Ecophysiology

L. A. Ferry-Graham, A. C. Gibb

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Physiology is the study of how organisms maintain a constant internal environment that is separate and distinct from the external environment. This internal environment, or internal ‘milieu’, facilitates the survival of the individual cells that comprise the organism. The challenges faced in maintaining the internal environment are dictated by the interactions between the organism and the biotic and abiotic factors of the external environment (i.e., ecology). Ecophysiology is the study of the complex relationship between an organism’s internal and external environments (Fig. 1). Ecophysiologists seek to (1) elucidate the mechanisms organisms use to respond to, and compensate for, specific external environmental pressures and (2) identify physiological mechanisms that represent adaptations to particular environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of Ecology
PublisherElsevier
Pages346-349
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9780444641304
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2018

Keywords

  • Adaptation
  • Comparative method
  • Desert ecology
  • Ecomorphological paradigm
  • Intertidal cology
  • Organismal diversity
  • Physiology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Environmental Science

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