Anthropogenic climate change is rapidly transforming environments and poses a major threat to species and ecosystems worldwide. Understanding how animal populations respond to these changing environments is crucial for developing conservation and mitigation strategies as global temperatures continue to rise. It is now becoming increasingly feasible to generate data at genome and population-wide scales for many species, including those at the greatest risk from the effects of climate change. Recent genomics-based studies have begun to shed light on the mechanisms by which animal populations respond to climate change and offer methods to predict how populations will respond in the future.
The motivation for this Special Feature is to highlight these emerging genomics approaches and their applications across a diverse range of animal systems. Specifically, contributing papers will be selected that focus on understanding:
- range shifts
- phenotypic plasticity
- local adaptation of animal populations in response to changing environments from a genomics perspective
It is our intent that this collection of papers will serve as a set of guidelines and best practices for researchers using genomics to understand climate change response going forward. Papers will cover new genomic/bioinformatic methods with applications to non-model animal species, genetic approaches to understand population-level responses, and efforts to connect these new understandings with their ecological implications.
Contributions submitted via this open call will be considered for publication in a Special Feature planned for summer 2021. Manuscripts should be submitted in the usual way through the Journal of Animal Ecology website, clearly stating in the cover letter accompanying the submission that you wish to be considered for publication as part of this Special Feature. Acceptable paper types include:
- Research Articles
- Reviews
- Long-term Studies in Animal Ecology
- Concepts in Animal Ecology
- ‘How-to…’ articles
Pre-submission inquiries are suggested for non-research paper types. Inquiries and other questions should be directed to: admin@journalofanimalecology.org.
Guest Edited by Lesley Lancaster, Zachary Fuller and Maren Wellenreuther
The deadline for submission is: Friday 4 December 2020
Deadline extended to Thursday 4 March
Animal Ecology in Focus 