Introduction and Conceptual Framework
Introduction and Conceptual Framework
This introductory chapter discusses how when studying eco-evolutionary dynamics, one might focus on genotypes or phenotypes. Selection acts directly on phenotypes rather than on genotypes. Genotypes are affected by selection only indirectly through their association with phenotypes that influence fitness. Understanding the role of ecology in shaping evolution therefore requires a phenotypic perspective. Furthermore, the ecological effects of organisms are driven by their phenotypes rather than by their genotypes. In some cases, eco-evolutionary dynamics might be similar at the genetic and phenotypic levels, most obviously so when a key functional trait is mainly determined by a single gene. The chapter also explains how eco-evolutionary dynamics can be studied in theory or in real organisms.
Keywords: eco-evolutionary dynamics, genotypes, phenotypes, selection, ecology, evolution, theoretical studies, real organisms
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