[Coral-List] ICRS Call for abstracts: Theme 10G - What role does phenotypic plasticity play in acclimatization or adaptation to environmental change?

[sarah davies]

Hello Coral-Listers!

Our team is happy to announce that at ICRS 2022 (https://www.icrs2022.de/)
we will be chairing the session "What role does phenotypic plasticity play
in acclimatization or adaptation to environmental change?" within Theme 10:
Organismal physiology (full session description pasted below).
https://www.icrs2022.de/program/sessions-themes#c242

This year we are inviting new abstract submissions as well as updated
abstract submissions for speakers who had an abstract accepted to our
session for the 14th ICRS virtual meeting. There is specific guidance on
abstract submission here:
https://www.icrs2022.de/registration/online-registration-2022

Abstract deadline: 23 February 2022.

Please reach out with any questions or concerns and we look forward to your
submissions!

Thanks,
The Session Organizers

Sarah W. Davies, Boston University
Carly D. Kenkel, University of Southern California
Ross Cunning, John G. Shedd Aquarium
Jeremie Vidal-Dupiol, Ifremer

Session Description:
Plasticity is the ability of an individual to produce a range of phenotypes
in response to environmental variation. Understanding the drivers and
consequences of phenotypic variation is critical for predicting organismal
responses to environmental change. Many marine organisms encounter
environments favoring different phenotypic optima, however the relationship
between the direction and magnitude of plasticity and fitness (survival
and/or reproduction) remains unknown. While prior experience can
significantly alter subsequent responses to stress, the importance of
time-lags between cue and response, as well as the capacity for
reversibility remain unexplored. The mechanisms giving rise
to plasticity are also unresolved, but may include genetic and non-genetic
mechanisms that can function at different levels of the holobiont (an
organism and its associated microbiota). Given that environments are
rapidly changing, phenotypic plasticity that may have previously been
essential to efficiently respond to certain environments might become
adaptive. Finally, for certain taxa, such as corals, understanding
how plasticity shapes responses to novel reef environments will be critical
to the success of applied restoration activities. This session is focused
on understanding the role(s)
that plasticity might play in acclimatization or adaptation of reef
organisms to environmental change.

Specifically, the session will focus on the following questions:
-Are plastic changes in phenotype adaptive in novel environments?
-Are changes in plasticity heritable?
-Does the magnitude of plasticity differ among populations or species?
-How does environmental history shape plasticity?
-What molecular mechanisms underpin the capacity for plasticity?
-Is the capacity for plasticity limited ontogenetically?
-What is the role of symbiosis and/or the microbiome in plasticity?

-- 
Sarah W. Davies M.Sc. Ph.D.
she/her/hers
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Boston University
Office: (617) 353-8980
Twitter @DaviesswPhD
Email: daviessw at bu.edu
Website: http://sites.bu.edu/davieslab/