Organisers
Dr. Lauren E. Nadler (Nova Southeastern University, USA)
Dr Sandra A. Binning (University of Montreal, USA)
Invited Speakers
Professor Iain Barber, Nottingham Trent University
Dr. Jane Behrens, Denmark National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua)
Dr. Nicholas Wu, The University of Syney
Ms. Angela Albi, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Most animals harbour parasites, with implications for nearly every aspect of animal physiology, behaviour and ecology. Infection with parasites (defined broadly as viruses, bacteria and multicellular parasites) can stimulate a host’s immune system and alter host phenotypes in profound and sometimes counter-intuitive ways, due to parasite-induced debilitation, host-responses to infection and/or parasitic manipulation. Infection-induced phenotypes vary due to a range of factors, including host infection tolerance, host immunological resistance, parasite developmental stage, parasite load, and co-infection by multiple parasites. This session will bring
together researchers at the forefront of understanding the mechanisms driving parasite-induced phenotypes across
diverse host-parasite systems.
Organisers:
Ariel Camp (University of Liverpool, UK)
Brooke Flammang (New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA)
Invited Speakers
Dr. John Nyakatura
Dr. Christofer Clemente
Dr. Ritu Raman
Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Robotic models can provide new insights into how animals use musculoskeletal systems to move through their environment. These biological motors drive crucial physiological, behavioral—and ultimately ecological and evolutionary—processes. But the complexity of interacting muscles and skeletal elements limits what we can directly observe and measure. Replicating aspects of these biological systems with robotic mechanisms lets us test new hypotheses and explore biologically inspired design applications. This session brings together a diverse set of researchers exploring new ways to implement and apply musculoskeletal robotics.
Organisers:
Dr Sophie Reichert (University of Turku, Finland)
Dr Tiia KÓrkkÓinen (University of Turku, Finland)
Invited Speakers :
Prof Hannah Dugdale , (University Of Groningen)
Dr Christina Bauch , (University of Groningen)
Dr Pablo Burraco , (University of Glasgow)
Dr Jose Noguera, (University of Vigo)
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Telomeres. the chromosome ends controlling cell replication capacity , are posited to have an important role in cell senescence and ageing. Telomeres predict life expectancy, and theey are thought to link with lifestyle conditions. Additionally , within species , telomeres and their dynamic present consistent between individual differences , which could reflect inter individual variability in health and ageing rates. This session will examine factors (i.e genetics , environmental conditions, transgenerational effects , early -life programming , effects) that shape telomere dynamics and contribute to understanding the causes of interindividual variation in telomere dynamics and how this could turn shape individual ftness, ageing rates and life -history trajectories.
Organisers:
Neil Benedict Metcalfe (University of Glasgow, UK)
Pat Monaghan (University of Glasgow, UK)
Invited Speakers
Dr Sinead English
Dr Kristin Gribble
Dr Alexandra Sparks
Dr Pauline Vuarin
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
There is increasing evidence that the age of parents at the time of breeding has effects on offspring traits: older parents often produce offspring with shorter lifespans (the ‘Lansing effect’) or impaired reproductive capacity. The reverse can also be true. However, the causes of these effects are unknown. and it is also unclear why they vary among species, or whether the strength of parental age effects are moderated by environmental conditions faced by offspring. This session is aimed at exploring the generality of these parental age effects, examining the mechanistic process at different biological levels, and considering their evolutionary basis
Organisers:
Wilco C.E.P Verberk (Radboud University Nijmegen)
Dr Enrico L. Rezende (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile)
Dr Ignacio Peralta Maraver (Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain)
Invited Speakers
Sylvain Pincebourde
Joey Bernhardt
Date of Session:
Duration: 0.5 day
Session Description
This session aims to bring together different perspectives on limits to thermal performance. While loss of performance coincides with the breakdown of some physiological processes, it is currently unclear which variables may be involved and to what extent the same variables are involved in different cases, making it difficult to generalize. In this session we aim to showcase how physical processes, physiological complexity and evolutionary trade-offs interact to give rise to the diversity in thermal tolerance ranges observed across lineages and explore how they can be combined to strengthen thermal biology.
Organisers:
Rachael Morgan (University of Bergen , Norway)
Darryl McLennan (University of Glasgow, UK)
Neal Dawson (University of Glasgow, UK)
Agnieszka Magierecka (University of Glasgow, UK)
Invited Speakers
Karine Salin (Universite' de Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, IRD, Laboratory of Environmental Marine Sciences)
Wendy M Hood (Auburn University , Department of Biological Sciences)
Stefania Casagrande (Max Planck Institute of Ornithology, Evolution Physiology Group Seewiesen)
Sylvain Giroud (Research Institute of wildlife Ecology, Department of interdisciplinary life sciences , University of veterinary Medicine)
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Feeding is essential for somatic growth and is intrinsically linked to animal performance. In general, a higher quantity and quality of food may confer benefits by increasing energy and growth potential. However, individual performance and overall success in the wild is, in part, a product of complex interactions between what food is available, how much of it there is and how capable and efficient an individual is at converting that food into energy. In this session we aim to explore these interactions, why they might have evolved and how they could change with environmental fluctuations.
Organisers:
Amanda Kate Pettersen (University of Sydney)
Neil Metcalfe (University of Glasgow)
Invited speakers
Edyta Sadowska (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
Lumír Gvoždík (Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic)
Date of Session:
Duration: 0.5 days
Session Description
Metabolic rate reflects an organism’s capacity for growth, maintenance, and reproduction, and is likely to be a target of selection. This session aims to examine the evolutionary potential of metabolism, by exploring both the causes of its variation, such as environmental and genetic sources of variation, energy trade-offs and constraints, and the consequences of variation for fitness. We welcome all submissions that consider evolutionary aspects underlying phenotypic variation in metabolic rates, including, selection, heritability, and plasticity.
Organisers:
Frank Seebacher (University of Sydney)
Alexander Little (Queen's University)
Invited Speakers
Vincent Laudet
Helene Volkoff
Werner Kloas
Michaela Hau
Susanne Brander
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Organisms are complex networks of interacting reactions that are exquisitely synchronised by hormones. Hormones regulate any facet of biological organisation, including many physiological functions and life history from embryonic development to reproduction. The effects of environmental changes on biological functions are often mediated and moderated by hormones. For example, animal responses to natural cycles in temperature and light are mediated by thyroid hormone, glucocorticoids mediate responses to environmental stress, and androgens and oestrogens regulate reproductive cycles to match environmental signals. Anthropogenic endocrine disruptors, such as chemicals used in plastic manufacture and light-at-night, therefore can have massive ramifications for fundamental biological processes. This symposium focusses on endocrine responses to environmental variability, including the interaction between natural variation and anthropogenic drivers. These interactions are novel in natural environments, and represent an emerging field that will be of interest to a broad cross-section of researchers.
Organisers:
Thomas Neil (University of Bristol, UK)
Marc Holderied (University of Bristol, UK)
Session Speakers
Professor Jan-Henning Dirks
Dr David Labonte
Date of Session:
Duration: 0.5 days
Session Description
Looking to nature for clues to stimulate research in non-biological science and technology has been at the forefront of research innovation for years. Biomimetics is an interdisciplinary field in which principles from biological systems are applied to the synthesis of materials, systems or machines that have functions that mimic these naturally occurring processes. The scope for these inspirational systems is broad and there is a need to communicate new ideas from bioinspired research across disciplines in order to construct new ideas and initiate collaborations. This session aims to bring together researchers from a diverse range of fields and use the meeting as a basis for discussing novel and exciting findings along with their potential for a role in creating new bioinspired technologies and materials.
Organisers:
Oliver H Wearing (McMaster University)
Justin Conner (University of North Texas)
Invited Speakers
Frank van Breukelen received his PhD (University of Colorado)
Cayleih Robertson
Date of Session:
Duration: 0.5 days
Session Description
Evolved mechanisms andtheir inyteractions with environmental cues across life stages influence perfomance of animals , both adapted and plastic responses to the evironment shape physiological mechanisms underlying whole organismal traits that are exposed to evolutionary selection, shaping perfomance capacity and enviromental tolerance . In this session we will explore how adaptive variation in perfomance capacity in novel environments has shaped animal physiology.
Organiser
Lisa Bjerregaard Jørgensen
Antoine Stier
Nicolas Pichaud
Karine Salin
Session Speakers
Sophie Breton
Ronald S. Burton
Lucie Gerber
Patricia Schulte
Pablo Salmón
Nicolas Pichaud
Rebecca Koch
Nick Lane
Duration: 2 Days
Session Description
Mitochondrial metabolim is increasing recognized as a key mechanism that influences animal perfomance and adaptation to environmental conditions. Mitochondrial metabolic traits can be very plastic, but consistent differences still exist among individulas. This is probably due to the convoluted nature of mitchondrial proteins encoded by two different genomes but also to the ability of animals to respond to these environmental cues. Accounting for variation in mitochondrial genotype and phenotype is thus required to fully grasp the role of mitochandra in a braod range of organisms experiencing environmental changes and to explain the source of consistent variation both between and within populations. In this session , we will review the current knowledge of adjustments and adaptations allowing different organisms to cope with their environment at the mitochondrial level.
Organisers:
Nedim Tüzün (KU Leuven, Belgium / IGB Berlin, Germany)
Julie Verheyen (KU Leuven - Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Belgium)
Janne Swaegers (KU Leuven - Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Belgium)
Germán Orizaola (Universidad de Oviedo & IMIB-Biodiversity Research Institute, Spain)
Mirco Bundschuh (University of Koblenz-Landau, Functional Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Germany)
Invited Speakers
Dr Sarah Knutie
Jeff Wesner
Kirsty Macleod
Marjo Saastamoinen
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Many animals undergo abrupt ontogenetic transformations in their phenotype, usually associated with a drastic switch in habitat. Metamorphosis has been considered as a solution to allow life stages to adapt to different key functions and to intrinsic selective factors of their habitat. Yet, evidence is accumulating that environmental factors experienced early in life carry over to shape adult phenotypes. Given potential fitness consequences of such carry-over effects, and the accelerating pace of global change, it is essential to understand the mechanisms and long-term consequences of carry-over effects to predict how species may cope with a rapidly changing world. The session will explore effects of early-life exposure to global change stressors (e.g. warming, pCO2, pollutants) on later life-stages across metamorphosis or across drastic life-history transitions. We encourage submissions from researchers working on physiology (e.g. metabolic rate, immune function, oxidative stress), life-history (e.g. growth and development rates) and behaviour (including personality research) across metamorphosis, with an emphasis on mechanisms (e.g. gene expression, microbiota, hormonal control) or fitness consequences (e.g. survival, reproductive success), including ecological consequences (e.g. via body stoichiometry). We aim for the representation of a wide variety of taxa that undergo (in)complete metamorphosis, or pronounced life-history transitions (e.g. birds/reptiles leaving nest).
Organisers:
Dr Emilie Farcy (University of Montpellier, France)
Prof. Jehan-Herve Lignot (University of Montpellier, France)
Céline Reisser (UMR MARBEC / Ifremer, France)
Invited Speakers
Inna Sokolova
Steven Brady
Carol Lee
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
In this session the effects of pollutants and other environmental stressors will be described in a multistress perspective using coastal animals
The aim is to explore the effects of pollutants on the species fitness in wild populations and their evolutionary implications. This is an exciting scientific challenge for the next decades that is particularly true in the context of small populations, where genetic drift can counteract the effect of selection and can become maladative.
The session is designed for integrative approaches to bridge the gap between ecotoxicology and evolutionary ecology in a multistress framework to tackle exciting up-to-date questions and to improve our ability to predict the effects of anthropogenic stressors on wildlife.
Organisers:
Dr Catherine Williams (Aarhus University/University of Guelph, Denmark)
Dr Matt Vickaryous (University of Guelph, Canada)
Dr Antony Herrel (C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, Paris)
Invited Speakers
Dr Mason Dean
Dr Melanie Debiais-Thibaud
Dr Torsten Scheyer
Dr Ed Stanley
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
Among terrestrial vertebrates, many species develop bony elements within their skin. These elements, known as osteoderms, demonstrate an unexpected diversity in size, shape, taxonomic distribution, and histological composition. Although often suggested to participate as a form of physical defence, various other functions have been advanced. In this interdisciplinary session, we will explore the morphological, taxonomic, and functional diversity of osteoderms from multiple perspectives using a variety of investigative strategies. Speakers come with expertise in biomimetic engineering, biomechanics, comparative anatomy and imaging, palaeontology, physiology, and developmental and regenerative biology with the goal of advancing our understanding of these enigmatic elements.
Organisers:
Todd Gillis (University of Guelph, Canada)
Angela Fago (Aarhus University)
Invited Speakers
Inna Sokolova
Sarah Alderman
Amanda Bundgaard
Jeff Stuart
Date of Session:
Duration: 1 day
Session Description
The development of hypoxia (low oxygen) or anoxia within tissues represents a significant challenge to most animals because of the decreased capacity for aerobic ATP production, the associated loss of essential cellular functions and the potential for detrimental tissue oxidation upon reoxygenation. Despite these challenges, there are many animals from multiple phyla that routinely experience hypoxia, and even anoxia, and fully recover. The purpose of the proposed symposium is to highlight recent progress in the field of hypoxia/anoxia tolerance by showcasing the divergent strategies to survive this challenge that exist among animals, from insects to mammals and everything in between. This will include new research on mitochondrial function during and following an anoxic bout, translational applications of comparative models for myocardial infarction and stroke, and the mechanisms underlying species sensitivities to hypoxic dead zones resulting from the climate crisis. We welcome submissions that examine the role of the mitochondria in enabling cellular function when oxygen is limited, or when it’s increase can become a threat to survival.
Organisers:
Nicolai Konow (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Callum Ross (Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago)
Invited Speakers
Adam van Castern
Ellen Schluz-Kornas
Pippa Beale
Rebecca German
Susan Williams
David Raubenheimer
Date of Session:
Duration: 1.5 days
Session Description
"Intra-oral food processing is a common feature of vertebrate feeding, characteristic not only of mammals, but also bony fishes, sharks, lizards, and birds. This taxonomical diversity offers an opportunity to evaluate relationships between architectural, physiological, mechanical, behavioral, and morphological diversity across a broad range of feeding system designs. At present, we lack a synthesis for the diversity of oral, intra-oral, and post-oral food processing behaviors, their functional roles, and the optimality criteria acting upon food processing across disparate vertebrate taxa. This session seeks to engage researchers working on structure-motion-mechanics, nutritional and ecological physiology, and macro-ecology and -evolution. Traditionally, those groups have weak interactions at SEB and we would like to contribute to breaking this trend. The key questions addressed by this special session are: What are the functions and optimality criteria of intra-oral food processing in vertebrates, and how do these parameters vary across taxa? Energetic considerations impact feeding system design at multiple scales, from the level of the whole organism down to individual muscles. Determining the appropriate scale at which to invoke energetic explanations is an important component of functional analysis. Are there unifying biomechanical and functional constraints on food processing across vertebrates and what mechanisms do different taxa use to overcome these constraints?"
Organisers:
Essie Rodgers (University of Canterbury)
Nicholas Wu (Western Sydney University)
Invited Speakers
Daniel Gomez Isaza
Alex Gunderson
Carl Reddin
Craig White
Fonti Kar
Patrice Pottier
Amanda Kelly
Bree Putman
Date of Session:
Duration: 2 days
Session Description
Understanding the underlying mechanisms for how organisms respond to anthropogenic changes has been an immense challenge in predicting ecosystem impacts and applying effective management strategies. These grand questions have encouraged a rapidly growing number of experimental studies to address them such as the oxygen and capacity- limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT) hypothesis. However, such results are context-dependent, often conflicting each other. Here, we propose an integrative session to synthesise our current knowledge of those topics to understand the overall effects (consistency among studies), and gaps missing for future research directions. Current themes of interest that will be discussed in this session are the impacts of anthropogenic stressors (e.g. pollution, ocean acidification, heat waves, etc.) on organismal physiology, the role of physiological safeguards (e.g. thermal phenotypic plasticity, hypoxia tolerance, etc.) in a changing world, and testing the universality of contentious hypotheses (e.g. OCLTT, temperature-size rule, etc.).
Organisers:
Ulrike Bauer (University of Bristol, UK)
Simon Poppinga (Botanical Garden of the TU Darmstad
Date of session:
Duration: 2 days
Session Description
The session description will be used by the SEB to promote the science being showcased within your session alongside the session organisers and invited speakers for the session.
Mechanical ecology is an emerging interdisciplinary field at the intersection of quantitative biomechanics and field ecology, at the organism level. The development of ever smaller and more powerful portable devices for measurement and data acquisition has boosted the number of biomechanical field studies in recent years, shedding new light on often neglected mechanical influence factors in ecology and behaviour. This session brings researchers across the traditional plant-animal divide together to explore common interests in field biomechanics, showcase recent scientific and technological advances, and highlight the importance of putting biomechanical mechanisms into a biologically relevant real-world context.
Organisers:
Invited Speakers
Date of Session:
Duration: 4 days
Session Description
Organisers:
Date of Session:
Duration: 4 days
Session Description
The 2022 Annual conference will take place in Montpellier social distancing measures will be implemented throughout the venue. Please click here to view the requirements for Montpellier before you travel.
