The evolution of predator–prey interactions: theory and evidence. Linking genetic change to community evolution: Insights from studies of bacteria and bacteriophage. Density cycles and an offspring quantity and quality game driven by natural selection. The Evolution Explosion: How Humans Cause Rapid Evolutionary Change (W. Rapid evolution of reproductive isolation in the wild: Evidence from introduced salmon. Rapid evolution of a geographic cline in size in an introduced fly. Rapid evolution revealed by dormant eggs.
These results confirm that prey evolution can substantially alter predator–prey dynamics, and therefore that attempts to understand population oscillations in nature 10, 11 cannot neglect potential effects from ongoing rapid evolution. Single-clone algal cultures (lacking genetic variability) produced short cycle periods and typical quarter-period phase lags between prey and predator densities, whereas multi-clonal (genetically variable) algal cultures produced long cycles with prey and predator densities nearly out of phase, exactly as predicted. We verified the predicted existence of an evolutionary tradeoff between algal competitive ability and defence against consumption, and examined its effects on cycle dynamics by manipulating the evolutionary potential of the prey population. Our experiments tested explicit predictions from a model for our system that allows prey evolution 9. Here we report that rapid prey evolution in response to oscillating predator density affects predator–prey (rotifer–algal) cycles in laboratory microcosms. However, theoretical predictions of how rapid evolution can affect ecological dynamics 8 are inconclusive and often depend on untested model assumptions 8. Ecological and evolutionary dynamics can occur on similar timescales 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.