiology and landscape physiology. Next, we examine how future studies can scale from population or species-level to community- and ecosystem-level impacts and discuss avenues of research that can lead to conservation implications at the ecosystem level, such as abiotic gradients and interspecific interactions. In the process, we review methods that researchers can use to make links across the biological hierarchy, including crossing disciplinary boundaries, collaboration and data sharing, spatial modelling and incorporating multiple markers (e.g. physiological, behavioural or demographic) into their research. We recommend future studies incorporating tools that consider the diversity of ‘landscapes’ experienced by animals at higher levels of the biological hierarchy, will make more effective contributions to conservation and management decisions.

Physiological basis of interactive responses to temperature and salinity in coastal marine invertebrate: Implications for responses to warming

“…The capacity to better understand and predict effects of climate change through multiple drivers requires knowledge of the mechanisms driving such effects (De Laender, 2018;Galic et al, 2018;Orr et al, 2020;Thompson et al, 2018). In particular, responses occurring at the individual, population, or species levels are based on physiological mechanisms driving tolerance, in addition to biotic interactions (Ames et al, 2020;Baert et al, 2016;Pörtner, 2010;Sokolova et al, 2012;Somero, 2010Somero, , 2011. Hence, understanding physiological responses to multiple environmental drivers is the starting point toward better models of biotic responses to climate change.…”

The history, goals, and application of conservation physiology

“…gene transcription, behaviour, physiology) into conservation studies (Madliger et al , 2018. Quantifying variation in physiological traits can allow us to link larger-scale abiotic processes to the organismal responses that influence fitness, population demography, and even ecosystem functioning (Bergman et al 2019;Ames et al 2020). With knowledge of the structure and strength of these linkages, we can then use predictive modelling techniques (McClane et al 2011) to more effectively forecast expected outcomes for individuals and populations under expected future environmental scenarios (Semeniuk et al 2012a;Cooke et al 2013;.…”

“…For example, Crossin and Williams (Chapter 2, this volume) outline how yolk precursors, the primary sources of protein and lipid in developing follicles and egg yolk, can predict breeding propensity and reproductive success in at-risk bird species. Although these types of linkages are often some of the most difficult to establish regardless of the system (Madliger et al 2016), they are imperative for being able to scale these relationships up to quantify impacts on populations and ecosystems (Cooke and O'Connor 2010;Bergman et al 2019;Ames et al 2020).…”

Context-dependent variability in the predicted daily energetic costs of disturbance for blue whales

“…Exposure to human activities can cause changes in the behavior and physiology of individual animals ( Frid and Dill, 2002 ; Beale and Monaghan, 2004 ). These responses need to be understood in the context of their long-term effects on individual vital rates (such as survival or reproduction) and, ultimately, population dynamics in order to most effectively inform management actions ( Gill et al, 2001 ; Pirotta et al, 2018a ; Ames et al, 2020 ).…”