About this Research Topic

Background

Wildlife conservation is a crisis discipline aimed at understanding the diversity of life on Earth, investigating human impacts and developing approaches to prevent [unnatural] species extinctions. Historically, conservation has focused upon wildlife at the species, community and ecosystem level because habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation are primary risk factors of extinction. Within this framework, the importance of monitoring a single population of a species and/or individuals within that population has been downplayed. As of late, appreciation has grown that conservation at the landscape scale is not our only tool for success. Rather, some situations require a more individualistic approach to conservation science and wildlife management to ensure that individuals and populations can thrive. Consequently, many conservationists are utilizing non-invasive and innovative techniques to understand the impacts of nutrition, environment, health, behavior and individual affect (or mental state) on individual well-being and wildlife populations.

This Research Topic aims to highlight the latest scientific advances to understand biology of the individual, with an emphasis on physiological approaches to aid wildlife conservation and well-being. We welcome papers that study wildlife physiology and one or more of the five domains of well-being: nutrition, environment, health, behavior and mental state. We recognize that all wildlife, whether free-ranging endemic species, introduced populations, or zoo- and aquarium-based individuals, are in some form of managed care. Thus, we will prioritize studies that apply their findings towards long-term sustainability of wildlife populations.

The Research Topic welcomes not only original research and review papers, but also Brief Research Reports, Technical reports, Case Studies, and Opinions. Potential themes include, but are not limited to studies on:

• All wildlife taxa, vertebrates and invertebrates
• Impacts of biotic and/or abiotic environmental factors
• In situ or ex situ wildlife populations
• Factors influencing individual fitness and reproductive success (from pre-conception behavior to parental care)
• Understanding small population physiology
• Novel approaches, technologies to measure physical fitness, health and/or behavior
• Novel physiological approaches and/or biomarkers of health
• Role of individual temperament/personality in wildlife management
• Health, behavior, and animal welfare
• Physiological impacts of zoo and wildlife animal management
• Physiological indicators of animal well-being, including positive welfare, coping capacity and resilience to a changing environment
• Physiology & sociality (e.g. social group cohesiveness/composition)
• Behavioral and/or physiological capacity for organismic adaptation to a warming climate

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: ecophysiology, animal wellbeing, populations, animal management, social groups

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.

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