Development Strategies and Biodiversity

My new book is out in Springer. Development is a complex and highly dynamic process involving the cross talk among genes, maternal effects and environmental circumstances. Widespread evidence from plant to animal species show that variation in developmental conditions can modulate life history trajectories and influence key traits, such as growth, reproduction, and senescence. These effects are not limited to a single generation but can also be passed on future generations. This book aims to bring together studies of early life effects from the fields of evolutionary biology, global change biology, and biomedicine to synthesise and improve current knowledge of the mechanisms involved, and how variation in early life conditions translates into Darwinian fitness outcomes. Relying on examples of organisms’ responses to the ongoing and future environmental challenges of the Anthropocene, this book takes a novel approach to address the adaptive meaning of early life effects. The book has a broad scientific approach, targeting eco-evolutionary biologists, behavioural biologists, eco-physiologists, eco-toxicologists, as well as epidemiologists and biomedical scientists. 

Oxidative stress as a cost of and constraint on growth

Congratulations to Shona on getting her first Ph.D. article accepted for publication in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The article reports a meta-analysis of the role of oxidative stress as a cost of and constraint on growth in both invertebrates and vertebrates.

Oxidative Stress and Hormesis in Evolutionary Ecology and Physiology

This book illustrates how and why oxidative stress and hormesis have contributed to shape biological diversity, from organism life-histories and behavioural profiles to morphological phenotypes and ageing mechanisms. The book offers fascinating insights into how organisms work and how they evolve to sustain their physiological functions under a vast array of environmental conditions.

Chapter 1: Historical and Contemporary Issues of Oxidative Stress, Hormesis and Life History Evolution; Chapter 2: Early Life Hormesis and Oxidative Experiences Fine-Tune the Adult Phenotype; Chapter 3: Variation in Oxidative Stress Threats and Hormesis Across Environments; Chapter 4: Nutritional Ecology, Foraging Strategies and Food Selection; Chapter 5: Coping with Physical Activity and Inactivity; Chapter 6: The Costs of Makeup in Sexual Selection and Social Signalling; Chapter 7: The Role of Oxidative Stress and Hormesis in Shaping Reproductive Strategies from Mating Systems to Parental Care; Chapter 8: Combating Parasites: Immune Response and Inflammation; Chapter 9: Variation Within and Among Species in Resistance to Oxidative Stress and Hormetic Responses; Chapter 10: Integrating Oxidative Stress and Hormesis into Research on Senescence and Survival Perspectives