About this Research Topic
As a 1.5 °C warmer world is becoming more of an inevitable future, the responding strategy needs to start shifting from mitigation to adaptation. Ectotherms, animals that have body temperature matching that of the ambient environment, are more directly facing these environmental changes. Ectotherms can, however, emigrate, respond with phenotypic plasticity and genetically adapt. The thermal plasticity of aquatic ectotherms to acute exposure or acclimation has already been investigated extensively to understand whether or not the extent of phenotypic plasticity is sufficient to respond to the changing climate.
However, recent studies show that there is also a window of opportunity during the development of the organism where the phenotype might be mostly plastic, and the beneficial effects of phenotypic plasticity might be more long-lasting. However, some recent evidence suggests that if the animals are exposed to adverse environmental effects, like heat waves, their fitness might be reduced permanently. Moreover, the question of whether or not the new traits are heritable becomes ever more prominent. The pace of the adaptation across generations might affect whether the species slowly diminish, barely survive or thrive. Before the changes in genotypes, the phenotype might change via transgenerational effects, the parental exposure to high thermal events leading to anticipated responses of the offspring when these events reoccur. In this research topic, we welcome researchers to explore what kind of phenotypic changes are long-lasting, what are the molecular or genetic bases of the long-lasting traits and how can scientific discoveries inform conservation decisions in response to the changing climate.
Potential areas of interest may include, but are not limited to:
• Explore the development window where the transgenerational effects are better manifested
• Explore the mitochondrial, molecular and genetic mechanisms for transgenerational effects
• Transgenerational effects of thermal tolerance and performance at all biological levels of the animals
• Functional and fitness impacts of the transgenerational effects on thermal tolerance and performance
• Understanding the phenotypic plasticity in the transgenerational context
• Application in conservation: whether or not the transgenerational changes can match the pace of climate change in a study system
Authors are welcome to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications.
However, recent studies show that there is also a window of opportunity during the development of the organism where the phenotype might be mostly plastic, and the beneficial effects of phenotypic plasticity might be more long-lasting. However, some recent evidence suggests that if the animals are exposed to adverse environmental effects, like heat waves, their fitness might be reduced permanently. Moreover, the question of whether or not the new traits are heritable becomes ever more prominent. The pace of the adaptation across generations might affect whether the species slowly diminish, barely survive or thrive. Before the changes in genotypes, the phenotype might change via transgenerational effects, the parental exposure to high thermal events leading to anticipated responses of the offspring when these events reoccur. In this research topic, we welcome researchers to explore what kind of phenotypic changes are long-lasting, what are the molecular or genetic bases of the long-lasting traits and how can scientific discoveries inform conservation decisions in response to the changing climate.
Potential areas of interest may include, but are not limited to:
• Explore the development window where the transgenerational effects are better manifested
• Explore the mitochondrial, molecular and genetic mechanisms for transgenerational effects
• Transgenerational effects of thermal tolerance and performance at all biological levels of the animals
• Functional and fitness impacts of the transgenerational effects on thermal tolerance and performance
• Understanding the phenotypic plasticity in the transgenerational context
• Application in conservation: whether or not the transgenerational changes can match the pace of climate change in a study system
Authors are welcome to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications.
Keywords: thermal biology, aquatic animals
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.
