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{{Short description|Interaction of biology and evolution}}{{about|the biological concept|the sociological concept|Ecological-evolutionary theory|the academic journal|Evolutionary Ecology (journal)}}

Charles Darwin

The basis of the central principles of evolutionary ecology can be attributed to Charles Darwin (1809–1882), specifically in referencing his theory of natural selection and population dynamics, which discusses how populations of a species change over time.WEB,weblink Population Dynamics, Nicholas School of the Environment e-cology Project, Duke University, en-US, 2017-12-08, 2016, According to Ernst Mayr, professor of zoology at Harvard University, Darwin's most distinct contributions to evolutionary biology and ecology are as follows: "The first is the non-constancy of species, or the modern conception of evolution itself. The second is the notion of branching evolution, implying the common descent of all species of living things on earth from a single unique origin."NEWS,weblink Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought, Mayr, Ernst, Scientific American, 2017-12-08, en, 2009, Ernst Mayr, Additionally, "Darwin further noted that evolution must be gradual, with no major breaks or discontinuities. Finally, he reasoned that the mechanism of evolution was natural selection."

George Evelyn Hutchinson

George Evelyn Hutchinson's (1903–1991) contributions to the field of ecology spanned over 60 years, in which he had significant influence in systems ecology, radiation ecology, limnology, and entomology.JOURNAL, Slobodkin, L.B., 1993, An Appreciation: George Evelyn Hutchinson, 5370, Journal of Animal Ecology, 62, 2, 390–394, 10.2307/5370, Described as the "father of modern ecology" by Stephen Jay Gould, Hutchinson was one of the first scientists to link the subjects of ecology and mathematics. According to Hutchinson, he constructed "mathematical models of populations, the changing proportions of individuals of various ages, birthrate, the ecological niche, and population interaction in this technical introduction to population ecology."BOOK, Introduction to Population Ecology, Rockwood, Larry L., 2006, Wiley Blackwell, 978-1-4051-3263-3, Malden, MA, 60322007, He also had a vast interest in limnology, due to his belief that lakes could be studied as a microcosm that provides insight into system behavior.JOURNAL, Hyland, Callen, Summer 2011, The Art of Ecology, Writings of G. Evelyn Hutchinson, The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 84, 2, 175–176, 0044-0086, 3117418, Hutchinson is also known for his work Circular Causal Systems in Ecology, in which he states that "groups of organisms may be acted upon by their environment, and they may react upon it. If a set of properties in either system changes in such a way that the action of the first system on the second changes, this may cause changes in properties of the second system which alter the mode of action of the second system on the first."JOURNAL, Hutchinson, G. Evelyn, 1948-10-01, Circular Causal Systems in Ecology, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, en, 50, 4, 221–246, 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1948.tb39854.x, 18886382, 1749-6632, 1948NYASA..50..221H, 29091812, dmy, G. Evelyn Hutchinson,

Robert MacArthur

Robert MacArthur (1930–1972) is best known in the field of Evolutionary Ecology for his work The Theory of Island Biogeography, in which he and his co-author propose "that the number of species on any island reflects a balance between the rate at which new species colonize it and the rate at which populations of established species become extinct."WEB,weblink Island Biogeography, web.stanford.edu, 2017-12-08,

Eric Pianka

According to the University of Texas, Eric Pianka's (1939–2022) work in evolutionary ecology includes foraging strategies, reproductive tactics, competition and niche theory, community structure and organization, species diversity, and understanding rarity.WEB,weblink Eric Pianka's Contributions to Ecology, FS 301. The Human Overpopulation Crisis, Eric R. Pianka, University of Texas Austin, 2017-12-08, 2008, undergraduate course material, Pianka is also known for his interest in lizards to study ecological occurrences, as he claimed they were "often abundant, making them relatively easy to locate, observe, and capture."{{self-published inline|date=December 2023}}

Michael Rosenzweig

Michael L. Rosenzweig (1941–present) created and popularized Reconciliation ecology, which began with his theory that designated nature preserves would not be enough land to conserve the biodiversity of Earth, as humans have used so much land that they have negatively impacted biogeochemical cycles and had other ecological impacts that have negatively affected species compositions.BOOK, Win-win ecology: how the earth's species can survive in the midst of human enterprise, Rosenzweig, Michael L., 2003, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-515604-1, Oxford, 62866022, registration,weblink

Other notable evolutionary ecologists

• R. A. Fisher (1890–1962), whose 1930 fundamental theorem of natural selection recognised the power of rigorous application of the theory of natural selection to population biology.Eric R. Pianka. 2011. Evolutionary Ecology. Seventh Edition – eBook. p. 13. Accessed 7 June 2014.
• David Lack (1910–1973), a follower of Charles Darwin, worked to merge the fields of evolutionary biology and ecology, focusing mainly on birds and evolution.
• Thierry Lodé (1956–present), a French ecologist whose work focused on how sexual conflict in populations of species impacts evolution.Thierry Lodé 2014. Manifeste pour une écologie évolutive. Eds Odile Jacob, Paris.

Research

Michael Rosenzweig's idea of reconciliation ecology was developed based on existing research, which was conducted on the principle first suggested by Alexander von Humboldt stating that larger areas of land will have increased species diversity as compared to smaller areas. This research focused on species-area relationships (SPARs) and the different scales on which they exist, ranging from sample-area to interprovincial SPARs. Steady-state dynamics in diversity gave rise to these SPARs, which are now used to measure the reduction of species diversity on Earth. In response to this decline in diversity, Rosenzweig's reconciliation ecology was born.Rosenzweig, Michael L. "Reconciliation ecology and the future of species diversity." Oryx, vol. 37, no. 02, 10 Feb. 2003, {{doi|10.1017/s0030605303000371}}.Evolutionary ecology has been studied using symbiotic relationships between organisms to determine the evolutionary forces by which such relationships develop. In symbiotic relationships, the symbiont must confer some advantage to its host in order to persist and continue to be evolutionarily viable. Research has been conducted using aphids and the symbiotic bacteria with which they coevolve. These bacteria are most frequently conserved from generation to generation, displaying high levels of vertical transmission. Results have shown that these symbiotic bacteria ultimately confer some resistance to parasites to their host aphids, which both increases the fitness of the aphids and lead to symbiont-mediated coevolution between the species.Vorburger, Christoph, et al. "Comparing constitutive and induced costs of symbiont-Conferred resistance to parasitoids in aphids." Ecology and Evolution, vol. 3, no. 3, 2013, pp. 706–13. {{doi|10.1002/ece3.491}}.

Color variation in cichlid fish

The effects of evolutionary ecology and its consequences can be seen in the case of color variation among African cichlid fish. With over 2,000 species, cichlid fishes are very species-rich and capable of complex social interactions.JOURNAL, Functional diversity in the color vision of cichlid fishes, BMC Biology, 8, 133, October 28, 2010, 10.1186/1741-7007-8-133, 21029409, 2988715, Sabbah, Shai, Laria, Raico, Gray, Suzanne M, Hawryshyn, Craig W, free, Polychromatism, the variation of color patterns within a population, occurs within cichlid fishes due to environmental adaptations and to increase chances of sexual reproduction.JOURNAL, Evolution of colour patterns in East African cichlid fish, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 12, 3, 514, December 25, 2001, 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1999.00055.x, Seehausen, Mayhew, Alphen, J. J. M. Van, 19031252, free,

See also

• Evolutionary Ecology (journal)

References

{{reflist|2}}

Further reading

• 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

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• Evolutionary Ecology Research – a journal in the field.
• Methods in Ecology and Evolution – a journal in the field.
• Ecology and Evolution – Wiley
• Evolutionary Ecology – Springer

{{evo ecol|state=expanded}}{{modelling ecosystems|expanded=none}}{{Branches of ecology}}{{Authority control}}