Evolutionary adaptation can be rapid and potentially help species counter stressful conditions or realize ecological opportunities arising from climate change. The challenges are to understand when evolution will occur and to identify potential evolutionary winners as well as losers, such as species lacking adaptive capacity living near physiological limits. Evolutionary processes also need to be incorporated into management programmes designed to minimize biodiversity loss under rapid climate change. These challenges can be met through realistic models of evolutionary change linked to experimental data across a range of taxa.

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/climate%20change_1.pdf

Climate change and evolutionary adaptation

In general, individuals who survive to reproduce have genotypes that work relatively well under local conditions. Migrating or dispersing offspring elsewhere is likely to decrease an individual's or its offspring's fitness, not to mention the intrinsic costs and risks of dispersal. Gene flow into a population can counteract gene frequency changes because of selection, imposing a limit on local adaptation. In addition, the migrant flow tends to be higher from densely populated to sparsely populated areas. Thus, although the potential for adaptation might be greatest in poor and sparsely populated environments, gene flow will counteract selection more strongly in such populations. Recent papers, both theoretical and empirical, have clarified the important role of migration in evolution, affecting spatial patterns, species ranges and adaptation to the environment; in particular, by emphasizing the crucial interaction between evolutionary and demographic processes.

/pdf/gene-flow-and-the-limits-to-natural-selection-9k8be6fseq.pdf

Gene flow and the limits to natural selection

Estimation of the dimensions of fundamental ecological niches of species to predict their geographic distributions is increasingly being attempted in systematics, ecology, conservation, public health, etc. This technique is often (of necessity) based on data comprising records of presences only. In recent years, modeling approaches have been devised to estimate these interrelated expressions of a species' ecology, distributional biology, and evolutionary history—nevertheless, a formal basis in ecological and evolutionary theory has largely been lacking. In this paper, we outline such a formal basis to clarify the use of techniques applied to the challenge of estimating 'ecological niches;' we analyze example situations that can be modeled using these techniques, and clarify interpretation of results.

/pdf/interpretation-of-models-of-fundamental-ecological-niches-4j2lhxf4hk.pdf

Interpretation of models of fundamental ecological niches and species' distributional areas

There is growing interest in quantifying genetic population structure across the geographical ranges of species to understand why species might exhibit stable range limits and to assess the conservation value of peripheral populations. However, many assertions regarding peripheral populations rest on the long-standing but poorly tested supposition that peripheral populations exhibit low genetic diversity and greater genetic differentiation as a consequence of smaller effective population size and greater geographical isolation relative to geographically central populations. We reviewed 134 studies representing 115 species that tested for declines in within-population genetic diversity and/or increases in among-population differentiation towards range margins using nuclear molecular genetic markers. On average, 64.2% of studies detected the expected decline in diversity, 70.2% of those that tested for it showed increased differentiation and there was a positive association between these trends. In most cases, however, the difference in genetic diversity between central and peripheral population was not large. Although these results were consistent across plants and animals, strong taxonomic and biogeographical biases in the available studies call for a cautious generalization of these results. Despite the large number of studies testing these simple predictions, very few attempted to test possible mechanisms causing reduced peripheral diversity or increased differentiation. Almost no study incorporated a phylogeographical framework to evaluate historical influences on contemporary genetic patterns. Finally, there has been little effort to test whether these geographical trends in putatively neutral variation at marker loci are reflected by quantitative genetic trait variation, which is likely to influence the adaptive potential of populations across the geographical range.

Genetic variation across species' geographical ranges: the central-marginal hypothesis and beyond

Information from natural history collections (NHCs) about the diversity, taxonomy and historical distributions of species worldwide is becoming increasingly available over the Internet. In light of this relatively new and rapidly increasing resource, we critically review its utility and limitations for addressing a diverse array of applications. When integrated with spatial environmental data, NHC data can be used to study a broad range of topics, from aspects of ecological and evolutionary theory, to applications in conservation, agriculture and human health. There are challenges inherent to using NHC data, such as taxonomic inaccuracies and biases in the spatial coverage of data, which require consideration. Promising research frontiers include the integration of NHC data with information from comparative genomics and phylogenetics, and stronger connections between the environmental analysis of NHC data and experimental and field-based tests of hypotheses.

/pdf/new-developments-in-museum-based-informatics-and-2sbpfbl7bw.pdf

New developments in museum-based informatics and applications in biodiversity analysis

crit' 6n^t^' ^10wever, Mr. Darwin would seem to have found a Mi 'VGt a^most said an adversary, worthy of him. Mr. for^th^ S ' ^?.nes*s Species ' can scarcely be praised too highly ie candid spirit in which it is written, and for the wide knowledge it displays. e propose in the following article to examine in detail the l^gurnents of its author, and so by implication those of Mr. ai'\\vin himself, rather than specially to criticise the ' Descent 0

The Evolution of Species

This paper presents a new model of manpower systems which is based on the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics, and which is therefore potentially of very widespread applicability.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2Fjors.1989.18.pdf

A Thermodynamic Model of Manpower Systems

Evolution poses some very special problems in scientific methodology. This paper offers a new approach to these problems, based on a model which was born in the management sciences, but which applies to the evolution of social and biological systems alike. Details of the model are presented and its methodological implications are discussed.

Social and Biological Evolution

McClean's model is applied to an analysis of Consultant Staff in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh from 1801 to 1968.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2Fjors.1984.47.pdf

An Historical Application of McClean's Steady State Manpower Model

McClean's model focusses on length of service or stability, making no mention of the size of the system. However, it is shown that size can also be extracted from the same formulation.

/pdf/an-extension-to-mcclean-s-steady-state-model-of-manpower-23zdlkicgq.pdf

George W. Tyler

Papers

The Evolution of Species

A Thermodynamic Model of Manpower Systems

Social and Biological Evolution

An Historical Application of McClean's Steady State Manpower Model

An Extension to McClean's Steady State Model of Manpower Systems