Variability in Sensory Ecology: Expanding the Bridge Between Physiology and Evolutionary Biology

2009/03/01 by Olivier Dangles, Duncan J. Irschick, Duncan Irschick +3 · 103 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Anatomy #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Biology #Bridge (graph theory) #Cognitive science #Ecology #Evolutionary ecology #Evolutionary physiology #Host (biology) #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research #Neuroscience #Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies #Population #Psychology #Sensory system #Sociology

paper · doi:10.1086/596463

published in The Quarterly Review of Biology 84(1), 51-74 (University of Chicago Press)

openalex publication_date 2009/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Sensory organs represent the interface between the central nervous system of organisms and the environment in which they live. To date, we still lack a true integration of ecological and evolutionary perspectives in our understanding of many sensory systems. We argue that scientists working in sensory ecology should expand the bridge between sensory and evolutionary biology, and, in working toward this goal, we advocate a combination of the experimental rigor of the sensory physiologist with population-based as well as evolutionary views.

Citations

• Optimal Sets of Color Receptors and Color Opponent Systems for Coding of Natural Objects in Insect Vision
• The Ontogenetic Niche and Species Interactions in Size-Structured Populations
• The Chemical Ecology of Defense in Arthropods

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