Evolutionary ecology

A phylogenetic tree of living things.

Evolutionary ecology lies at the intersection of ecology and evolutionary biology. It approaches the study of ecology in a way that explicitly considers the evolutionary histories of species and the interactions between them. Conversely, it can be seen as an approach to the study of evolution that incorporates an understanding of the interactions between the species under consideration. The main subfields of evolutionary ecology are life history evolution, sociobiology (the evolution of behavior), the evolution of interspecific relations (cooperation, predator-prey interactions, parasitism, mutualism) and the evolution of biodiversity and of communities.

Evolutionary ecologists

Julia Margaret Cameron’s portrait of Darwin

• Charles Darwin
• George Evelyn Hutchinson
• Robert MacArthur
• Eric Pianka
• Michael Rosenzweig
• David Lack

Evolutionary models

A large part of Evolutionary ecology is about utilising models and finding empirical data as proof. Examples such as the Lack clutch size model devised by David Lack. Richard Levins 1968 model on the specilisation of species. Law & Diekmann's models on mutualisms.

Current research in Evolutionary Ecology

Research is going into how organisms became social, the evolution of sex, the evolution of specialization and many more.

See also

Ecology portal

Environment portal

References

• Fox, C.W., Roff, D.A. and Fairbairn, D.J. 2001. Evolutionary Ecology: Concepts and Case Studies. Oxford University Press.
• Mayhew, P.J. 2006. Discovering Evolutionary Ecology: Bringing Together Ecology and Evolution. Oxford University Press.
• Pianka, E.R. 2000. Evolutionary Ecology, 6th ed. Benjamin Cummings.

External links

• Evolutionary Ecology Research - a journal in the field.
• Methods in Ecology and Evolution - a journal the field.
• Main issues of Evolutionary Ecology