UQ expert assists in journal record of dwindling animal species

A University of Queensland academic has assisted in a prestigious journal’s publication of a special issue about the impact humans are having on the world’s animal species.

Professor Craig E Franklin and The University of Sydney’s Associate Professor Frank Seebacher organised a special issue for the Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B journal.

Professor Franklin said with many animal species under threat, understanding and forecasting how organisms responded to human-induced environmental change was even more important than before.

“It is indeed an honour to be asked to prepare this special issue, which highlights the importance and relevance of physiological research for conservation," Professor Franklin said.

“Conservation physiology integrates the fields of ecology, evolution and physiology within a conservation biology framework and this relatively new field of biology aims to evaluate the effects of changing environmental conditions on organisms that are a result of anthropogenic (human) activities, both present and future.”

Professor Franklin said through the application of physiological tools and approaches, a mechanistic and functional understanding of the impacts of environmental change on species could be achieved.

The articles in this issue provide a comprehensive synthesis of conservation physiology and identify how the principles of this emerging field could, and should, be incorporated into practical conservation.

The journal article can be viewed here.

Media: Professor Craig Franklin on 0434 602 327 or c.franklin@uq.edu.au