When considering the possible contributions of genomics to
behavioural ecology now and in the future, it is useful to highlight
the conceptual synergy between the two fields in at least three
domains. First, genomics and behavioural ecology both describe
and dissect the critical elements of complex phenotypes: genomics
reduces the complexity of the genome to predictive gene sets, key
modules and functional processes, while behavioural ecology
similarly reduces behavioural complexity to the key ecological and
phenotypic factors that influence fitness. Second, both disciplines
are interested in understanding how the environment modulates a
dynamic phenotype, and both use tools to infer outcomes in cases
where phenotypes cannot be easily assayed. Genomics assesses
behavioural states by describing gene expression profiles, which
are products of individual state and experience and can be used to
predict behaviours. Similarly, behavioural ecology uses modelling
approaches that integrate individual state and ecological variables
to hypothesize behavioural strategies. Third, both disciplines
try to understand the occurrence of common patterns of behaviour
across diverse species, whether these patterns are due to genetic
conservation, ecological convergence, or both, and similarly, both
advocate an important role for gene-by-environment interactions
in behavioural evolution. In light of this conceptual synergy, we
believe the prospects of a productive synthesis between behavioural
ecology and genomics are very bright.