Eco‐evolutionary dynamics of communities and ecosystems

Abstract

SummaryWe review theoretical and empirical studies to identify instances where evolutionary processes significantly affect the dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems.Early theoretical work on eco‐evolutionary dynamics was concerned with the effect of (co)evolution on the stability of two‐species predator–prey systems and the occurrence of character displacement in simple competitive systems. Today's theoretical ecologists are extending this work to study the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of multispecies communities and the functioning and evolutionary emergence of ecosystems.In terms of methodology, eco‐evolutionary modelling has diversified from simple, locus‐based population genetic models to encompass models of clonal selection, quantitative trait dynamics and adaptive dynamics.The few empirical studies on community dynamics that explicitly considered evolutionary processes support the view that evolutionary and ecological dynamics often occur on similar time‐scales, and that they co‐determine the dynamical behaviour of ecological communities.