What is this collection about?
Animal brain and body physiology has evolved over long timescales to help organisms sense and respond to environmental conditions. However, rapid environmental changes driven by global warming, pollution and other stressors are increasingly challenging these adaptive systems. This cross-journal Collection from Communications Biology, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications and Scientific Reports welcomes studies that provide new insights into how environmental change affects or is accommodated by neural and physiological systems across animal species. We welcome field studies and experimental research examining environmental stressors such as temperature, light, pH and pollutants, as well as investigations spanning molecular, cellular and circuit-level responses, different developmental stages, and physiological or pathological contexts. Cross-species comparative studies that uncover shared or distinct mechanisms of adaptation and resilience are also encouraged.

Why is this collection important?
Understanding how animals respond to rapid environmental change is becoming increasingly important as ecosystems face mounting pressures from climate change, pollution and habitat alteration. Integrating perspectives from physiology, neuroscience, ecology and evolutionary biology can reveal the mechanisms that enable resilience or expose vulnerabilities across species. By bringing together research from diverse organisms and experimental systems, this Collection aims to advance our understanding of how brain and body systems adapt to changing environments and to stimulate new interdisciplinary research in this rapidly growing area. This cross-journal Collection provides a dedicated venue for studies examining the biological consequences of environmental change across multiple levels of organization.

Why submit to a collection?
Collections like this one help attract and promote high-quality science. They are led by internal In-House Editors and supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores, and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.

Who is involved?
Communications Biology is edited by both in-house professional editors and Editorial Board Members.

Nature Communications is edited by in-house professional editors.

Nature Neuroscience is edited by in-house professional editors.

Scientific Reports is managed by in-house professional editors and edited by Editorial Board Members.

Our editors work closely together to ensure the quality of our published papers and consistency in author experience.

How can I submit my paper?
Visit the Collection page to find out more about this collection and submit your article.