Evolutionary Ecology
From lec 2…
Some Ecological Terms
Landscape
Biosphere
From lec 2…
Some Ecological Terms
Landscape
Biosphere
Natural Selection
e.g. Peppered
Moth
e.g. Peppered
Moth
e.g. Peppered
Moth
e.g. Peppered
Moth
Over the course evolutionary time, we’ll
see:
↑
↓
Peppered
Moth
What if the black
coloration lifted
from the trees?
Natural selection can act on small
differences between individuals
These small differences may
accumulate over evolutionary time !
larger changes
Adaptive Evolution: features of organisms that
improve their ability to survive & reproduce in
their environments increase in frequency over
time
Adaptation: An inherited trait that makes an
organism better suited to its environment
and has been selected for by NS
Any differences in survival & reproductive
success associated with varieties of a given
heritable trait will be acted on by natural
selection
vs. acquired
Any differences in survival & reproductive
success associated with varieties of a given
heritable trait will be acted on by natural
selection
vs. acquired
Adaptations are the result of NS
Individuals with certain heritable traits
leave more offspring than individuals with
other versions of the trait
Natural selection causes Adaptive Evolution
Natural Selection is a consequence of 3
conditions:
1. Variation
2. Inheritance
3. Differential reproductive success
Natural Selection is a consequence of 3
conditions:
1. Variation
2. Inheritance
3. Differential reproductive success
Natural Selection is a consequence of 3
conditions:
1. Variation
2. Inheritance
3. Differential reproductive success
Fitness:
1. Survival rate
2. Reproductive
success
Evolutionary Change by Natural Selection
Genetic changes that improve the fitness of
individuals tend to inc. in frequency over
time
e.g. Australian tongue orchid
Organisms seem well-suited to their environments
Thanks to this
process, the match
between organisms
and their
environments
improve over time
Goal of the natural study: to explore the
effect of selection on the insect’s beak
length
Balloon vine
<
Goldenrain tree fruit
Balloon vine
Introduced to Central
Florida
Central & South
Florida
Goal of the natural study: to explore the
effect of selection on the insect’s beak
length
Have soapberry bugs that feed on golden rain
tree fruit in central Florida evolved shorter beak
lengths?
Results
Results
Joint effects of Ecology & Evolution
Soapberry Bug
Directional
selection on these
bugs caused by
interactions with
their food plants
Link between ecology & evolution
Natural selection and the adaptive evolution
that results, is driven by the interactions of
organisms with each other & with their
environment
Natural selection is limited by
1. Evolutionary history
2. Ecological trade-offs
When a group of organisms evolves a new
effective adaptation, the outcome of
ecological interactions may change
! May alter the entire community
Rapid Eco-Evolutionary Feedbacks
Evolution occurs as organisms interact with
each other & their physical environment
Ecological changes alters selective pressures
that organisms face
e.g. removal of a predator
Rapid Eco-Evolutionary Feedbacks
Leads to evolutionary
changes that can modify
aspects of populations,
communities,
ecosystems
Break