scholarly journals Eco-evolutionary feedbacks in community and ecosystem ecology: interactions between the ecological theatre and the evolutionary play

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1523) ◽  
pp. 1629-1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Post ◽  
Eric P. Palkovacs
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Contemporary Evolution ◽  
Nutrient Excretion ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Tree Leaf

Interactions between natural selection and environmental change are well recognized and sit at the core of ecology and evolutionary biology. Reciprocal interactions between ecology and evolution, eco-evolutionary feedbacks, are less well studied, even though they may be critical for understanding the evolution of biological diversity, the structure of communities and the function of ecosystems. Eco-evolutionary feedbacks require that populations alter their environment (niche construction) and that those changes in the environment feed back to influence the subsequent evolution of the population. There is strong evidence that organisms influence their environment through predation, nutrient excretion and habitat modification, and that populations evolve in response to changes in their environment at time-scales congruent with ecological change (contemporary evolution). Here, we outline how the niche construction and contemporary evolution interact to alter the direction of evolution and the structure and function of communities and ecosystems. We then present five empirical systems that highlight important characteristics of eco-evolutionary feedbacks: rotifer–algae chemostats; alewife–zooplankton interactions in lakes; guppy life-history evolution and nutrient cycling in streams; avian seed predators and plants; and tree leaf chemistry and soil processes. The alewife–zooplankton system provides the most complete evidence for eco-evolutionary feedbacks, but other systems highlight the potential for eco-evolutionary feedbacks in a wide variety of natural systems.

Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter P. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Major Transitions ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Historical Continuity ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Character Identity

Homology—a similar trait shared by different species and derived from common ancestry, such as a seal's fin and a bird's wing—is one of the most fundamental yet challenging concepts in evolutionary biology. This book provides the first mechanistically based theory of what homology is and how it arises in evolution. The book argues that homology, or character identity, can be explained through the historical continuity of character identity networks—that is, the gene regulatory networks that enable differential gene expression. It shows how character identity is independent of the form and function of the character itself because the same network can activate different effector genes and thus control the development of different shapes, sizes, and qualities of the character. Demonstrating how this theoretical model can provide a foundation for understanding the evolutionary origin of novel characters, the book applies it to the origin and evolution of specific systems, such as cell types; skin, hair, and feathers; limbs and digits; and flowers. The first major synthesis of homology to be published in decades, this book reveals how a mechanistically based theory can serve as a unifying concept for any branch of science concerned with the structure and development of organisms, and how it can help explain major transitions in evolution and broad patterns of biological diversity.

The Evolutionary Biology of Species

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Barraclough
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Species Boundaries ◽  
Central Thesis ◽  
Species Accumulation ◽  
Multicellular Organisms ◽  
Broad Approach ◽  
Over Time

‘Species’ are central to understanding the origin and dynamics of biological diversity; explaining why lineages split into multiple distinct species is one of the main goals of evolutionary biology. However, the existence of species is often taken for granted, and precisely what is meant by species and whether they really exist as a pattern of nature has rarely been modelled or critically tested. This novel book presents a synthetic overview of the evolutionary biology of species, describing what species are, how they form, the consequences of species boundaries and diversity for evolution, and patterns of species accumulation over time. The central thesis is that species represent more than just a unit of taxonomy; they are a model of how diversity is structured as well as how groups of related organisms evolve. The author adopts an intentionally broad approach to consider what species constitute, both theoretically and empirically, and how we detect them, drawing on a wealth of examples from microbes to multicellular organisms.

scholarly journals Defining the niche for niche construction: evolutionary and ecological niches

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Trappes
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Niche Concept ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Compare And Contrast ◽  
Extreme Habitat

AbstractNiche construction theory (NCT) aims to transform and unite evolutionary biology and ecology. Much of the debate about NCT has focused on construction. Less attention has been accorded to the niche: what is it, exactly, that organisms are constructing? In this paper I compare and contrast the definition of the niche used in NCT with ecological niche definitions. NCT’s concept of the evolutionary niche is defined as the sum of selection pressures affecting a population. So defined, the evolutionary niche is narrower than the ecological niche. Moreover, when contrasted with a more restricted ecological niche concept, it has a slightly different extension. I point out three kinds of cases in which the evolutionary niche does not coincide with realized ecological niches: extreme habitat degradation, commensalism, and non-limiting or super-abundant resources. These conceptual differences affect the role of NCT in unifying ecology and evolutionary biology.

scholarly journals The effect of autopolyploidy on population genetic signals of hard sweeps

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Monnahan ◽  
Yaniv Brandvain
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Fundamental Parameter ◽  
Ploidy Levels ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Coalescent Simulations ◽  
Outstanding Question ◽  
Genomic Signals ◽  
Systems Studies

AbstractSearching for population genomic signals left behind by positive selection is a major focus of evolutionary biology, particularly as sequencing technologies develop and costs decline. The effect of the number of chromosome copies (i.e. ploidy) on the manifestation of these signals remains an outstanding question, despite a wide appreciation of ploidy being a fundamental parameter governing numerous biological processes. We clarify the principal forces governing the differential manifestation and persistence of the signal of selection by separating the effects of polyploidy on rates of fixation versus rates of diversity (i.e. mutation and recombination) with a set of coalescent simulations. We explore what the major consequences of polyploidy, such as a more localized signal, greater dependence on dominance, and longer persistence of the signal following fixation, mean for within- and across-ploidy inference on the strength and prevalence of selective sweeps. As genomic advances continue to open doors for interrogating natural systems, studies such as this aid our ability to anticipate, interpret, and compare data across ploidy levels.

Biotechnology and biodiversity — the interrelationships

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-461
Author(s):  
Stanley L. Krugman
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Forest Biotechnology ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Genetically Engineered Organisms ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Scientific Fields ◽  
Over Time

Although the two current high profile scientific fields of biotechnology and biodiversity have extremely different scientific foundations and philosophies, they are still closely interrelated. Useful forest biotechnology is dependent on the availability and maintenance of a broad genetic foundation. Such a foundation is best achieved over time by maintaining the biological diversity of natural systems. In contrast, it is conceivable that with the release of genetically engineered organisms, natural biological diversity could be negatively impacted. The possibility of such an influence will be discussed. Finally, the politics of the relationship between these two emerging scientific fields will be briefly reviewed.

scholarly journals What are maternal effects (and what are they not)?

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1520) ◽  
pp. 1107-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason B Wolf ◽  
Michael J Wade
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Maternal Genotype ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Offspring Genotype ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

Maternal effects can play an important role in a diversity of ecological and evolutionary processes such as population dynamics, phenotypic plasticity, niche construction, life-history evolution and the evolutionary response to selection. However, although maternal effects were defined by quantitative geneticists well over half a century ago, there remains some confusion over exactly what phenomena should be characterized as maternal effects and, more importantly, why it matters and how they are defined. We suggest a definition of maternal effects as the causal influence of the maternal genotype or phenotype on the offspring phenotype. This definition differs from some definitions in that it treats maternal effects as a phenomenon, not as a statistical construct. The causal link to maternal genotype or phenotype is the critical component of this definition providing the link between maternal effects and evolutionary and ecological processes. We show why phenomena such as maternal cytoplasmic inheritance and genomic imprinting are distinct genetically from and have different evolutionary consequences than true maternal effects. We also argue that one should consider cases where the maternal effect is conditional on offspring genotype as a class of maternal effects.

Randomness in Evolution

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Tyler Bonner
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Central Tenet ◽  
Morphological Differences

This book challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology. The book makes the bold and provocative claim that some biological diversity may be explained by something other than natural selection. The book makes an argument for the underappreciated role that randomness—or chance—plays in evolution. Due to the tremendous and enduring influence of Darwin's natural selection, the importance of randomness has been to some extent overshadowed. The book shows how the effects of randomness differ for organisms of different sizes, and how the smaller an organism is, the more likely it is that morphological differences will be random and selection may not be involved to any degree. The book then traces the increase in size and complexity of organisms over geological time, and looks at the varying significance of randomness at different size levels, from microorganisms to large mammals. The book also discusses how sexual cycles vary depending on size and complexity, and how the trend away from randomness in higher forms has even been reversed in some social organisms.

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