One of the great challenges in ecophysiology is linking physiological measures in wild animal populations with changes in individual fitness. Physiological variables that indicate nutritional state, stress, disease, or injury are used extensively in veterinary practice and captive settings to assess the health and likelihood of reproductive success of many animals. The development and refinement of sampling methods that limit disturbance of animals, coupled with advancements in analytical methods have allowed researchers to begin to examine the relevance of these physiological parameters in wild animals for predicting population trends and response to environmental perturbations. However, despite extensive research in this field, consistent correlations between fitness and/or population health and physiological measures remain rare.
This Research Topic seeks to improve our understanding of the linkages between physiological measures in wild, free-living animals, and individual fitness/population health. It aims to evaluate the effectiveness of field-friendly physiological measures in assessing trends in wildlife populations, evaluating responses to disturbances, and tracking environmental health (e.g., through the One Health approach), which can illuminate underlying ecological and evolutionary processes.
We welcome submission of original research articles, literature reviews, and meta-analyses on the following topics (non-exhaustive list):
• Developmental physiological measures and their relationships to future fitness and/or population health/trends
• Short- and long-term correlations between physiological measures in wildlife, fitness, and/or population health/trends
• Insights into the universality of physiological correlates of fitness across species
• Ecophysiology of wild animal populations within the One Health framework
• Applications of ecophysiological techniques to the management of wildlife populations
• Insights from ecophysiological techniques to underlying ecological and evolutionary processes in wild populations
• Evolution of wildlife physiology (e.g., common ecophysiological measures) in response to disturbance
One of the great challenges in ecophysiology is linking physiological measures in wild animal populations with changes in individual fitness. Physiological variables that indicate nutritional state, stress, disease, or injury are used extensively in veterinary practice and captive settings to assess the health and likelihood of reproductive success of many animals. The development and refinement of sampling methods that limit disturbance of animals, coupled with advancements in analytical methods have allowed researchers to begin to examine the relevance of these physiological parameters in wild animals for predicting population trends and response to environmental perturbations. However, despite extensive research in this field, consistent correlations between fitness and/or population health and physiological measures remain rare.
This Research Topic seeks to improve our understanding of the linkages between physiological measures in wild, free-living animals, and individual fitness/population health. It aims to evaluate the effectiveness of field-friendly physiological measures in assessing trends in wildlife populations, evaluating responses to disturbances, and tracking environmental health (e.g., through the One Health approach), which can illuminate underlying ecological and evolutionary processes.
We welcome submission of original research articles, literature reviews, and meta-analyses on the following topics (non-exhaustive list):
• Developmental physiological measures and their relationships to future fitness and/or population health/trends
• Short- and long-term correlations between physiological measures in wildlife, fitness, and/or population health/trends
• Insights into the universality of physiological correlates of fitness across species
• Ecophysiology of wild animal populations within the One Health framework
• Applications of ecophysiological techniques to the management of wildlife populations
• Insights from ecophysiological techniques to underlying ecological and evolutionary processes in wild populations
• Evolution of wildlife physiology (e.g., common ecophysiological measures) in response to disturbance