Human behaviour as a long-term ecological driver of non-human evolution

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Archaeology

Background:

• Humans are significant ecological actors influencing trophic interactions through subsistence and habitat modification.
• Anthropogenic activities like harvesting, burning, settlement, and translocation impact ecosystems fundamentally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how long-term human-environment interactions have shaped the evolutionary biology of non-human, non-domesticated species.
• To integrate evidence from modern biology and archaeology on human impacts on evolution.

Main Methods:

• Review of modern biological studies documenting morphological evolution in response to human activities.
• Analysis of archaeological records of harvested species to infer prehistoric human impacts.
• Integration of palaeoenvironmental data on long-term human habitat modification.

Main Results:

• Modern studies show human harvesting and urbanization drive significant morphological changes (e.g., body size) in vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants.
• Archaeological evidence indicates human-driven evolutionary processes in marine invertebrates and terrestrial vertebrates dating back at least 50,000 years.
• These findings align with palaeoenvironmental records of extensive human habitat modification and harvesting.

Conclusions:

• Human influence on the evolutionary biology of non-human taxa has a deep history, extending far beyond recent impacts.
• Integrated evidence from biology and archaeology demonstrates a long-term entanglement between humans and ecosystems.
• Increasing anthropogenic activities, including climate change and genetic modification, will likely intensify these evolutionary effects.