Abstract
Traditional ecological theories assume that the traits of species are invariant on ecological time scales. However, recent work suggests that contemporary trait change due to evolution and plasticity are common in nature, often as a result of human disturbance. I present evidence for important ecological consequences of contemporary trait change in several fish study systems. These results suggest that understanding the causes and consequences of ongoing trait change in wild populations will be important for predicting ecosystem dynamics into the future.
Eric Palkovacs
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of California-Santa Cruz