Conservation physiology and the COVID-19 pandemic

Steven J Cooke; Rebecca L Cramp; Christine L Madliger; Jordanna N Bergman; Connor Reeve; Jodie L Rummer; Kevin R Hultine; Andrea Fuller; Susannah S French; Craig E Franklin

doi:10.1093/conphys/coaa139

Conservation physiology and the COVID-19 pandemic

Conserv Physiol. 2021 Jan 12;9(1):coaa139. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coaa139. eCollection 2021.

Affiliations

¹ Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada.
² School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
³ ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
⁴ Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ 85008, USA.
⁵ Brain Function Research Group, Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa.
⁶ The Department of Biology and The Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have had unanticipated effects on ecosystems and biodiversity. Conservation physiology and its mechanistic underpinnings are well positioned to generate robust data to inform the extent to which the Anthropause has benefited biodiversity through alterations in disturbance-, pollution- and climate change-related emissions. The conservation physiology toolbox includes sensitive biomarkers and tools that can be used both retroactively (e.g. to reconstruct stress in wildlife before, during and after lockdown measures) and proactively (e.g. future viral waves) to understand the physiological consequences of the pandemic. The pandemic has also created new risks to ecosystems and biodiversity through extensive use of various antimicrobial products (e.g. hand cleansers, sprays) and plastic medical waste. Conservation physiology can be used to identify regulatory thresholds for those products. Moreover, given that COVID-19 is zoonotic, there is also opportunity for conservation physiologists to work closely with experts in conservation medicine and human health on strategies that will reduce the likelihood of future pandemics (e.g. what conditions enable disease development and pathogen transfer) while embracing the One Health concept. The conservation physiology community has also been impacted directly by COVID-19 with interruptions in research, training and networking (e.g. conferences). Because this is a nascent discipline, it will be particularly important to support early career researchers and ensure that there are recruitment pathways for the next generation of conservation physiologists while creating a diverse and inclusive community. We remain hopeful for the future and in particular the ability of the conservation physiology community to deliver relevant, solutions-oriented science to guide decision makers particularly during the important post-COVID transition and economic recovery.

Keywords: Coronavirus; environmental change; lockdown; pandemic; wildlife; zoonoses.