Proposed title: Integrative Organismal Biology
Editors:
Lynn B. Martin
Cameron K. Ghalambor
H. Arthur Woods
University of South Florida
Colorado State University
University of Montana
Purpose & theme: We aim to synthesize the current state of the field of organismal ecology and
evolution, focusing on the sources and constraints on individual variation and the role of individuals in
ecological and evolutionary processes. In practice integrative evolutionary ecology uses an
interdisciplinary approach by applying methods and ideas from the fields of physiology, immunology,
developmental biology, neuroscience, and endocrinology to understand ecological and evolutionary
patterns and processes.
Pigliucci and Müller (2010) proposed that evolutionary ecology is undergoing an Extended Synthesis in
which previously disparate disciplines and ideas are being incorporated rapidly into classical
perspectives. Our goal, in this edited volume, is to augment this Extended Synthesis by addressing the
roles of individual organisms in eco-evolutionary biology. Although variation among individuals is critical
to ecological and evolutionary phenomena, we still lack a robust theory for explaining how genes
integrate themselves into variable but functional whole organisms. Moreover, the majority of
evolutionary biology focuses on genes and traits, whereas ecology tends to emphasize populations and
higher levels of biological organization. Those levels of organization are connected via patterns and
processes occurring in individual organisms. This book therefore will focus on causes and consequences
of trait variation in organisms, in linking that variation to ecological and evolutionary issues. Authors
from diverse backgrounds will summarize the state of this growth area of biology, emphasizing major
discoveries, novel insights, and promising future research directions.
Organization of the book: We will begin the volume with a broad discussion of theory highlighting the
role of the individual in evolutionary and ecological process. This approach should provide a general
framework on which the rest of the information can be organized and understood. The second section
will cover another tier of theory, about how genetic and epigenetic variation generate physiological and
phenotypic variation. This section will revolve around classic concepts such as homeostasis and more
modern ideas such as information theory, gene regulatory networks, physiological regulatory networks,
and integrators. The third section will provide detailed case studies on which the earlier two sections are
based. Each chapter will emphasize a single life process (e.g., aging, reproduction, immune defense, etc)
and summarize how a particular process influences and is influenced by others. The final chapter (and
section) will be contributed by the editors and will synthesize the key materials and concepts in the
book.
Target audience: Graduate students and fellow researchers in biology.
Taxonomic breadth: Because the book is conceptual, there are no taxonomic constraints. That said,
many of the authors we have identified work on either insects or vertebrates, or they do theory of some
kind. We are attempting to broaden this coverage as much as possible.
Manuscripts: We ask to you aim for a chapter length of about 5,000 words (main text only), and we’re
allowed 0 – 1 color figures and 3-4 black and white figures per chapter. The deadline for receiving
manuscripts is August 15, 2013. We think this is a reasonable time frame (17 months!), and it comes at
the end of summer research time, which may be more flexible for many of you. Because the target
audience is primarily other researchers, we ask you to write in whatever style you feel works best for
you, with several caveats. The first is that we’d prefer to get manuscript written in simple, clear prose
that any working biologist could understand; that’s a plea to avoid overly technical and jargon-filled
language, so that you speak to as broad an audience as possible. The second is that we (the editors) will
do some significant editing of each manuscript, both of the writing and to promote cohesion among
chapters (i.e., we may point out productive cross-talk among manuscripts and ask you to refer to other
chapters in the book). Finally, we ask that you address your chapter, as much as possible, to the overall
themes of the book (see above). This also will help to give the volume a feeling of intellectual cohesion.
Swag: Each contributing author will receive a free copy of the book and will be able to purchase
additional copies at a 25% discount.