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Recent work has revealed the importance of contemporary evolution in shaping ecological outcomes. In particular, rapid evolutionary divergence between populations has been shown to impact the ecology of populations, communities, and ecosystems. While studies have focused largely on the role of adaptive divergence in generating ecologically important variation among populations, much less is known about the role of gene flow in shaping ecological outcomes. After divergence, populations may continue to interact through gene flow, which may influence evolutionary and ecological processes. Here, we investigate the role of gene flow in shaping the contemporary evolution and ecology of recently diverged populations of anadromous steelhead and resident rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Results show that resident rainbow trout introduced above waterfalls have diverged evolutionarily from downstream anadromous steelhead, which were the source of introductions. However, the movement of fish from above to below the waterfalls has facilitated gene flow, which has reshaped genetic and phenotypic variation in the anadromous source population. In particular, gene flow has led to an increased frequency of residency, which in turn has altered population density, size structure, and sex ratio. This result establishes gene flow as a contemporary evolutionary process that can have important ecological outcomes. From a management perspective, anadromous steelhead are generally regarded as a higher conservation priority than resident rainbow trout, even when found within the same watershed. Our results show that anadromous and resident O. mykiss populations may be connected via gene flow, with important ecological consequences. Such eco-evolutionary processes should be considered when managing recently diverged populations connected by gene flow.

Summary: The coevolution of plants and their insect herbivores reflects eco‐evolutionary dynamics at work – ecological interactions influence adaptive traits, which feed back to shape the broader ecological community. However, novel anthropogenic stressors like herbicide, which are strong selective agents, can disrupt these dynamics. Little is known about how the evolution of herbicide resistance may impact plant–herbivore interactions.We performed a common garden field experiment using Ipomoea purpurea (common morning glory) and the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) to investigate the ecological effects of herbicide exposure on insect herbivory patterns and assess the potential evolutionary consequences.We find that plants treated with glyphosate experienced higher levels of herbivory and altered chewing herbivory damage patterns. Additionally, we found that glyphosate resistance is positively associated with herbivory resistance, and uncovered positive selection for increased glyphosate resistance, suggesting that selection for increased glyphosate resistance has the potential to lead to increased herbivory resistance.Positive selection for glyphosate resistance, coupled with the detection of genetic variation for this trait, suggests there is potential for glyphosate resistance – and herbivory resistance via hitchhiking – to further evolve. Our results show that herbicides cannot just influence, but potentially drive the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of plant–herbivore interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging infectious diseases threaten natural populations, and data-driven modeling is critical for predicting population dynamics. Despite the importance of integrating ecology and evolution in models of host–pathogen dynamics, there are few wild populations for which long-term ecological datasets have been coupled with genome-scale data. Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations have declined range wide due to devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a fatal transmissible cancer. Although early ecological models predicted imminent devil extinction, diseased devil populations persist at low densities, and recent ecological models predict long-term devil persistence. Substantial evidence supports the evolution of both devils and DFTD, suggesting coevolution may also influence continued devil persistence. Thus, we developed an individual-based, eco-evolutionary model of devil–DFTD coevolution parameterized with nearly 2 decades of devil demography, DFTD epidemiology, and genome-wide association studies. We characterized potential devil–DFTD coevolutionary outcomes and predicted the effects of coevolution on devil persistence and devil–DFTD coexistence. We found a high probability of devil persistence over 50 devil generations (100 years) and a higher likelihood of devil–DFTD coexistence, with greater devil recovery than predicted by previous ecological models. These novel results add to growing evidence for long-term devil persistence and highlight the importance of eco-evolutionary modeling for emerging infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical studies from diverse areas of population biology have shown that demographic stochasticity can substantially impact evolutionary dynamics in finite populations, including scenarios where traits that are disfavored by natural selection can nevertheless increase in frequency through the course of evolution. Here, we analytically describe the eco-evolutionary dynamics of finite populations from demographic first principles. We investigate how noise-induced effects can alter the evolutionary fate of populations in which total population size may vary stochastically over time. Starting from a generic birth-death process, we derive a set of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) that describe the eco-evolutionary dynamics of a finite population of individuals bearing discrete traits. Our equations recover well-known descriptions of evolutionary dynamics, such as the replicator-mutator equation, the Price equation, and Fisher's fundamental theorem in the infinite population limit. For finite populations, our SDEs reveal how stochasticity can predictably bias evolutionary trajectories to favor certain traits, a phenomenon we call "noise-induced biasing." We show that noise-induced biasing acts through two distinct mechanisms, which we call the "direct" and "indirect" mechanisms. While the direct mechanism can be identified with classic bet-hedging theory, the indirect mechanism is a more subtle consequence of frequency- and density-dependent demographic stochasticity. Our equations reveal that noise-induced biasing may lead to evolution proceeding in a direction opposite to that predicted by natural selection in the infinite population limit. By extending and generalizing some standard equations of population genetics, we thus describe how demographic stochasticity appears alongside, and interacts with, the more well-understood forces of natural selection and neutral drift to determine the eco-evolutionary dynamics of finite populations of nonconstant size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In managed populations—whether for production or conservation—management practices can interfere with natural eco‐evolutionary processes, providing opportunities to mitigate immediate impacts of disturbances or enhance selection on tolerance traits. Here, we used a modelling approach to explore the interplay and feedback loops among drought regimes, natural selection and tree thinning in naturally regenerated monospecific forests. We conducted a simulation experiment spanning three nonoverlapping generations with the individual‐based demo‐genetic model Luberon2. Luberon2 integrates forest dynamics processes driving survival and mating success, including tree growth, competition, drought impacts and regeneration, with genetic variation in quantitative traits related to these processes. We focused on two variable traits: individual vigour, determining diameter growth potential without stress as the deviation from average stand growth, and individual sensitivity to drought stress as the slope of the relationship between diameter growth and drought stress level. We simulated simplified thinning scenarios, tailored to even‐aged stands. Considering plausible genetic variation and contrasting drought regimes, the predicted evolutionary rates for both traits aligned with documented rates in wild plant and animal populations. Thinning considerably reduced natural selective pressures caused by competition and drought compared to unthinned stands. However, the conventional thinning practice of retaining the larger trees resulted in indirect anthropogenic selection that enhanced genetic gain in vigour and lowered sensitivity by up to 30%. More intensive thinning aimed at reducing drought stress by reducing stand density hampered the selection against sensitivity to drought, potentially hindering long‐term adaptation. Conversely, avoiding the early, nonselective thinning step—thereby promoting both natural and anthropogenic selection—ultimately resulted in better stand performance while maintaining long‐term evolvability. This study emphasises the potential of evolution‐oriented forestry strategies to combine drought stress mitigation with genetic adaptation. It provides general insights into how population management, disturbance regimes and eco‐evolutionary responses interfere, aiding sustainable decision‐making amid environmental uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have little understanding of the evolution of stoichiometric homeostasis (i.e., the degree to which organisms maintain stoichiometric constancy with respect to their environment) despite its strong connection with ecosystem processes via nutrient cycling. Ecological stoichiometry theory seeks to understand the ecosystem effects of organisms by assuming that stoichiometric homeostasis is a fixed trait of a species, but recent evidence shows that species can show substantial intraspecific variation in the degree of homeostasis. Since intraspecific variation can result in rapid evolution and alter the relationship between organisms and their nutrients, studying the selective mechanisms that give rise to stricter or more flexible homeostasis is essential. Understanding the selection pressures behind the evolution of stoichiometric homeostasis can help to predict the ecosystem effects of organisms and will be crucial for our understanding of eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Stoichiometric homeostasis is the ability of life to maintain inner chemical constancy despite changes in the environment and resources. Organisms can be stoichiometrically homeostatic to different degrees. This variation can be substantial even within species, but is ignored in most studies of ecological stoichiometry. Recent studies suggest that resource limitations are an important selective pressure behind homeostasis, but are contradictory in direction, likely owing to differences in nutrient storage strategies. Understanding the selective pressures underlying stoichiometric homeostasis, and its potential for rapid evolution, are key to predicting eco-evolutionary dynamics. This calls for the development of an evolutionary theory of stoichiometric homeostasis that incorporates rapid evolution, as well as for empirical studies to test the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural communities are exposed to multiple environmental stressors, which simultaneously impact the population and trait dynamics of the species embedded within these communities. Given that certain traits, such as body size, are known to rapidly respond to environmental change, and given that they can strongly influence the density of populations, this raises the question of whether the strength of the eco‐phenotypic feedback loop depends on the environment, and whether stressful environments would enhance or disrupt this feedback or causal linkage. We use two competing freshwater ciliates—Colpidium striatum and Paramecium aurelia—and expose their populations to a full‐factorial design of increasing salinity and temperature conditions as well as interspecific competition. We found that salinity, temperature, and competition significantly affected the density and cell size dynamics of both species. Cell size dynamics strongly influenced density dynamics; however, the strength of this eco‐phenotypic feedback loop weakened in stressful conditions and with interspecific competition. Our study highlights the importance of studying eco‐phenotypic dynamics in different environments comprising stressful abiotic conditions and species interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of populations is critical for both basic and applied purposes in a variety of biological contexts. Although several modeling frameworks have been developed to simulate eco-evolutionary dynamics, many fewer address how to model structured populations. In a prior paper, we put forth the first modeling approach to simulate eco-evolutionary dynamics in structured populations under the G function modeling framework. However, this approach does not allow for accurate simulation under fluctuating environmental conditions. To address this limitation, we draw on the study of periodic differential equations to propose a modified approach that uses a different definition of fitness more suitable for fluctuating environments. We illustrate this method with a simple toy model of life history trade-offs. The generality of this approach allows it to be used in a variety of biological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of Buchnera–aphid host symbioses is often studied among species at macroevolutionary scales. Investigations within species offer a different perspective about how eco‐evolutionary processes shape patterns of genetic variation at microevolutionary scales. Our study leverages new and publicly available whole‐genome sequencing data to study Buchnera–aphid host evolution in Myzus persicae, the peach potato aphid, a globally invasive and polyphagous pest. Across 43 different asexual, clonally reproducing isofemale strains, we examined patterns of genomic covariation between Buchnera and their aphid host and considered the distribution of mutations in protein‐coding regions of the Buchnera genome. We found Buchnera polymorphisms within aphid strains, suggesting the presence of genetically different Buchnera strains within the same clonal lineage. Genetic distance between pairs of Buchnera samples was positively correlated to genetic distance between their aphid hosts, indicating shared evolutionary histories. However, there was no segregation of genetic variation for both M. persicae and Buchnera with plant host (Brassicaceae and non‐tobacco Solanaceae) and no associations between genetic and geographic distance at global or regional spatial scales. Abundance patterns of non‐synonymous mutations were similar to synonymous mutations in the Buchnera genome, and both mutation classes had similar site frequency spectra. We hypothesize that a predominance of neutral processes results in the Buchnera of M. persicae to simply 'drift' with the evolutionary trajectory of their aphid hosts. Our study presents a unique microevolutionary characterization of Buchnera–aphid host genomic covariation across multiple aphid clones. This provides a new perspective on the eco‐evolutionary processes generating and maintaining polymorphisms in a major pest aphid species and its obligate primary endosymbiont. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are well documented differences in species diversity along urban-rural gradients, but the effects of urbanization on diversity within species are less well known. Nevertheless, intraspecific diversity is an important element of biodiversity that allows for adaptation and can affect community and ecosystem function. The amount of intraspecific diversity may differ along an urbanization gradient if urban areas filter for a very narrow range of traits or, alternatively, if selection is weaker or more spatially variable in urban areas and allows for a broader range of traits. To test the relationship between urbanization, trait means and intraspecific diversity in forested environments, we measured two traits in eight herbaceous understory plant species from nine populations across an urbanization gradient in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We found that while impervious cover, soil moisture and soil pH were associated with changes in mean trait values of plants in different locations, there was little consistent effect of these abiotic conditions on the amount of intraspecific diversity in traits. This suggests that while urban environments may select for different trait values than non-urban areas, the strength of environmental filtering is similar across the urbanization gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation of communities to environmental fluctuations can emerge from different facets of biodiversity, which may impact ecosystem functioning differently. Previous work in the field of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) examined how ecosystem functions can be influenced by two sources of adaptive potential: sorting – i.e. changes in community composition due to fitness differences – can occur when multiple species or groups are present (richness), and trait adaptability – i.e. trait adjustments within species or functional groups – can emerge from genetic or phenotypic diversity. However, their effect is typically studied separately, and often in the context of only one trophic level. Therefore, we used a trait‐based, multispecies predator–prey model to investigate how sorting and trait adaptability, at one or two trophic levels, separately or jointly shape ecosystem functions and properties, such as total biomass, production, biomass‐weighted mean trait, relative top–down control and synchrony. We found that the adaptive potential emerging from any facet of diversity induced changes in trophic interactions, in turn affecting biomass distributions within and across trophic levels, dynamical behaviour, and synchrony of biomass dynamics within a trophic level. Particularly, sorting and trait adaptability could contribute to a similar degree and at a similar time to temporal changes in ecosystem functions, but their respective contribution depended on the speed of trait adaptation, the trait range between similar functional groups and trophic interactions. We thus suggest to consider multiple facets of diversity and their corresponding sources of adaptive potential to deepen our mechanistic understanding of BEF relationships, especially in the context of rapid biodiversity change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant–soil feedback (PSF) plays a central role in determining plant community dynamics, yet our understanding of how different combinations of plants and microbes influence PSF remains limited. Plants of different mycorrhizal types often exhibit contrasting PSF outcomes, influencing plant recruitment and spatial structure. Generalizing across plant species based on mycorrhizal type creates the potential to examine broader effects on ecological communities. We review mechanisms contributing to different PSF outcomes between arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal trees. We focus on how plant and fungal traits that differ between mycorrhizal types interact with pathogenic and saprotrophic microorganisms and nutrient and carbon cycling. Synthesis. Building on this framework, we propose several new research directions. First, mycorrhizal‐induced changes in soils can operate beyond the conspecific level, spilling over from abundant plant species onto less abundant ones. This community‐level ‘mycorrhizal spillover’ is hypothesized to affect PSF in ways that are additive and interactive with conspecific density dependence. Second, we describe how mycorrhizal effects on PSF could structure the way plant communities respond to global change. Third, we discuss how they may influence plant evolution by altering the balance of selection pressures on traits and genes related to pathogen defence and mutualism formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersal plays a pivotal role in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations, communities and ecosystems. As an individual-based trait, dispersal is subject to both plasticity and evolution. Its dependence on conditions and context is well understood within single-species metapopulations. However, species do not exist in isolation; they interact locally through various horizontal and vertical interactions. While the significance of species interactions is recognized for species coexistence and food web functioning, our understanding of their influence on regional dynamics, such as their impact on spatial dynamics in metacommunities and meta-food webs, remains limited. Building upon insights from behavioural and community ecology, we aim to elucidate biodiversity as both a driver and an outcome of connectivity. By synthesizing conceptual, theoretical and empirical contributions from global experts in the field, we seek to explore how a more mechanistic understanding of diversity–dispersal relationships influences the distribution of species in spatially and temporally changing environments. Our findings highlight the importance of explicitly considering interspecific interactions as drivers of dispersal, thus reshaping our understanding of fundamental dynamics including species coexistence and the emergent dynamics of metacommunities and meta-ecosystems. We envision that this initiative will pave the way for advanced forecasting approaches to understanding biodiversity dynamics under the pressures of global change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A large fraction of plant litter comprises recalcitrant aromatic compounds (lignin and other phenolics). Quantifying the fate of aromatic compounds is difficult, because oxidative degradation of aromatic carbon (C) is a costly but necessary endeavor for microorganisms, and we do not know when gains from the decomposition of aromatic C outweigh energetic costs.To evaluate these tradeoffs, we developed a litter decomposition model in which the aromatic C decomposition rate is optimized dynamically to maximize microbial growth for the given costs of maintaining ligninolytic activity. We tested model performance against > 200 litter decomposition datasets collected from published literature and assessed the effects of climate and litter chemistry on litter decomposition.The model predicted a time‐varying ligninolytic oxidation rate, which was used to calculate the lag time before the decomposition of aromatic C is initiated. Warmer conditions increased decomposition rates, shortened the lag time of aromatic C oxidation, and improved microbial C‐use efficiency by decreasing the costs of oxidation. Moreover, a higher initial content of aromatic C promoted an earlier start of aromatic C decomposition under any climate.With this contribution, we highlight the application of eco‐evolutionary approaches based on optimized microbial life strategies as an alternative parametrization scheme for litter decomposition models. See also the Commentary on this article by Shao & Sulman, 243: 825–827. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological networks comprising of mutualistic interactions can suddenly transition to undesirable states, such as collapse, due to small changes in environmental conditions such as a rise in local environmental temperature. However, little is known about the capacity of such interaction networks to adapt to a rise in temperature and the occurrence of critical transitions.Here, combining quantitative genetics and mutualistic dynamics in an eco‐evolutionary framework, we evaluated the stability and resilience of mutualistic networks to critical transitions as environmental temperature increases. Specifically, we modelled the dynamics of an optimum trait that determined the tolerance of species to local environmental temperature as well as to species interaction. We then evaluated the impact of individual trait variation and evolutionary dynamics on the stability of feasible equilibria, the occurrence of threshold temperatures at which community collapses, and the abruptness of such community collapses.We found that mutualistic network architecture, that is the size of the community and the arrangement of species interactions, interacted with evolutionary dynamics to impact the onset of network collapses. Some networks had more capacity to track the rise in temperatures than others and thereby increased the threshold temperature at which the networks collapsed.However, such a result was modulated by the amount of heritable trait variation species exhibited, with high trait variation in the mean optimum phenotypic trait increasing the environmental temperature at which networks collapsed. Furthermore, trait variation not only increased the onset of temperatures at which networks collapsed but also increased the local stability of feasible equilibria.Our study argued that mutualistic network architecture interacts with species evolutionary dynamics and increases the capacity of networks to adapt to changes in temperature and thereby delayed the occurrence of community collapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea that changing environmental conditions drive adaptive evolution is a pillar of evolutionary ecology. But, the opposite-that adaptive evolution alters ecological processes-has received far less attention yet is critical for eco-evolutionary dynamics. We assessed the ecological impact of divergent values in a key adaptive trait using 16 populations of the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei). Mirroring natural variation, we established islands with short- or long-limbed lizards at both low and high densities. We then monitored changes in lower trophic levels, finding that on islands with a high density of short-limbed lizards, web-spider densities decreased and plants grew more via an indirect positive effect, likely through an herbivore-mediated trophic cascade. Our experiment provides strong support for evolution-to-ecology connections in nature, likely closing an otherwise well-characterized eco-evolutionary feedback loop.

Dispersal is a life-history trait of fundamental importance in single- and multi-species systems. Several studies indicate its central role for antagonistic species interactions, modulating ecological and evolutionary processes, epidemiology, spatial dynamics, and patterns of local adaptation. Dispersal itself can evolve, but only recently theoretical and experimental research has recognized the profound implications of this second-order evolutionary process for antagonistic interactions, including host-parasite, host-parasitoid, and predator-prey. We therefore call for more detailed investigations of dispersal evolution and its impact on critical interaction traits, such as virulence and resistance, and the potential for eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Dispersal evolution modifies diverse spatial processes, such as range expansions or biological invasions of single species, but we are currently lacking a realistic vision for metacommunities. Focusing on antagonistic species interactions, we review existing theory of dispersal evolution between natural enemies, and explain how this might be relevant for classic themes in host-parasite evolutionary ecology, namely virulence evolution or local adaptation. Specifically, we highlight the importance of considering the simultaneous (co)evolution of dispersal and interaction traits. Linking such multi-trait evolution with reciprocal demographic and epidemiological feedbacks might change basic predictions about coevolutionary processes and spatial dynamics of interacting species. Future challenges concern the integration of system-specific disease ecology or spatial modifiers, such as spatial network structure or environmental heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary rescue occurs when the genetic evolution of adaptation saves a population from decline or extinction after environmental change. The evolution of resistance to pesticides is a special scenario of abrupt environmental change, where rescue occurs under (very) strong selection for one or a few de novo resistance mutations of large effect. Here, a population genetic model of evolutionary rescue with density-dependent population change is developed, with a focus on deriving results that are important to resistance management. Massive stochastic simulations are used to generate observations, which are accurately predicted using analytical approximations. Key results include the probability density function for the time to resistance and the probability of population extinction. The distribution of resistance times shows a lag period, a narrow peak and a long tail. Surprisingly, the mean time to resistance can increase with the strength of selection because, if a mutation does not occur early on, then its emergence is delayed by the pesticide reducing the population size. The probability of population extinction shows a sharp transition, in that when extinction is possible, it is also highly likely. Consequently, population suppression and (local) eradication can be theoretically achievable goals, as novel strategies to delay resistance evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban evolutionary ecology is inherently interdisciplinary. Moreover, it is a field with global significance. However, bringing researchers and resources together across fields and countries is challenging. Therefore, an online collaborative research hub, where common methods and best practices are shared among scientists from diverse geographic, ethnic, and career backgrounds would make research focused on urban evolutionary ecology more inclusive. Here, we describe a freely available online research hub for toolkits that facilitate global research in urban evolutionary ecology. We provide rationales and descriptions of toolkits for: (1) decolonizing urban evolutionary ecology; (2) identifying and fostering international collaborative partnerships; (3) common methods and freely‐available datasets for trait mapping across cities; (4) common methods and freely‐available datasets for cross‐city evolutionary ecology experiments; and (5) best practices and freely available resources for public outreach and communication of research findings in urban evolutionary ecology. We outline how the toolkits can be accessed, archived, and modified over time in order to sustain long‐term global research that will advance our understanding of urban evolutionary ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants and insect herbivores are two of the most diverse multicellular groups in the world, and both are strongly influenced by interactions with the belowground soil microbiome. Effects of reciprocal rapid evolution on ecological interactions between herbivores and plants have been repeatedly demonstrated, but it is unknown if (and how) the soil microbiome could mediate these eco‐evolutionary processes on a shared host plant. We tested the role of a plant‐beneficial soil bacterium Acidovorax radicis in altering eco‐evolutionary interactions between different aphid genotypes (Sitobion avenae, genotypes Sickte and Fescue) feeding on barley Hordeum vulgare. We measured fecundity, longevity and population growth of two aphid genotypes reared separately or together (population mixture) on three different barley varieties that were inoculated with or without A. radicis. Results showed that across all plant varieties A. radicis increased plant growth and suppressed aphid populations via reduced longevity and fecundity. The strength of effect was dependent on aphid genotype and barley variety, while the direction of effect was altered by aphid population mixture. Using Lotka–Volterra modelling, we demonstrated that while A. radicis inoculation decreased growth rates for both aphid genotypes it increased the competitiveness of one genotype against the other. In general, in the presence of A. radicis, the Fescue aphid genotype became more inhibitory of Sickte aphids, while Sickte aphids facilitated the growth of Fescue aphids. Our work demonstrates that plant rhizosphere microbiomes exert community‐level influences by mediating eco‐evolutionary interactions between herbivores and host plants. By altering competitive interaction outcomes among aphids and thus impacting processes such as rapid evolution, soil microbes contribute to the short‐ and long‐term structure and functioning of terrestrial habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive colonization is a process wherein a colonizing population exhibits an adaptive change in response to a novel environment, which may be critical to its establishment. To date, theoretical models of adaptive colonization have been based on single-species introductions. However, given their pervasiveness, symbionts will frequently be co-introduced with their hosts to novel areas. We present an individual-based model to investigate adaptive colonization by hosts and their symbionts across a parasite–mutualist continuum. The host must adapt in order to establish itself in the novel habitat, and the symbiont must adapt to track evolutionary change in the host. First, we classify the qualitative shifts in the outcome that can potentially be driven by non-neutral effects of the symbiont–host interaction into three main types: parasite-driven co-extinction, parasite release, and mutualistic facilitation. Second, we provide a detailed description of a specific example for each type of shift. Third, we disentangle how the interplay between symbiont transmissibility, host migration, and selection strength determines: (a) which type of shift is more likely to occur and (b) the size of the interaction effects necessary to produce it. Overall, we demonstrate the crucial role of host and symbiont dispersal scales in shaping the impacts of parasitism and mutualism on adaptive colonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural intensification at field and landscape scales, including increased use of agrochemicals and loss of semi‐natural habitats, is a major driver of insect declines and other community changes. Efforts to understand and mitigate these effects have traditionally focused on ecological responses. At the same time, adaptations to pesticide use and habitat fragmentation in both insects and flowering plants show the potential for rapid evolution. Yet we lack an understanding of how such evolutionary responses may propagate within and between trophic levels with ensuing consequences for conservation of species and ecological functions in agroecosystems. Here, we review the literature on the consequences of agricultural intensification on plant and animal evolutionary responses and interactions. We present a novel conceptualization of evolutionary change induced by agricultural intensification at field and landscape scales and emphasize direct and indirect effects of rapid evolution on ecosystem services. We exemplify by focusing on economically and ecologically important interactions between plants and pollinators. We showcase available eco‐evolutionary theory and plant–pollinator modelling that can improve predictions of how agricultural intensification affects interaction networks, and highlight available genetic and trait‐focused methodological approaches. Specifically, we focus on how spatial genetic structure affects the probability of propagated responses, and how the structure of interaction networks modulates effects of evolutionary change in individual species. Thereby, we highlight how combined trait‐based eco‐evolutionary modelling, functionally explicit quantitative genetics, and genomic analyses may shed light on conditions where evolutionary responses impact important ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid evolution in colonising populations can alter our ability to predict future range expansions. Recent theory suggests that the dynamics of replicate range expansions are less variable, and hence more predictable, with increased selection at the expanding range front. Here, we test whether selection from environmental gradients across space produces more consistent range expansion speeds, using the experimental evolution of replicate duckweed populations colonising landscapes with and without a temperature gradient. We found that the range expansion across a temperature gradient was slower on average, with range‐front populations displaying higher population densities, and genetic signatures and trait changes consistent with directional selection. Despite this, we found that with a spatial gradient range expansion speed became more variable and less consistent among replicates over time. Our results therefore challenge current theory, highlighting that chance can still shape the genetic response to selection to influence our ability to predict range expansion speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiation of foraging traits among predator populations may help explain observed variation in the structure of prey communities. However, few studies have investigated the phenotypic effects of predators on their prey in natural communities. Here, we use a comparative analysis of 78 Greenlandic lakes to examine how foraging trait variation among threespine stickleback populations can help explain variation in zooplankton community composition among lakes. We find that landscape‐scale variation in zooplankton composition was jointly explained by lake properties, such as size and water chemistry, and the presence and absence of both stickleback and arctic char. Additional variation in zooplankton community structure can be explained by stickleback jaw protrusion, a trait with known utility for foraging on zooplankton, but only in lakes where stickleback co‐occur with arctic char. Overall, our results illustrate how trait variation of predators, alongside other ecosystem properties, can influence the composition of prey communities in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of mutualism between host and symbiont communities plays an essential role in maintaining ecosystem function and should therefore have a profound effect on their range expansion dynamics. In particular, the presence of mutualistic symbionts at the leading edge of a host-symbiont community should enhance its propagation in space. We develop a theoretical framework that captures the eco-evolutionary dynamics of host-symbiont communities, to investigate how the evolution of resource exchange may shape community structure during range expansion. We consider a community with symbionts that are mutualistic or parasitic to various degrees, where parasitic symbionts receive the same amount of resource from the host as mutualistic symbionts, but at a lower cost. The selective advantage of parasitic symbionts over mutualistic ones is increased with resource availability (i.e. with host density), promoting mutualism at the range edges, where host density is low, and parasitism at the population core, where host density is higher. This spatial selection also influences the speed of spread. We find that the host growth rate (which depends on the average benefit provided by the symbionts) is maximal at the range edges, where symbionts are more mutualistic, and that host-symbiont communities with high symbiont density at their core (e.g. resulting from more mutualistic hosts) spread faster into new territories. These results indicate that the expansion of host-symbiont communities is pulled by the hosts but pushed by the symbionts, in a unique push-pull dynamic where both the host and symbionts are active and tightly-linked players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical models of cancer and bacterial evolution have generally stemmed from a gene-centric framework, assuming clonal evolution via acquisition of resistance-conferring mutations and selection of their corresponding subpopulations. More recently, the role of phenotypic plasticity has been recognized and models accounting for phenotypic switching between discrete cell states (e.g., epithelial and mesenchymal) have been developed. However, seldom do models incorporate both plasticity and mutationally driven resistance, particularly when the state space is continuous and resistance evolves in a continuous fashion. In this paper, we develop a framework to model plastic and mutational mechanisms of acquiring resistance in a continuous gradual fashion. We use this framework to examine ways in which cancer and bacterial populations can respond to stress and consider implications for therapeutic strategies. Although we primarily discuss our framework in the context of cancer and bacteria, it applies broadly to any system capable of evolving via plasticity and genetic evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hatcheries are vital to many salmon fisheries, with inherent risks and rewards. While hatcheries can increase the returns of adult fish, the demographic and evolutionary consequences for natural populations interacting with hatchery fish on spawning grounds remain unclear. This study examined the impacts of stray hatchery-origin pink salmon on natural population productivity and resilience. We explored temporal assortative mating dynamics using a quantitative genetic model that assumed the only difference between hatchery- and natural-origin adults was their return timing to natural spawning grounds. This model was parameterized with empirical data from an intensive multi-generational study of hatchery–wild interactions in the world’s largest pink salmon fisheries enhancement program located in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Across scenarios of increasing hatchery fish presence on spawning grounds, our findings underscore a trade-off between demographic enhancement and preservation of natural population diversity. While enhancement bolstered natural population sizes towards local carrying capacities, hatchery introgression reduced variation in adult return timing by up to 20%. Results indicated that hatchery-origin alleles can rapidly assimilate into natural populations, despite the reduced fitness of hatchery fish attributable to phenotypic mismatches. These findings elucidate the potential for long-term demographic and evolutionary consequences arising from specific hatchery–wild interactions, emphasizing the need for management strategies that balance demographic enhancement with the conservation of natural diversity.

Cities across the globe are driving systemic change in social and ecological systems by accelerating the rates of interactions and intensifying the links between human activities and Earth's ecosystems, thereby expanding the scale and influence of human activities on fundamental processes that sustain life. Increasing evidence shows that cities not only alter biodiversity, they change the genetic makeup of many populations, including animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms. Urban-driven rapid evolution in species traits might have significant effects on socially relevant ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, pollination, water and air purification and food production. Despite increasing evidence that cities are causing rapid evolutionary change, current urban sustainability strategies often overlook these dynamics. The dominant perspectives that guide these strategies are essentially static, focusing on preserving biodiversity in its present state or restoring it to pre-urban conditions. This paper provides a systemic overview of the socio-eco-evolutionary transition associated with global urbanization. Using examples of observed changes in species traits that play a significant role in maintaining ecosystem function and resilience, I propose that these evolutionary changes significantly impact urban sustainability. Incorporating an eco-evolutionary perspective into urban sustainability science and planning is crucial for effectively reimagining the cities of the Anthropocene. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat loss (HL) is a major cause of species extinctions. Although the effects of HL beyond the directly impacted area have been previously observed, they have not been modelled explicitly, especially in an eco‐evolutionary context. To start filling this gap, we study a two‐patch deterministic consumer‐resource model, with one of the patches experiencing loss of resources as a special case of HL. Our model allows foraging and mating within a patch as well as between patches. We then introduce heritable variation in consumer traits related to resource utilization and patch use to investigate eco‐evolutionary dynamics and compare results with constant and no trait variation scenarios. Our results show that HL in one patch can indeed reduce consumer densities in the neighbouring patch but can also increase consumer densities in the neighbouring patch when the resources are overexploited. Yet at the landscape scale, the effect of HL on consumer densities is consistently negative. Patch isolation increases consumer density in the patch experiencing HL but has generally negative effects on the neighbouring patch, with context‐dependent results at the landscape scale. With high cross‐patch dependence and coupled foraging and mating preferences, local HL can sometimes even lead to landscape‐level consumer extinction. Eco‐evolutionary dynamics can rescue consumers from such extinction in some cases if their death rates are sufficiently small. More generally, trait evolution had positive or negative effects on equilibrium consumer densities after HL, depending on the evolving trait and the spatial scale considered. In summary, our findings show that HL at a local scale can affect the neighbouring patch and the landscape as a whole, where heritable trait variation can, in some cases, alleviate the impact of HL. We thus suggest joint consideration of multiple spatial scales and trait variation when assessing and predicting the impacts of HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why many herbivorous insects are host plant specialists, with non‐negligible exceptions, is a conundrum of evolutionary biology, especially because the host plants are not necessarily optimal larval diets. Here, I present a novel model of host plant preference evolution of two insect species. Because habitat preference evolution is contingent upon demographic dynamics, I integrate the evolutionary framework with the modern coexistence theory. The results show that the two insect species can evolve into a habitat specialist and generalist, when they experience both negative and positive frequency‐dependent community dynamics. This happens because the joint action of positive and negative frequency dependence creates multiple (up to nine) eco‐evolutionary equilibria. Furthermore, initial condition dependence due to positive frequency dependence allows specialization to poor habitats. Thus, evolved habitat preferences do not necessarily correlate with the performances. The model provides explanations for counterintuitive empirical patterns and mechanistic interpretations for phenomenological models of niche breadth evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter is a key driver of ecological processes in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in higher latitudes. Species have evolved various adaptive strategies to cope with food limitations and the cold and dark wintertime. However, human‐induced climate change and other anthropogenic stressors are impacting organisms in winter in unpredictable ways. In this paper, we show that global change experiments investigating multiple stressors have predominantly been conducted during summer months. However, effects of anthropogenic stressors sometimes differ between winter and other seasons, necessitating comprehensive investigations. Here, we outline a framework for understanding the different effects of anthropogenic stressors in winter compared to other seasons and discuss the primary mechanisms that will alter ecological responses of organisms (microbes, animals and plants). For instance, while the magnitude of some anthropogenic stressors can be greater in winter than in other seasons (e.g. some pollutants), others may alleviate natural winter stress (e.g. warmer temperatures). These changes can have immediate, delayed or carry‐over effects on organisms during winter or later seasons. Interactions between stressors may also vary with season. We call for a renewed research direction focusing on multiple stressor effects on winter ecology and evolution to fully understand, and predict, how ecosystems will fare under changing winters. We also argue the importance of incorporating the interactions of anthropogenic stressors with winter into ecological risk assessments, management and conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Predicting the fate of coastal marshes requires understanding how plants respond to rapid environmental change. Environmental change can elicit shifts in trait variation attributable to phenotypic plasticity and act as selective agents to shift trait means, resulting in rapid evolution. Comparably, less is known about the potential for responses to reflect the evolution of trait plasticity.Here, we assessed the relative magnitude of eco‐evolutionary responses to interacting global change factors using a multifactorial experiment. We exposed replicates of 32 Schoenoplectus americanus genotypes 'resurrected' from century‐long, soil‐stored seed banks to ambient or elevated CO2, varying levels of inundation, and the presence of a competing marsh grass, across two sites with different salinities.Comparisons of responses to global change factors among age cohorts and across provenances indicated that plasticity has evolved in five of the seven traits measured. Accounting for evolutionary factors (i.e. evolution and sources of heritable variation) in statistical models explained an additional 9–31% of trait variation.Our findings indicate that evolutionary factors mediate ecological responses to environmental change. The magnitude of evolutionary change in plant traits over the last century suggests that evolution could play a role in pacing future ecosystem response to environmental change. See also the Commentary on this article by Kottler, 240: 1714–1716. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imprint left by niche evolution on the variation of biological diversity across spatial and environmental gradients is still debated among ecologists. Furthermore, understanding to what extent dispersal limitation may reinforce or blur such imprint is still a gap in the ecological knowledge. In this article we introduce a simulation approach coupled to approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) that parameterizes both the adaptation rate of species' niche positions over the evolution of a monophyletic lineage and the intensity of dispersal limitation associated with the variation of species alpha diversity among assemblages distributed across spatial and environmental gradients. The analytical tool was implemented in the R package 'mcfly' (www.r‐project.org). We evaluated the statistical performance of the analytical framework using simulated datasets, which confirmed the suitability of the analysis to estimate adaptation rate parameter but showed to be less precise in relation to the dispersal limitation parameter. Also, we found that increased dispersal limitation levels improved the parameterization of the adaptation rate of species' niche positions in simulated datasets. Further, we evaluated the role played by niche evolution and dispersal limitation on species alpha diversity variation of Phyllostomidae bats across the Neotropics. The framework proposed here shed light on the links between niche evolution, dispersal limitation and gradients of biological diversity, and thereby improved our understanding of evolutionary imprints on current biological diversity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although past work has considered how evolution and Allee effects each shape population spread, these factors have rarely been considered together. We develop an integrodifference equation model that tracks individuals of multiple dispersal types (i.e., short- and long-distance dispersers) of male and female individuals subject to a strong Allee effect due to mate-finding process. We use our model to explore how mutation between different dispersal types affects the rate of population spread, since this evolutionary mechanism has been shown to lead to both faster and slower spread in a previous individual-based model. We ask, under what conditions does mutation cause the population to spread faster (or slower) than it spreads without mutation (from the same initial conditions)? We find that mutation can both speed up and slow down invasions. Speeding up occurs in a relatively small range of parameter space near the Allee threshold of the population. Slowing down occurs across a broad range of parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following severe environmental change that reduces mean population fitness below replacement, populations must adapt to avoid eventual extinction, a process called evolutionary rescue. Models of evolutionary rescue demonstrate that initial size, genetic variation and degree of maladaptation influence population fates. However, many models feature populations that grow without negative density dependence or with constant genetic diversity despite precipitous population decline, assumptions likely to be violated in conservation settings. We examined the simultaneous influences of density-dependent growth and erosion of genetic diversity on populations adapting to novel environmental change using stochastic, individual-based simulations. Density dependence decreased the probability of rescue and increased the probability of extinction, especially in large and initially well-adapted populations that previously have been predicted to be at low risk. Increased extinction occurred shortly following environmental change, as populations under density dependence experienced more rapid decline and reached smaller sizes. Populations that experienced evolutionary rescue lost genetic diversity through drift and adaptation, particularly under density dependence. Populations that declined to extinction entered an extinction vortex, where small size increased drift, loss of genetic diversity and the fixation of maladaptive alleles, hindered adaptation and kept populations at small densities where they were vulnerable to extinction via demographic stochasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2018, Sharon Strauss, then president of the American Society of Naturalists, organized a debate on the following topic: does evolutionary history inform the current functioning of ecological communities? The debaters—Ives, Lau, Mayfield, and Tobias—presented pro and con arguments, caricatured in standard debating format. Numerous examples show that both recent microevolutionary and longer-term macroevolutionary history are important to the ecological functioning of communities. On the other hand, many other examples illustrate that the evolutionary history of communities or community members does not influence ecological function, or at least not very much. This article aims to provide a provocative discussion of the consistent and conflicting patterns that emerge in the study of contemporary and historical evolutionary influences on community function, as well as to identify questions for further study. It is intended as a thought-provoking exercise to explore this complex field, specifically addressing (1) key assumptions and how they can lead us astray and (2) issues that need additional study. The debaters all agree that evolutionary history can inform us about at least some aspects of community function. The underlying question at the root of the debate, however, is how the fields of ecology and evolution can most profitably collaborate to provide a deeper and broader understanding of ecological communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corals are experiencing unprecedented decline from climate change-induced mass bleaching events. Dispersal not only contributes to coral reef persistence through demographic rescue but can also hinder or facilitate evolutionary adaptation. Locations of reefs that are likely to survive future warming therefore remain largely unknown, particularly within the context of both ecological and evolutionary processes across complex seascapes that differ in temperature range, strength of connectivity, network size, and other characteristics. Here, we used eco-evolutionary simulations to examine coral adaptation to warming across reef networks in the Caribbean, the Southwest Pacific, and the Coral Triangle. We assessed the factors associated with coral persistence in multiple reef systems to understand which results are general and which are sensitive to particular geographic contexts. We found that evolution can be critical in preventing extinction and facilitating the long-term recovery of coral communities in all regions. Furthermore, the strength of immigration to a reef (destination strength) and current sea surface temperature robustly predicted reef persistence across all reef networks and across temperature projections. However, we found higher initial coral cover, slower recovery, and more evolutionary lag in the Coral Triangle, which has a greater number of reefs and more larval settlement than the other regions. We also found the lowest projected future coral cover in the Caribbean. These findings suggest that coral reef persistence depends on ecology, evolution, and habitat network characteristics, and that, under an emissions stabilization scenario (RCP 4.5), recovery may be possible over multiple centuries.

Global environmental change is challenging species with novel conditions, such that demographic and evolutionary trajectories of populations are often shaped by the exchange of organisms and alleles across landscapes. Current ecological theory predicts that random networks with dispersal shortcuts connecting distant sites can promote persistence when there is no capacity for evolution. Here, we show with an eco-evolutionary model that dispersal shortcuts across environmental gradients instead hinder persistence for populations that can evolve because long-distance migrants bring extreme trait values that are often maladaptive, short-circuiting the adaptive response of populations to directional change. Our results demonstrate that incorporating evolution and environmental heterogeneity fundamentally alters theoretical predictions regarding persistence in ecological networks.

Abstract State‐structured populations are ubiquitous in biology, from the age‐structure of animal societies to the life cycles of parasitic species. Understanding how this structure contributes to eco‐evolutionary dynamics is critical not only for fundamental understanding but also for conservation and treatment purposes. Although some methods have been developed in the literature for modelling eco‐evolutionary dynamics in structured population, such methods are wholly lacking in the G function evolutionary game theoretic framework. In this paper, we integrate standard matrix population modelling into the G function framework to create a theoretical framework to probe eco‐evolutionary dynamics in structured populations. This framework encompasses age‐ and stage‐structured matrix models with basic density‐ and frequency‐dependent transition rates and probabilities. For both discrete and continuous time models, we define and characterize asymptotic properties of the system such as eco‐evolutionary equilibria (including ESSs) and the convergence stability of these equilibria. For multistate structured populations, we introduce an ergodic flow preserving folding method for analysing such models. The methods developed in this paper for state‐structured populations and their extensions to multistate‐structured populations provide a simple way to create, analyse and simulate eco‐evolutionary dynamics in structured populations. Furthermore, their generality allows these techniques to be applied to a variety of problems in ecology and evolution.

Polymicrobial infections include various microorganisms, often necessitating different treatment methods than a monomicrobial infection. Scientists have been puzzled by the complex interactions within these communities for generations. The presence of specific microorganisms warrants a chronic infection and impacts crucial factors such as virulence and antibiotic susceptibility. Game theory is valuable for scenarios involving multiple decision-makers, but its relevance to polymicrobial infections is limited. Eco-evolutionary dynamics introduce causation for multiple proteomic interactions like metabolic syntropy and niche segregation. The review culminates both these giants to form evolutionary dynamics (ED). There is a significant amount of literature on inter-bacterial interactions that remain unsynchronised. Such raw data can only be moulded by analysing the ED involved. The review culminates the inter-bacterial interactions in multiple clinically relevant polymicrobial infections like chronic wounds, CAUTI, otitis media and dental carries. The data is further moulded with ED to analyse the niche colonisation of two notoriously competitive bacteria: S.aureus and P.aeruginosa. The review attempts to develop a future trajectory for polymicrobial research by following recent innovative strategies incorporating ED to curb polymicrobial infections.

Rhizobia are soil bacteria that can establish a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with legume plants. As horizontally transmitted symbionts, the life cycle of rhizobia includes a free-living phase in the soil and a plant-associated symbiotic phase. Throughout this life cycle, rhizobia are exposed to a myriad of other microorganisms that interact with them, modulating their fitness and symbiotic performance. In this review, we describe the diversity of interactions between rhizobia and other microorganisms that can occur in the rhizosphere, during the initiation of nodulation, and within nodules. Some of these rhizobia-microbe interactions are indirect, and occur when the presence of some microbes modifies plant physiology in a way that feeds back on rhizobial fitness. We further describe how these interactions can impose significant selective pressures on rhizobia and modify their evolutionary trajectories. More extensive investigations on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of rhizobia in complex biotic environments will likely reveal fascinating new aspects of this well-studied symbiotic interaction and provide critical knowledge for future agronomical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolvability is the capacity of a population to generate heritable variation that can be acted upon by natural selection. This ability influences the adaptations and fitness of individual organisms. By viewing this capacity as a trait, evolvability is subject to natural selection and thus plays a critical role in eco‐evolutionary dynamics. Understanding this role provides insight into how species respond to changes in their environment and how species coexistence can arise and be maintained. Here, we create a G‐function model of competing species, each with a different evolvability. We analyze population and strategy (= heritable phenotype) dynamics of the two populations under clade initiation (when species are introduced into a population), evolutionary tracking (constant, small changes in the environment), adaptive radiation (availability of multiple ecological niches), and evolutionary rescue (extreme environmental disturbances). We find that when species are far from an eco‐evolutionary equilibrium, faster‐evolving species reach higher population sizes, and when species are close to an equilibrium, slower‐evolving species are more successful. Frequent, minor environmental changes promote the extinction of species with small population sizes, regardless of their evolvability. When several niches are available for a species to occupy, coexistence is possible, though slower‐evolving species perform slightly better than faster‐evolving ones due to the well‐recognized inherent cost of evolvability. Finally, disrupting the environment at intermediate frequencies can result in coexistence with cyclical population dynamics of species with different rates of evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical theories, such as Bateman's principle and Trivers' parental investment theory, attempted to explain the coevolution of sexual selection and parental care through simple verbal arguments. Since then, quantitative models have demonstrated that it is rarely that simple because many non‐intuitive structures and non‐linear relationships are actually at play. In this study, we propose a new standard for models of mating dynamics and parental care, emphasizing the clarity and use of mathematical and probabilistic arguments, the meaning of consistency conditions, and the key role of spatial densities and the law of mass action. We used adaptive dynamics to calculate the evolutionary trajectory of the total care duration. Our results clearly show how the outcomes of parental care evolution can be diverse, depending on the quantitative balance between a set of dynamical forces arising from relevant differences and conditions in the male and female populations. The intensity of sexual selection, synergy of care, care quality, and relative mortality rates during mating interactions and caring activities act as forces driving evolutionary transitions between uniparental and biparental care. Sexual selection reduces the care duration of the selected sex, uniparental care evolves in the sex that offers the higher care quality, higher mortality during mating interactions of one sex leads to more care by that sex, and higher mortality during caring activities of one sex favours the evolution of uniparental care in the other sex. Both synergy and higher overall mortality during mating interactions can stabilize biparental care when sexual selection reduces the care duration of the selected sex. We discuss how the interaction between these forces influences the evolution of care patterns, and how sex ratios can vary and be interpreted in these contexts. We also propose new directions for future developments of our integrative model, creating new comparable analyses that share the same underlying assumptions and dynamical frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in community ecology has tended to focus on trophic interactions (e.g., predation, resource competition) as driving forces of community dynamics, and sexual interactions have often been overlooked. Here we discuss how sexual interactions can affect community dynamics, especially focusing on frequency‐dependent dynamics of horizontal communities (i.e., communities of competing species in a single ecological guild). By combining mechanistic and phenomenological models of competition, we place sexual reproduction into the framework of modern coexistence theory. First, we review how population dynamics of two species competing for two resources can be represented by the Lotka–Volterra competition model as well as frequency dynamics, and how niche differentiation and overlap produce negative and positive frequency‐dependence (i.e., stable coexistence and priority effect), respectively. Then, we explore two situations where sexual interactions change the frequency‐dependence in community dynamics: (1) reproductive interference, that is, negative interspecific interactions due to incomplete species recognition in mating trials, can promote positive frequency‐dependence and (2) density‐dependent intraspecific adaptation load, that is, reduced population growth rates due to adaptation to intraspecific sexual (or social) interactions, produces negative frequency‐dependence. We show how reproductive interference and density‐dependent intraspecific adaptation load can decrease and increase niche differences in the framework of modern coexistence theory, respectively. Finally, we discuss future empirical and theoretical approaches for studying how sexual interactions and related phenomena (e.g., reproductive interference, intraspecific adaptation load, and sexual dimorphism) driven by sexual selection and conflict can affect community dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fronhofer et al. ([12])"s proposal undermines the usual 'slow evolution/fast ecology" wisdom that served for decades as a "good reason" for not considering ecology and evolution together. Indeed, let us imagine what the theories of ecology and evolution would have been if they had been written before the rise of multicellular organisms: disentangling ecology from evolution is difficult in the microbial realm if it even has any meaning. In this framework, ecology and evolution sensu stricto can be redefined by their relative speed with regard to evolution and ecology respectively (Figure 1). Keywords: biodiversity levels; concepts; deep-time eco-evolution; eco-evolutionary dynamics; environmental change; fast/slow processes; integrative models; overlooked variability; plasticity; tree of life EN biodiversity levels concepts deep-time eco-evolution eco-evolutionary dynamics environmental change fast/slow processes integrative models overlooked variability plasticity tree of life S5 S10 6 10/18/23 20230902 NES 230902 DEEPENING LINKS BETWEEN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION Developing deeper links between ecology and evolution is not a new idea and has been advocating since at least the 1950s (Futuyma, [13]), but most 20th-century attempts can be considered more as rapprochement than actual integration (Huneman, [17] for a detailed historical review). [Extracted from the article]

Most studies assessing rates of phenotypic change focus on population mean trait values, whereas a largely overlooked additional component is changes in population trait variation. Theoretically, eco‐evolutionary dynamics mediated by such changes in trait variation could be as important as those mediated by changes in trait means. To date, however, no study has comprehensively summarised how phenotypic variation is changing in contemporary populations. Here, we explore four questions using a large database: How do changes in trait variances compare to changes in trait means? Do different human disturbances have different effects on trait variance? Do different trait types have different effects on changes in trait variance? Do studies that established a genetic basis for trait change show different patterns from those that did not? We find that changes in variation are typically small; yet we also see some very large changes associated with particular disturbances or trait types. We close by interpreting and discussing the implications of our findings in the context of eco‐evolutionary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How the complexity of food webs depends on environmental variables is a long‐standing ecological question. It is unclear though how food‐chain length should vary with adaptive evolution of the constitutive species. Here we model the evolution of species colonisation rates and its consequences on occupancies and food‐chain length in metacommunities. When colonisation rates can evolve, longer food‐chains can persist. Extinction, perturbation and habitat loss all affect evolutionarily stable colonisation rates, but the strength of the competition‐colonisation trade‐off has a major role: weaker trade‐offs yield longer chains. Although such eco‐evo dynamics partly alleviates the spatial constraint on food‐chain length, it is no magic bullet: the highest, most vulnerable, trophic levels are also those that least benefit from evolution. We provide qualitative predictions regarding how trait evolution affects the response of communities to disturbance and habitat loss. This highlights the importance of eco‐evolutionary dynamics at metacommunity level in determining food‐chain length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence suggests that temporally fluctuating environments are important in maintaining variation both within and between species. To date, however, studies of genetic variation within a population have been largely conducted by evolutionary biologists (particularly population geneticists), while population and community ecologists have concentrated more on diversity at the species level. Despite considerable conceptual overlap, the commonalities and differences of these two alternative paradigms have yet to come under close scrutiny. Here, we review theoretical and empirical studies in population genetics and community ecology focusing on the 'temporal storage effect' and synthesise theories of diversity maintenance across different levels of biological organisation. Drawing on Chesson's coexistence theory, we explain how temporally fluctuating environments promote the maintenance of genetic variation and species diversity. We propose a further synthesis of the two disciplines by comparing models employing traditional frequency‐dependent dynamics and those adopting density‐dependent dynamics. We then address how temporal fluctuations promote genetic and species diversity simultaneously via rapid evolution and eco‐evolutionary dynamics. Comparing and synthesising ecological and evolutionary approaches will accelerate our understanding of diversity maintenance in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene drive technology, in which fast‐spreading engineered drive alleles are introduced into wild populations, represents a promising new tool in the fight against vector‐borne diseases, agricultural pests and invasive species. Due to the risks involved, gene drives have so far only been tested in laboratory settings while their population‐level behaviour is mainly studied using mathematical and computational models. The spread of a gene drive is a rapid evolutionary process that occurs over timescales similar to many ecological processes. This can potentially generate strong eco‐evolutionary feedback that could profoundly affect the dynamics and outcome of a gene drive release. We, therefore, argue for the importance of incorporating ecological features into gene drive models. We describe the key ecological features that could affect gene drive behaviour, such as population structure, life‐history, environmental variation and mode of selection. We review previous gene drive modelling efforts and identify areas where further research is needed. As gene drive technology approaches the level of field experimentation, it is crucial to evaluate gene drive dynamics, potential outcomes, and risks realistically by including ecological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]