Evolutionary Predictions Should Be Based on Individual‐Level Traits

Abstract

Recent theoretical studies have analyzed the evolution of habitat specialization using either the logistic or the Ricker equation. These studies have implemented evolutionary change directly in population-level parameters such as habitat-specific intrinsic growth rates r or carrying capacities K. This approach is a shortcut to a more detailed analysis where evolutionary change is studied in underlying morphological, physiological, or behavioral traits at the level of the individual that contribute to r or K. Here we describe two pitfalls that can occur when such a shortcut is employed. First, population-level parameters that appear as independent variables in a population dynamical model might not be independent when derived from processes at the individual level. Second, patterns of covariation between individual-level traits are usually not conserved when mapped to the level of demographic parameters. Nonlinear mappings constrain the curvature of trade-offs that can sensibly be assumed at the population level. To illustrate these results, we derive a two-habitat version of the logistic and Ricker equations from individual-level processes and compare the evolutionary dynamics of habitat-specific carrying capacities with those of underlying individual-level traits contributing to the carrying capacities. Finally, we sketch how our viewpoint affects the results of earlier studies.