Rarity and Rarefaction : or a mechanistic perspective on the physiology of extinction.

Piero Calosi, University of Quèbec at Rimouski, Canada

Host: Carolina Madeira, UCIBIO, NOVA

ZOOM link: https://ucibio.pt/l/GuestSeminars

Abstract:

Rarity is one of the great paradigms of biodiversity. Interestingly, on Earth there are more “rare” species than “common” (widespread) ones. Therefore, it goes without saying that in a time of rapid environmental change, acquiring a critical mechanistic understanding of how rare species function and how they will fare in future is paramount, if we are to preserve Earth biodiversity. In addition, whilst rarity, rarefaction and extinction (not a title from a Jane Austen’s book) are central themes in biodiversity, they are relatively less explored compared to other aspects of biology, particularly within the context of the ongoing climate and global changes. The talk explores the life history, whole-organism physiology and cell (omics) physiology of a number of comparative case studies focusing on rare versus common marine (non-model) species within the context of ocean warming and acidification. It will hopefully leave you with more questions than answers!

Short CV:

I am a marine evolutionary physiologist at the University of Quebec in Rimouski (UQAR). My research is at the interface between physiology, ecology and evolution, and I focus on marine invertebrates as study systems. I am interested in helping define geographical patterns in physiological diversity (Macrophysiology), organisms’ ability to respond to and cope with ongoing combined climate and global changes (Global Change Biology) and characterize the plasticity and evolvability of physiological systems (Evolutionary Physiology). I work on different life stages, sexes, populations and species, as required by the question at hand, and use both laboratory (incl. natural selection) experiments and in situ translocations and collections to attempt to unravel how marine organisms work, adjust and can adapt to combined drivers: incl. ocean warming, acidification and de-oxygenation, as well as changes in salinity. Finally, thanks to ongoing collaborations with Portugal (NOVA-FCT and Universidade de Aveiro), I have developed a marked interest in integrating single and multi-omics approaches to link organisms’ cellular abilities to cope with environmental changes to their ecology, better constraining the complexity characterizing an organism biological hierarchy.