Summary
1.
We review theoretical and empirical studies to identify instances where evolutionary
processes significantly affect the dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems.
2.
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.
3.
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.
4.
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.
