Linking ecomechanical models and functional traits to understand phenotypic diversity

Authors

Timothy E. Higham, University of California, Riverside
Lara A. Ferry, Arizona State University West Campus
Lars Schmitz, Keck Graduate Institute
Duncan J. Irschick, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Samuel Starko, The University of British Columbia
Philip S.L. Anderson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Philip J. Bergmann, Clark UniversityFollow
Heather A. Jamniczky, University of Calgary
Leandro R. Monteiro, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense
Dina Navon, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Julie Messier, University of Waterloo
Emily Carrington, University of Washington
Stacy C. Farina, Howard University
Kara L. Feilich, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago
L. Patricia Hernandez, The George Washington University
Michele A. Johnson, Trinity University
Sandy M. Kawano, The George Washington University
Chris J. Law, University of Washington
Sarah J. Longo, Towson University
Christopher H. Martin, University of California, Berkeley
Patrick T. Martone, The University of British Columbia
Alejandro Rico-Guevara, University of Washington
Sharlene E. Santana, University of Washington
Karl J. Niklas, Cornell University

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Physical principles and laws determine the set of possible organismal phenotypes. Constraints arising from development, the environment, and evolutionary history then yield workable, integrated phenotypes. We propose a theoretical and practical framework that considers the role of changing environments. This ‘ecomechanical approach’ integrates functional organismal traits with the ecological variables. This approach informs our ability to predict species shifts in survival and distribution and provides critical insights into phenotypic diversity. We outline how to use the ecomechanical paradigm using drag-induced bending in trees as an example. Our approach can be incorporated into existing research and help build interdisciplinary bridges. Finally, we identify key factors needed for mass data collection, analysis, and the dissemination of models relevant to this framework.

Publication Title

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Publication Date

9-1-2021

Volume

36

Issue

9

First Page

860

Last Page

873

ISSN

0169-5347

DOI

10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.009

Keywords

biomechanics, biophysics, community ecology, development, mechanics, safety factor

Repository Citation

Higham, Timothy E.; Ferry, Lara A.; Schmitz, Lars; Irschick, Duncan J.; Starko, Samuel; Anderson, Philip S.L.; Bergmann, Philip J.; Jamniczky, Heather A.; Monteiro, Leandro R.; Navon, Dina; Messier, Julie; Carrington, Emily; Farina, Stacy C.; Feilich, Kara L.; Hernandez, L. Patricia; Johnson, Michele A.; Kawano, Sandy M.; Law, Chris J.; Longo, Sarah J.; Martin, Christopher H.; Martone, Patrick T.; Rico-Guevara, Alejandro; Santana, Sharlene E.; and Niklas, Karl J., "Linking ecomechanical models and functional traits to understand phenotypic diversity" (2021). Biology. 80.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_biology/80

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright Conditions

Higham, T. E., Ferry, L. A., Schmitz, L., Irschick, D. J., Starko, S., Anderson, P. S., ... & Niklas, K. J. (2021). Linking ecomechanical models and functional traits to understand phenotypic diversity. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 36(9), 860-873.