Linking ecomechanical models and functional traits to understand phenotypic diversity

Timothy E Higham; Lara A Ferry; Lars Schmitz; Duncan J Irschick; Samuel Starko; Philip S L Anderson; Philip J Bergmann; Heather A Jamniczky; Leandro R Monteiro; Dina Navon; Julie Messier; Emily Carrington; Stacy C Farina; Kara L Feilich; L Patricia Hernandez; Michele A Johnson; Sandy M Kawano; Chris J Law; Sarah J Longo; Christopher H Martin; Patrick T Martone; Alejandro Rico-Guevara; Sharlene E Santana; Karl J Niklas

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.009

Linking ecomechanical models and functional traits to understand phenotypic diversity

Trends Ecol Evol. 2021 Sep;36(9):860-873. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.009. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

Authors

Timothy E Higham¹, Lara A Ferry², Lars Schmitz³, Duncan J Irschick⁴, Samuel Starko⁵, Philip S L Anderson⁶, Philip J Bergmann⁷, Heather A Jamniczky⁸, Leandro R Monteiro⁹, Dina Navon¹⁰, Julie Messier¹¹, Emily Carrington¹², Stacy C Farina¹³, Kara L Feilich¹⁴, L Patricia Hernandez¹⁵, Michele A Johnson¹⁶, Sandy M Kawano¹⁵, Chris J Law¹⁷, Sarah J Longo¹⁸, Christopher H Martin¹⁹, Patrick T Martone²⁰, Alejandro Rico-Guevara¹², Sharlene E Santana¹², Karl J Niklas²¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Electronic address: thigham@ucr.edu.
² School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ 85306, USA.
³ W.M. Keck Science Department, 925 N. Mills Avenue, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA.
⁴ Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
⁵ Botany Department and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
⁶ Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
⁷ Biology Department, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610, USA.
⁸ Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada.
⁹ Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense. Av. Alberto Lamego 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, cep 28013-602, Brazil.
¹⁰ Human Genetics Institute of NJ, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
¹¹ Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
¹² Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
¹³ Department of Biology, Howard University, 415 College Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1027 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Mammalogy and Division of Paleontology, Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, New York 10024, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA.
¹⁹ Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
²⁰ Botany Department and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
²¹ School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.

PMID: 34218955
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.009

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.

Keywords: biomechanics; biophysics; community ecology; development; mechanics; safety factor.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Biological Evolution*
Ecosystem*
Phenotype
Trees