Integrative and Comparative Biology Advance Access originally published online on August 7, 2009
Integrative and Comparative Biology 2009 49(4):339-348; doi:10.1093/icb/icp082
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comparative endocrinology in the 21st century
,¶
*Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019; Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, USGS, Turners Falls; ¶Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; ||Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ; ** Janelia Farm, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn VA 20147; Center for Molecular and Comparative Endocrinology and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH; Section of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Correspondence: 1E-mail: rdenver{at}umich.edu
Hormones coordinate developmental, physiological, and behavioral processes within and between all living organisms. They orchestrate and shape organogenesis from early in development, regulate the acquisition, assimilation, and utilization of nutrients to support growth and metabolism, control gamete production and sexual behavior, mediate organismal responses to environmental change, and allow for communication of information between organisms. Genes that code for hormones; the enzymes that synthesize, metabolize, and transport hormones; and hormone receptors are important targets for natural selection, and variation in their expression and function is a major driving force for the evolution of morphology and life history. Hormones coordinate physiology and behavior of populations of organisms, and thus play key roles in determining the structure of populations, communities, and ecosystems. The field of endocrinology is concerned with the study of hormones and their actions. This field is rooted in the comparative study of hormones in diverse species, which has provided the foundation for the modern fields of evolutionary, environmental, and biomedical endocrinology. Comparative endocrinologists work at the cutting edge of the life sciences. They identify new hormones, hormone receptors and mechanisms of hormone action applicable to diverse species, including humans; study the impact of habitat destruction, pollution, and climatic change on populations of organisms; establish novel model systems for studying hormones and their functions; and develop new genetic strains and husbandry practices for efficient production of animal protein. While the model system approach has dominated biomedical research in recent years, and has provided extraordinary insight into many basic cellular and molecular processes, this approach is limited to investigating a small minority of organisms. Animals exhibit tremendous diversity in form and function, life-history strategies, and responses to the environment. A major challenge for life scientists in the 21st century is to understand how a changing environment impacts all life on earth. A full understanding of the capabilities of organisms to respond to environmental variation, and the resilience of organisms challenged by environmental changes and extremes, is necessary for understanding the impact of pollution and climatic change on the viability of populations. Comparative endocrinologists have a key role to play in these efforts.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  K. M. Halanych and L. R. Goertzen Grand challenges in organismal biology: The need to develop both theory and resources Integr. Comp. Biol., November 1, 2009; 49(5): 475 - 479. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|