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  • Macrobehaviour: behavioural...
    Keith, Sally A.; Drury, Jonathan P.; McGill, Brian J.; Grether, Gregory F.

    Trends in ecology & evolution 38, Issue: 12
    Journal Article

    Behaviour is often the first response of organisms to rapid environmental change and can be a key mediator of ecological responses at higher organisational levels.Macroecology seeks to understand patterns and processes that emerge from the interaction of many smaller components, and behaviour is an important but understudied category of component.We propose the new field of macrobehaviour, which aims to unify behavioural ecology and macroecology. Researchers from both disciplines can take advantage of new tools, approaches, concepts, and data, and ultimately ask new interdisciplinary questions. We explore how integrating behavioural ecology and macroecology can provide fundamental new insight into both fields, with particular relevance for understanding ecological responses to rapid environmental change. We outline the field of macrobehaviour, which aims to unite these disciplines explicitly, and highlight examples of research in this space. Macrobehaviour can be envisaged as a spectrum, where behavioural ecologists and macroecologists use new data and borrow tools and approaches from one another. At the heart of this spectrum, interdisciplinary research considers how selection in the context of large-scale factors can lead to systematic patterns in behavioural variation across space, time, and taxa, and in turn, influence macroecological patterns and processes. Macrobehaviour has the potential to enhance forecasts of future biodiversity change. We explore how integrating behavioural ecology and macroecology can provide fundamental new insight into both fields, with particular relevance for understanding ecological responses to rapid environmental change. We outline the field of macrobehaviour, which aims to unite these disciplines explicitly, and highlight examples of research in this space. Macrobehaviour can be envisaged as a spectrum, where behavioural ecologists and macroecologists use new data and borrow tools and approaches from one another. At the heart of this spectrum, interdisciplinary research considers how selection in the context of large-scale factors can lead to systematic patterns in behavioural variation across space, time, and taxa, and in turn, influence macroecological patterns and processes. Macrobehaviour has the potential to enhance forecasts of future biodiversity change.