  Conservation science is an interdisciplinary field that primarily draws on
knowledge from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to inform
policy, planning, and practice. Since its formalization as a discipline,
conservation science has also increasingly incorporated tools from integrative
biological fields, such as animal behavior, genetics, and, more recently,
physiology. Given that the biodiversity crisis constitutes one of the greatest
challenges of the 21st century, with tremendous consequences for global
sustainability and human health, creating a diverse conservation toolbox is
important for addressing complex conservation threats. To assess the
integration of three emerging integrative biological disciplines (physiology,
biomechanics, and technology) into recent conservation science research, we
queried publications from five broad-scope conservation-focused journals from
2010-2022. We found that the proportion of published articles incorporating
these integrative biological techniques was low, ranging from 0-4% per year.
With only 2.1% of total articles accessing tools or techniques from
conservation physiology, conservation technology, and conservation
biomechanics, we propose that there is still a substantial opportunity for
further integration. We provide a case study for each integrative field to
illustrate the capacity for its tools to contribute to positive conservation
outcomes. We further outline how each field promotes novel or reimagined
opportunities for collaborations. Finally, we discuss the interconnectedness of
the three fields and how they can support the continuing expansion of
conservation science as an evidence-based, action-oriented discipline through
the application of a Challenge-Mechanism-Partnership framework.
