Integrative and Comparative Biology 2009
C. Schwenk, D.K. Padilla, G.S. Bakken, R.J. Full
Organisms are the level of
integration of biological
function and
development
And are integrators of
environmental factors
and feedbacks
Organisms are the level of
creative biodiversity
Since the time of Darwin recognized as the
units on which natural
selection acts
driving evolution
and adaptation
Our list of grand challenges not unique
and not the only questions
of importance
Focus on Organismal Biology
Distilled from dialog and discussion with
many colleagues in and out of SICB
True collaborative effort
Each grand challenge transcends any single
area of study - but will depend upon
knowledge within most traditional
areas of study
Need integrative and interdisciplanary
approaches, thinking and information
not only within biology, but also
with other fields
Will require new information, dialog
across traditional disciplines and
possible new disciplines
Understanding the organism’s role in
organism-environment linkages
Organism-environment feedbacks
Organismal responses to environmental
changes including climatic change
Mechanisms of organismal resilience / fragility
Responses at different time scales:
behavior, acclimation, plasticity,
adaptation
Understanding how organisms walk
the tightrope between
stability and change
Paradox of evolutionary integration/stability
and adaptation/evolvability
Modular organization and overlapping domains
Inter-modular linkages, robustness and
adaptive flexibility
Systems-level behavior of organisms
Integrating living and physical systems
analysis
Organismal complexity in time and space requires
new methods of systems analysis
Application of the theory of mathematical and
physical sciences to organismal questions
Application of biological design principles and
systems to engineering and computation
Interdisciplinary research and education,
e.g., quantitative modeling and robotics
Utilizing the functional diversity
of organisms
Organisms successful outcomes of
evolutionary testing (solutions to the
the problems of life)
Biodiversity as a storehouse of adaptive solutions
to environmental and other problems
Improving bioprospecting - integration of
phylogenetic and organismal studies
Understanding how genomes produce
organisms
Mechanisms of whole-organism development
from genes and genomes
Generation and evolution of phenotypic diversity
and the links between genotype and
phenotype
New diverse ‘model’ species and systems,
and approaches/techniques for non-models
What do we need for
21st Century Organismal Biology?
What will be essential
for us to make progress and
address the
Grand Challenges?
Maintain Focus on Organismal Biology
Recognition of and support for importance of
Organismal Research addressing all questions
Recognition by Universities and Departments of
the essential nature of organismal and
integrative research in hiring, retention,
and internal support
We need to inform and promote the role and
importance of organismal biology to
non-organismal biologists, other scientists,
and the general public
Train of Students in Organismal Biology
and Integration - who have the skills and
framework for addressing GC questions
and working in an interdisciplinary
framework
Rethink our models of training students so they are
prepared to take on this challenge
Maintain training in essential organismal biology
and in interdisciplanary biology and thinking
as well as collaboration
Development of new courses, replacement of
lost courses and lost organismal expertise
From L. Tomanek Lab
From B. Helmuth Lab
New Tools and
Opportunities and Support for
Tool Development and Transfer
For many Grand Challenges, advances are
stymied due to a lack of tools, or ready
availability of tools needed to address
essential questions
Robinson et al. 2010, Tools for 21st Century Biology,
In Review
Examples and Types of tools:
New model systems and species
Ability to use tools from models on
non-model species and system
Instrumentation that operates at biologically
relevant scales for within organism
measurements as well as environmental
data collection at biologically
relevant scales in real time
Tools to fully use and mine the massive
amounts of data collected - e.g.,
genomic, environmental and remote
sensing data
Tools to translate genomic data into
information useful for
understanding organismal
development and function
People tools - scientists trained in fields
and across fields, and in
collaboration
Tools that will enhance cross- and transdisciplinary dialog and research
needed to address the grand challenges
Synthesis/Catalysis type center
Platform for bringing broad range of
scientists together to find common ground,
needs and possible existing solutions
Platform/mechanism for facilitating
interdisciplinary linkages within biology
and from biology to other fields