Ecology and evolution go hand in hand. However, since evolution occurs over relatively long time scales, ecologists had long thought it unlikely that evolutionary events could affect population dynamics or species interactions in ecological time. This view is changing. Today, there are multiple areas of research examining how evolutionary processes feedback directly on ecology. For example, eco-evolutionary dynamics focus on the cyclical interaction between ecology and adaptive evolution, such that changes in ecological interactions drive selection on organismal traits that, in turn, alter the outcome of ecological interactions. Striking examples of eco-evolutionary feedbacks are found in predator–prey interactions of laboratory populations. However, less is known about eco-evolutionary feedbacks in nature. Evolutionary rescue describes a process whereby rapid adaptation may prevent extinction in a changing environment. Other topics covered in this chapter are community phylogenetics and the evolution of regional species pools.
Turing instability in two-patch predator-prey population dynamics
