Physiological Integration in Organismal Biology
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
2010 Annual Meeting, January, 2009
Grand Challenges in Biology
Hannah V. Carey, Ph.D.
Department of Comparative Biosciences
University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
Past-President, American Physiological Society
Ecosystems
Communities
Populations
Animals
Organs The Physiology Bottleneck
Data collection/synthesis
Tissues
Facilities
Training Opportunities
Cells
Protein
from Terrie Williams
DNA
Molecules
Lipids
Physiological Research, Integration, Synthesis and Modeling
(PRISM)
March, 2007
Supported by NSF and APS
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Santa Barbara, CA
PRISM
Promote integration of physiology into research and
management decisions that address organismal
responses to environmental change and the
maintenance of biodiversity.
Support educational efforts that ensure the transfer of
physiological knowledge, including field and in vivo
techniques, to future generations of basic and applied
scientists.
PRISM
National Network for Physiological
Research, Integration, Synthesis and Modeling
Basic Academic Departments
Biomedicine Centers
Human & Veterinary
Genomics
Research Centers
Conservation Centers/Zoos/Field Stations
Research
Training
Policy
Terrie Williams, UC-Santa Cruz, Hannah Carey, UW-Madison
PRISM Working Group
Public Awareness
APS Contributions to Grand Challenges
Increase awareness within the scientific community and the
general public of the role of physiology in organismal adaptation
to environment, to conservation biology and ecosystem
management, and the connection to human health
Support educational efforts in whole animal physiology, field
physiology and integration of physiology from gene to
environment
Development of web tools: Physiological Research,
Integration, Synthesis and Modeling
Enhance awareness of the role of physiology in conservation
biology and ecosystem management, and the connection to
human health
Conferences
Publications
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
Predicting Extinction: Investigating the Interface of Physiology,
Ecology, and Climate Change
November/December 2008
Communications
Press Releases, Life Lines Podcasts, ScienceBlogs
Support educational efforts in whole animal (in vivo)
physiology, field physiology and integration of physiology
from gene to environment:
Training programs in ecological and conservation physiology, focusing on
techniques in whole organism and field physiology
Field stations that support research and training in field and organismal
physiology
Research laboratories that provide training opportunities in field-based
physiology, ecological, and conservation physiology
Knowledge transfer: programs to harness knowledge of “experienced”
physiologists to transfer concepts and techniques in field physiology to
next generation of scientists
Support development of web-based tools for PRISM
• Information exchange
• Physiology databases
• Publications, reports, white papers, funding opportunities
• Link with other societies including the international physiology
community
• Network of research centers dedicated to addressing conservation
and global environmental issues focusing on physiological
integration.
Macrophysiology for a changing world
Steven L. Chown, Kevin J. Gaston
Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2008) 275, 1469–1478
Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Republic of South Africa
Biodiversity and Macroecology Group, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield
An Integrated View of Global Health
Animal
Human
Physiology
Ecosystem
Center for Health and the
Global Environment
Harvard Medical School
U.N. Environment Programme
U.N. Development Programme
Secretariat of the Convention on
Biological Diversity
World Conservation Union
May, 2008
Oxford University Press
Biodiversity and Human Health
Chivian and Bernstein 2008
 Medicines from natural sources
 Ecosystem services
 Biodiversity and world food production
 Biodiversity and infectious diseases
 Biodiversity and biomedical research
Role of environment in balancing host
susceptibility and pathogen infectivity
Pathogen
Host
Physiological resilience
Physiological tolerances
Prevailing
Environmental
Conditions
Adapted from Sherman, 2002
The Conservation Physiology Toolbox
Approaches
• Endocrine physiology
• Nutrition and digestive physiology
• Metabolism/Energetics
• Water Balance
• Thermoregulation
• Immunophysiology
Techniques
• Plasma and fecal steroid monitoring
• Biotelemetry
• Stable isotope techniques
• Immune status testing
• Thermoregulation
Cell physiology: Osmoregulation, ion channel function, membrane transport
Upcoming: Physiological genomics, proteomics, metabolomics