Macrophysiology for a changing world

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dc.contributor.authorChown, Steven L.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorGaston, Kevin J.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T16:00:24Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T16:00:24Z
dc.date.issued2008-07
dc.descriptionThe original publication is available at http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1642/1469.fullen_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) has identified climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species, overexploitation and pollution as the major drivers of biodiversity loss and sources of concern for human well-being. Understanding how these drivers operate and interact and how they might be mitigated are among the most pressing questions facing humanity. Here, we show how macrophysiology-the investigation of variation in physiological traits over large geographical, temporal and phylogenetic scales-can contribute significantly to answering these questions. We do so by demonstrating, for each of the MA drivers, how a macrophysiological approach can or has helped elucidate the impacts of these drivers and their interactions. Moreover, we illustrate that a large-scale physiological perspective can provide insights into previously unrecognized threats to diversity, such as the erosion of physiological variation and stress tolerance, which are a consequence of the removal of large species and individuals from the biosphere. In so doing we demonstrate that environmental physiologists have much to offer the scientific quest to resolve major environmental problems. © 2008 The Royal Society.en_ZA
dc.description.versionPost-printen_ZA
dc.format.extent17 p. : ill.
dc.identifier.citationChown, S. L. & Gaston, K. J. 2008. Macrophysiology for a changing world. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275(1642): 1469-1478, doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0137.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1471-2954 (online)
dc.identifier.issn0962-8452 (print)
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0137
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11677
dc.publisherThe Royal Societyen_ZA
dc.rights.holderAuthors retain copyrighten_ZA
dc.subjectBiodiversityen_ZA
dc.subjectBiological invasionen_ZA
dc.subjectGlobal climate changeen_ZA
dc.subjectEnvironmental assessmenten_ZA
dc.subjectMacroecologyen_ZA
dc.titleMacrophysiology for a changing worlden_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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