scholarly journals What is conservation physiology? Perspectives on an increasingly integrated and essential science

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. cot001-cot001 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Cooke ◽  
L. Sack ◽  
C. E. Franklin ◽  
A. P. Farrell ◽  
J. Beardall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Physiology

scholarly journals Researcher perspectives on challenges and opportunities in conservation physiology revealed from an online survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine L Madliger ◽  
Oliver P Love ◽  
Vivian M Nguyen ◽  
Neal R Haddaway ◽  
Steven J Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Reference Ranges ◽  
Conservation Science ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Abstract Conservation physiology represents a recently emerging arm of conservation science that applies physiological tools and techniques to understand and solve conservation issues. While a multi-disciplinary toolbox can only help to address the global biodiversity crisis, any field can face challenges while becoming established, particularly highly applied disciplines that require multi-stakeholder involvement. Gaining first-hand knowledge of the challenges that conservation physiologists are facing can help characterize the current state of the field and build a better foundation for determining how it can grow. Through an online survey of 468 scientists working at the intersection of physiology and conservation, we aimed to identify characteristics of those engaging in conservation physiology research (e.g. demographics, primary taxa of study), gauge conservation physiology’s role in contributing to on-the-ground conservation action, identify the perceived barriers to achieving success and determine how difficult any identified barriers are to overcome. Despite all participants having experience combining physiology and conservation, only one-third considered themselves to be ‘conservation physiologists’. Moreover, there was a general perception that conservation physiology does not yet regularly lead to tangible conservation success. Respondents identified the recent conceptualization of the field and the broader issue of adequately translating science into management action as the primary reasons for these deficits. Other significant barriers that respondents have faced when integrating physiology and conservation science included a lack of funding, logistical constraints (e.g. sample sizes, obtaining permits) and a lack of physiological baseline data (i.e. reference ranges of a physiological metric’s ‘normal’ or pre-environmental change levels). We identified 12 actions based on suggestions of survey participants that we anticipate will help deconstruct the barriers and continue to develop a narrative of physiology that is relevant to conservation science, policy and practice.

Optimism and opportunities for conservation physiology in the Anthropocene

2020 ◽  
pp. 319-330
Author(s):  
Steven J. Cooke ◽  
Christine L. Madliger ◽  
Jordanna N. Bergman ◽  
Vivian M. Nguyen ◽  
Sean J. Landsman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
The Future ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

We discuss 12 themes that emerged from the set of case studies comprising the text, namely: (1) mechanisms matter for conservation; (2) physiology is just one source of knowledge; (3) physiology and behaviour are intertwined; (4) new tools and technologies should be embraced; (5) physiology can be valuable in captive settings; (6) conservation physiology extends across scales; (7) physiology can be incorporated into long-term monitoring programmes; (8) conservation physiology is applicable to invertebrates; (9) non-imperilled species deserve attention; (10) successful application is increased by co-production; (11) sharing success stories is important; and (12) findings should be communicated across a variety of platforms. We end the chapter with a discussion of some of the challenges currently being faced in the discipline, and with a message of optimism for the future.

scholarly journals Conservation physiology today and tomorrow

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. cot033-cot033 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Physiology

scholarly journals Success stories and emerging themes in conservation physiology

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. cov057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine L. Madliger ◽  
Steven J. Cooke ◽  
Erica J. Crespi ◽  
Jennifer L. Funk ◽  
Kevin R. Hultine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Emerging Themes

scholarly journals Conservation physiology in practice: how physiological knowledge has improved our ability to sustainably manage Pacific salmon during up-river migration

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1596) ◽  
pp. 1757-1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Cooke ◽  
Scott G. Hinch ◽  
Michael R. Donaldson ◽  
Timothy D. Clark ◽  
Erika J. Eliason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Mechanistic Explanation ◽  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Capture And Release ◽  
Novel Applications ◽  
River Migration

Despite growing interest in conservation physiology, practical examples of how physiology has helped to understand or to solve conservation problems remain scarce. Over the past decade, an interdisciplinary research team has used a conservation physiology approach to address topical conservation concerns for Pacific salmon. Here, we review how novel applications of tools such as physiological telemetry, functional genomics and laboratory experiments on cardiorespiratory physiology have shed light on the effect of fisheries capture and release, disease and individual condition, and stock-specific consequences of warming river temperatures, respectively, and discuss how these findings have or have not benefited Pacific salmon management. Overall, physiological tools have provided remarkable insights into the effects of fisheries capture and have helped to enhance techniques for facilitating recovery from fisheries capture. Stock-specific cardiorespiratory thresholds for thermal tolerances have been identified for sockeye salmon and can be used by managers to better predict migration success, representing a rare example that links a physiological scope to fitness in the wild population. Functional genomics approaches have identified physiological signatures predictive of individual migration mortality. Although fisheries managers are primarily concerned with population-level processes, understanding the causes of en route mortality provides a mechanistic explanation and can be used to refine management models. We discuss the challenges that we have overcome, as well as those that we continue to face, in making conservation physiology relevant to managers of Pacific salmon.

scholarly journals Reflections and progress in conservation physiology

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. cow071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Cooke ◽  
Kevin R. Hultine ◽  
Jodie L. Rummer ◽  
Craig E. Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Physiology

scholarly journals Timescale and colony-dependent relationships between environmental conditions and plasma oxidative markers in a long-lived bat species

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaël Beaulieu ◽  
Frédéric Touzalin ◽  
Serena E Dool ◽  
Emma C Teeling ◽  
Sébastien J Puechmaille
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Capacity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Oxidative Status ◽  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Oxidative Markers ◽  
Habitat Variation ◽  
Plasma Antioxidant Capacity ◽  
Plasma Antioxidant

Abstract To increase the applicability and success of physiological approaches in conservation plans, conservation physiology should be based on ecologically relevant relationships between physiological markers and environmental variation that can only be obtained from wild populations. Given their integrative and multifaceted aspects, markers of oxidative status have recently been considered in conservation physiology, but still need to be validated across environmental conditions and locations. Here, we examined whether inter-annual variation in two oxidative markers, plasma antioxidant capacity and plasma hydroperoxides, followed inter-annual variation in temperature anomalies and associated vegetation changes in four colonies of long-lived greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) monitored over five consecutive years. We found that the plasma antioxidant capacity of bats decreased while plasma hydroperoxide concentrations increased with increasing temperature anomalies occurring in the two weeks before blood sampling. Moreover, the antioxidant defences of these bats reflected vegetation indices, which themselves reflected the thermal conditions experienced by bats in their foraging habitat. Variation in oxidative markers therefore appears to be due to variation in thermoregulatory costs and to indirect changes in foraging costs. Overall, these results validate the use of markers of oxidative status in conservation physiology to monitor thermal perturbations recently experienced by animals in their natural habitat. However, even though oxidative markers varied in the same direction in all four bat colonies across years, the amplitude of their response differed. If these different physiological responses reflect different performances (e.g. productivity, survival rate) between colonies, this implies that, if necessary, conservation measures may need to be applied at the local scale.

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