Contributions from population genetics to ecotoxicology and stress ecology in light of transformation to the population genomic era

Abstract

With the advent of the genomic era, which has partly been driven by advances in stress ecology, there is enormous growth in molecular and computer simulation techniques. Here we propose combining some of these techniques to give more elaborate risk assessments that include the effects of population variation in genotypes, phenotypes, and the way they link to aspects of life history and adaptive potential. We focused on ways to ascertain whether phenotypic plasticity or evolutionary responses constitute the basis for observed stress responses, as well as on the extrapolation problem, i.e. how do responses under controlled conditions correspond to those observed in natural ecological populations or in evolutionary end-points of interest? Additionally, we discuss the ways to integrate environmental variability into risk analysis and pest control predictions that include gene-environment interactions, focusing also on the importance of erosion of genetic diversity by toxic stressors to the risk of population extinction.