Temperature plays a critical role in animal survival and climate warming is one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity in the future. It is already affecting species and communities with severe impacts and it is predicted that climate warming will cause species extinctions and distributional shifts in the coming decades. The impact of climate warming is expected to be particularly severe on ectothermic animals, including fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. Thus, assessing species’ responses to ongoing climate warming and determining what conservation actions should be taken are among the most significant and controversial challenges for ecologists. Identifying the most vulnerable species to extinction as a result of climate warming is an appropriate first step in mitigating the impacts of a changing world. An organism’s vulnerability to climate warming depends on its sensitivity to environmental changes, its exposure to the change, and its ability to recover from and potential to adapt to change. The interaction of these factors makes predicting the effects of climate warming on species a complex and major challenge for ecologists. Developing a deeper knowledge of ectotherms’ vulnerability to climate warming is crucial to enhance our understanding of extinction processes and significantly contribute to conservation efforts by guiding the implementation of better policies and management strategies to prevent the extinction of remaining populations. Investigations of climate warming vulnerability are likely to benefit from measurements of environmental conditions taken at the scale at which organisms experience them. Therefore, the main objective of this interdisciplinary Research Topic is to bring together research on how ectotherms respond to climate warming at various levels. We will particularly focus on the life-history, energy strategy, physiological response, etc. We encourage inter-and multidisciplinary research approaches linking molecular biology, thermal physiology (and ecology), behavioral ecology, functional ecology, evolutionary genetics, and bioenergetics.

Ecophysiology and Ocean Acidification in Marine Mollusks: From Molecule to Behavior provides an extensive overview of the latest research on the various ecophysiological effects of ocean acidification on marine mollusks. This book synthesizes historical information and recent findings on the effects of environmental change, ocean warming, and acidification on key mollusks and their life-history. It also discusses the underlying mechanisms underpinning the effects of ocean warming and acidification. Written by internationally recognized experts in the field of marine biology, this book systematically examines the effects of ocean acidification on the reproduction, growth and development, physiological metabolism, immunity, and behavior of marine mollusks. The book concludes by discussing the implications of current research, acknowledging data limitations in the field, and proposing future research directions, providing a better understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification on mollusks and the global aquaculture industry and inspiring new thinking for future research practices. It will be an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners, undergraduate and graduate students, conservationists, and aquaculturists alike who are interested in marine environmental change, ecology, physiology, and marine biology. - Describes the causes and consequences of ocean acidification in the marine environment - Summarizes our modern understanding of the impact of ocean acidification on the physiology and behavior of marine mollusks - Discusses the limitations of existing studies - Proposes future research directions on ocean acidification and marine mollusks

Advances in Ecology Environment and Conservation Research and Application: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyBrief™ that delivers timely, authoritative, comprehensive, and specialized information about ZZZAdditional Research in a concise format. The editors have built Advances in Ecology Environment and Conservation Research and Application: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about ZZZAdditional Research in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Advances in Ecology Environment and Conservation Research and Application: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Ecophysiology of the Green Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas) and Related Species: Mechanisms Behind the Success of a Global Invader provides an in-depth perspective of this devastatingly invasive coastal species. During the last 175 years, Carcinus maenas has spread around the globe by human activities. Because of its ability to flourish in a wide variety of ecosystems and outcompete native species it has been listed as one of the top 100 worst global invaders. Written by international experts, this book focuses on Carcinus maenas and discusses other brachyurans with similar physiologies as comparisons, including control systems and mechanisms used. This book serves as a valuable resource for researchers in marine biology and invasive biology, as well as for university lecturers, government or environmental agencies. - Gathers all information on ecological physiology of this important species into one place - Discusses how this one species of crab has managed to be spread around the globe and survive in many different environments - Features a chapter by First Nations members on how this species may impact indigenous fisheries and culture

Truly high altitude aquatic ecosystems are found primarily at lower latitudes: vast regions in the tropical part of the Andes, the Himalayas and Tibet, considerable areas in East Africa, and minor zones of Oceania. However, despite their abundance in these regions, their biology and ecology has never been summarized in detail. A current synthesis of the topic is therefore timely. High altitude waters are ideal systems with which to address a broad range of key and topical themes in ecology, both at the regional and global scales. From specific functional adaptations of aquatic species to harsh environmental conditions through to global diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients and extinction risks of mountain populations due to vanishing glaciers, ecological patterns and processes found in high altitude waters are both diverse and singular. Although poorly considered in classical textbooks of ecology and limnology, high altitude waters have much to offer existing (aquatic) ecological theories and applications. These often threatened and exploited habitats are also ideal for studying the intimate interactions between social and ecological systems that characterize the majority of ecosystems in the Anthropocene.

The Impacts of Climate Change: A Comprehensive Study of Physical, Biophysical, Social and Political Issues presents the very real issues associated with climate change and global warming and how it affects the planet and everyone on it. From a physical perspective, the book covers such topics as population pressures, food issues, rising sea-levels and coastline degradation, and health. It then goes on to present social impacts, such as humanitarian issues, ethics, adaptation, urban issues, local action, and socio-economic issues. Finally, it addresses the political impacts, such as justice issues and politics of climate change in different locations. By offering this holistic review of the latest impacts of climate change, the book helps researchers to better understand what needs to be done in order to move toward renewable energy, change societal habits, and move toward sustainable development. - Offers comprehensive coverage of the impacts of climate change from multiple perspectives (physical, social, and political) to develop synergy across disciplines - Presents the latest research and developments on the understanding of climate change impacts on a variety of scales and disciplines - Includes case studies and extensive references for further exploration

Conservation physiology is a rapidly expanding, multidisciplinary field that utilizes physiological knowledge and tools to understand and solve conservation challenges. This novel text provides the first consolidated overview of its scope, purpose, and applications, with a focus on wildlife. It outlines the major avenues and advances by which conservation physiology is contributing to the monitoring, management, and restoration of wild animal populations. This book also defines opportunities for further growth in the field and identifies critical areas for future investigation. By using a series of global case studies, contributors illustrate how approaches from the conservation physiology toolbox can tackle a diverse range of conservation issues including the monitoring of environmental stress, predicting the impact of climate change, understanding disease dynamics, improving captive breeding, and reducing human-wildlife conflict. Moreover, by acting as practical road maps across a diversity of sub-disciplines, these case studies serve to increase the accessibility of this discipline to new researchers. The diversity of taxa, biological scales, and ecosystems highlighted illustrate the far-reaching nature of the discipline and allow readers to gain an appreciation for the purpose, value, applicability, and status of the field of conservation physiology. Conservation Physiology is an accessible supplementary textbook suitable for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of conservation science, eco-physiology, evolutionary and comparative physiology, natural resources management, ecosystem health, veterinary medicine, animal physiology, and ecology.

We present you with an updated reference book aimed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students interested in Marine Biology. The textbook is designed to introduce the fundamentals of marine organisms and their ecological roles in the world’s oceans, and is organized by functional groups, emphasizing marine biodiversity rather than systematics or habitats. Each chapter has been written and peer-reviewed by renowned international experts in their respective fields, and includes updated information on relevant topics, from the microbial loop and primary production in the oceans, to marine megafauna and the impacts of projected climate change on marine life and ecosystems.

Since its discovery Antarctica has held a deep fascination for biologists. Extreme environmental conditions, seasonality and isolation have lead to some of the most striking examples of natural selection and adaptation on Earth. Paradoxically, some of these adaptations may pose constraints on the ability of the Antarctic biota to respond to climate change. Parts of Antarctica are showing some of the largest changes in temperature and other environmental conditions in the world. In this volume, published in association with the Royal Society, leading polar scientists present a synthesis of the latest research on the biological systems in Antarctica, covering organisms from microbes to vertebrate higher predators. This book comes at a time when new technologies and approaches allow the implications of climate change and other direct human impacts on Antarctica to be viewed at a range of scales; across entire regions, whole ecosystems and down to the level of species and variation within their genomes. Chapters address both Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the scientific and management challenges of the future are explored.