KENAGY, G.J.; University of Washington: Physiology, Adaptation, and Biogeography: New Echos from George Bartholomew’s Philosophy

Nearly 50 years have passed since George Bartholomew produced an essay for a A.A.A.S. zoogeography symposium in which he discussed the role of physiology in the distribution of terrestrial vertebrates. Our views and technical abilities in the study of adaptation and genetics have changed. The potential for ground-breaking research in evolutionary biology is rich, due to technological and conceptual advances that should inspire us to produce good natural-history-based field work, including studies of life history and population biology. We can now integrate physiological, behavioral, and genetic data across geographic space in ways that may reflect the historical causation of species distributions. Using examples of day-active rodents inhabiting hot and arid environments in North and South America, I will illustrate some new horizons of research that echo the problems and principles articulated by George Bartholomew in his 1958 essay.