About this Research Topic
Animals live in environments that can change from moment to moment, during the day, between days, and from year to year. While some changes in the environment are predictable, such as daily cycles of light and dark, animals must be able to respond to unpredictable changes in weather, food availability, habitat quality, and other features of the environment. Across diverse animal taxa, individual personality or coping style can create pronounced differences in physiological and behavioral responses to unpredictable environmental changes. Individual variation in these responses is associated with individual variation in survival and fitness, so individual variation in responses of animals to changing environments is central to the likelihood that individual animals can survive and reproduce.
An increasing proportion of animal species are now experiencing changes in patterns of weather conditions. These long-term changes (climate change), along with other changes such as habitat changes and the increasing presence of exotic species, are human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC). HIREC will be beneficial for some species, whereas for other species HIREC may lead to a reduction in numbers or distribution, or even to extinction. We need to understand how individual variation in physiological and behavioral responses to unpredictable environments contribute to the ability of species of animals to cope with HIREC. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to identify physiological traits that might predict the responses of species to HIREC.
The goal of this Research Topic is to consider the significance of individual variation in responses of animals to changing environments in relation to the abilities of animals to cope with HIREC. We welcome perspective articles that present a viewpoint on a specific area of investigation, mini-reviews, and original research articles describing results from studies of any type of animal. Authors are encouraged to suggest important questions and directions for future research and to propose how knowledge about individual variation can be used to predict the likelihood that individual animals and species of animals will survive in environments that are changing due to HIREC.
Themes to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
· Studies of individual variation in physiological responses to environmental changes
· Individual variation in responses to novel environmental changes that animals might experience due to human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC)
· Links between individual variation in physiological characteristics and fitness
· Individual variation in hormonal or cellular stress responses
· Physiological approaches to the prediction of responses of individuals and species to HIREC
· Benefits and disadvantages of individual variation in phenotypic plasticity of physiological traits.
An increasing proportion of animal species are now experiencing changes in patterns of weather conditions. These long-term changes (climate change), along with other changes such as habitat changes and the increasing presence of exotic species, are human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC). HIREC will be beneficial for some species, whereas for other species HIREC may lead to a reduction in numbers or distribution, or even to extinction. We need to understand how individual variation in physiological and behavioral responses to unpredictable environments contribute to the ability of species of animals to cope with HIREC. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to identify physiological traits that might predict the responses of species to HIREC.
The goal of this Research Topic is to consider the significance of individual variation in responses of animals to changing environments in relation to the abilities of animals to cope with HIREC. We welcome perspective articles that present a viewpoint on a specific area of investigation, mini-reviews, and original research articles describing results from studies of any type of animal. Authors are encouraged to suggest important questions and directions for future research and to propose how knowledge about individual variation can be used to predict the likelihood that individual animals and species of animals will survive in environments that are changing due to HIREC.
Themes to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
· Studies of individual variation in physiological responses to environmental changes
· Individual variation in responses to novel environmental changes that animals might experience due to human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC)
· Links between individual variation in physiological characteristics and fitness
· Individual variation in hormonal or cellular stress responses
· Physiological approaches to the prediction of responses of individuals and species to HIREC
· Benefits and disadvantages of individual variation in phenotypic plasticity of physiological traits.
Keywords: individual variation, personality, coping styles, environment, climate change, human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC), glucocorticoids, phenotypic plasticity
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
