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Opportunities to advance the synthesis of ecology and evolution
  • Michel Loreau,
  • Philippe Jarne,
  • Jennifer Martiny
Michel Loreau
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Philippe Jarne
CEFE
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Jennifer Martiny
University of California Irvine
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Abstract

Despite growing interactions between ecology and evolution, there still remain opportunities to further integrate the two disciplines, especially when considering multispecies systems. Here, we discuss two such opportunities. First, we suggest to relax the focus on the distinction between evolutionary and ecological processes. This focus is particularly unhelpful in the study of microbial communities, where the very notion of species is hard to define. Second, we propose that key processes of evolutionary theory such as adaptation should be exported to hierarchical levels higher than populations to make sense of biodiversity dynamics. Together, we argue that broadening our perspective of eco-evolutionary dynamics to be more inclusive of all biodiversity, both phylogenetically and hierarchically, will open up fertile new research directions and help us to address one the major scientific challenges of our time, i.e. to understand and predict changes in biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change.
28 Nov 2022Submitted to Ecology Letters
28 Nov 2022Submission Checks Completed
28 Nov 2022Assigned to Editor
28 Nov 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
01 Dec 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
04 Jan 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
18 Jan 20231st Revision Received
18 Jan 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Jan 2023Submission Checks Completed
18 Jan 2023Assigned to Editor
21 Jan 2023Editorial Decision: Accept