Computational approach to study ecophysiology

Abstract

Ecophysiology is the study of how the environmental cues affect the functional aspects of an organism. This aspect is vital for the adaptation of living organisms to the ever changing surrounding, and regulates the distribution and richness of the organisms in the natural habitat. This interaction of ecosystem with an organism and its physiological status are governed by the genomic structure and time period of environmental impact. The duration and dose or intensity of the environmental impact determines the functional and genomic stability of organisms, both at individual and community level. Genome performs as unified system displaying intricate and dynamic behavior (Zhu et al. 2008). Ecophysiological genomics deciphers the alterations in gene structure and function in a specific environment. The study of such alterations in the genome, which are pivotal for the functional integrity of an organism, can be well documented through bioinformatics tools (Aubin-Horth and Renn 2009). In silico experimental strategies can ease sighting of core genomic elements, regulatory networks and conserved sequences across species and the variations in biotic and abiotic components of the environmental (McCarroll et al. 2004; Ragland et al. 2010). These studies will bring out comparative schemes didactic to the variations arising from ecological variations, leading to adaptation, speciation and evolution, as such.