Proposed title: Integrative Organismal Biology
Editors:
Lynn B. MartinUniversity of South Florida
Cameron K. GhalamborColorado State University
H. Arthur WoodsUniversity 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 previouslydisparate disciplines and ideas are being incorporated rapidly into classical perspectives. Our goal, in this edited volume, is to augment thisExtended 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.