Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems

The Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems Initiative explores how nervous systems respond to and recover from rapid environmental change. Across hundreds of millions of years, neural systems have evolved to enable organisms to sense and respond to shifting conditions. Today, human-driven changes — such as climate instability, artificial light, and chemical pollution — pose new challenges, pushing the adaptive capacity of humans and animals and revealing mechanisms that allow the nervous system to cope with extreme change.

This initiative seeks to engage researchers across disciplines and scales; to address questions about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable neurons to detect and respond to environmental stressors; and untangle circuit and systems processes that shape perception, behavior, and decision-making in dynamic ecosystems. By connecting these levels of understanding, insights into how nervous systems adapt — or fail to adapt — to a rapidly changing world will advance our understanding of both fundamental neuroscience and resilience.

Learn more about past work funded by The Kavli Foundation.