The general process view of learning, which guided research into learning for the first half of this century, has come under attack in recent years from several quarters. One form of criticism has come from proponents of the so-called biological boundaries approach to learning. These theorists have presented a variety of data showing that supposedly general laws of learning may in fact be limit...

Hybridization is frequent in many organismal groups, but its role in adaptation is poorly understood. In sunflowers, species found in the most extreme habitats are ancient hybrids, and new gene combinations generated by hybridization are speculated to have contributed to ecological divergence. This possibility was tested through phenotypic and genomic comparisons of ancient and synthetic hybrid...

the olfactory bulb in birds was also found to correlate with ecological adaptations, including habitat association (e.g., water birds), type of nesting strategy, and diet. For example, birds of prey, including vultures and seabirds, hunt and recognize food by smell, and have relatively large olfactory bulbs, whereas song birds that rely more on cognitive abilities helpful in tool making, vocal ...

Wildfire and the threat it poses to society represents an example of the complex, dynamic relationship between social and ecological systems. Increasingly, wildfire adaptation is posited as a pathway to shift the approach to fire from a suppression paradigm that seeks to control fire to a paradigm that focuses on “living with” and “adapting to” wildfire. In this study, we seek insights into wha...

The recent availability of multiple avian genomes has laid the foundation for a huge variety of comparative genomics analyses including scans for changes and signatures of selection that arose from adaptions to new ecological niches. Nocturnal adaptation in birds, unlike in mammals, is comparatively recent, a fact that makes birds good candidates for identifying early genetic changes that suppo...

This article presents a conceptual model for occupational therapy: the ecological systems model. The developing individual is viewed as an open system interacting with the environment. Both humans and their environment are interconnected, joined in shaping each other. States of health and illness can be seen as reflections of ecological adaptation. Function or dysfunction is evaluated in terms ...

This special issue combines original research with seminal reviews of the biological impact of ocean acidification. The ten contributions cover a wide range of topics from chemical and biological responses to increased CO2 and decreased pH to socio-economical sensitivities and adaptation options. Overall, this special issue also highlights the key knowledge gaps and future challenges. These inc...

Adaptation to varied habitats confers ecological versatility and the capacity for coarse-grained distribution across heterogeneous habitats, whereas ecological specialization implies a restricted pattern. Ecogeography and adaptive trairs help to determine whether farmers are able to adjust their diverse erops to socioeeonomie and environmental changes (a process known as in situ conservation) o...

Adaptation to varied habitats confers ecological versatility and the capacity for coarse-grained distribution across heterogeneous habitats, whereas ecological specialization implies a restricted pattern. Ecogeography and adaptive trairs help to determine whether farmers are able to adjust their diverse erops to socioeeonomie and environmental changes (a process known as in situ conservation) o...