Beyond adaptation: Incorporating other evolutionary processes and
concepts into eco-evolutionary dynamics
Abstract
Studies of eco-evolutionary dynamics have integrated evolution with
ecological processes at multiple scales (populations, communities, and
ecosystems) and with multiple interspecific interactions (antagonistic,
mutualistic, and competitive). However, evolution has often been
conceptualized as a single process: short-term adaptive genetic change
driven by natural selection. Here we argue that other diverse
evolutionary processes should also be considered, to explore the full
spectrum of feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes.
Relevant but underappreciated processes include (1) drift and mutation,
(2) disruptive selection causing lineage diversification or speciation
reversal, (3) evolution driven by relative fitness differences that may
decrease population growth, and (4) topics including multilevel
selection, sexual selection and conflict, hard and soft selection, and
genetic/genomic architectures/signatures. Because natural selection is
not the sole mechanism of rapid evolution, it will be important to
integrate a variety of concepts in evolutionary biology and ecology to
better understand and predict eco-evolutionary dynamics in nature.