title: Physiological regulatory networks: ecological roles and evolutionary constraints.
abstract: Ecological and evolutionary physiology has traditionally focused on one aspect of physiology at a time. Here, we discuss the implications of considering physiological regulatory networks (PRNs) as integrated wholes, a perspective that reveals novel roles for physiology in organismal ecology and evolution. For example, evolutionary response to changes in resource abundance might be constrained by the role of dietary micronutrients in immune response regulation, given a particular pathogen environment. Because many physiological components impact more than one process, organismal homeostasis is maintained, individual fitness is determined and evolutionary change is constrained (or facilitated) by interactions within PRNs. We discuss how PRN structure and its system-level properties could determine both individual performance and patterns of physiological evolution.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, CHUS-Fleurimont, 12ème Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4, Canada. Alan.Cohen@USherbrooke.ca
authors.forename: Alan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Lynn B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wingfield
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: McWilliams
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dunne
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D005075:Biological Evolution; D055669:Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D006706:Homeostasis; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype