Abstract
A paradigm shift occurred in the field of evolutionary biology during the 1990s. Biologists, who traditionally viewed evolution as a slow process, came to the realisation that evolution can often be rapid, sometimes occurring over timescales as short as a few generations. Much of the empirical evidence underlying this paradigm shift came from studies involving invasive species. It is now commonly accepted that abrupt changes in (a)biotic conditions in the new range can cause strong selection on, and rapid evolutionary responses in, invasive populations. This chapter summarises key abiotic (e.g. habitat availability and heterogeneity, climate, soil physicochemical properties) and biotic (e.g. mutualisms, competition, novel food resources) drivers that frequently underlie rapid evolution during invasion.
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