Evolution is a double-edged sword, not a silver bullet, to confront global change

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Global change is often viewed optimistically for adaptive evolutionary responses.
• Maladaptation, or failing to adapt, receives less research attention in this context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how global change can induce maladaptation in populations.
• To explore mechanisms leading to maladaptive evolutionary responses.
• To reframe evolution as a 'double-edged sword' in global change scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptual synthesis.
• Analysis of trait-driven and eco-evo-driven maladaptation mechanisms.
• Discussion of population dynamics under environmental change.

Main Results:

• Global change can displace populations from their fitness optima, leading to maladaptation.
• Populations may fail to evolve, remain maladapted, or become further maladapted.
• Evolutionary responses to global change can be both adaptive and maladaptive.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive understanding of maladaptation is essential for accurate forecasting of population responses to global change.
• Recognizing maladaptive potential improves ecological and evolutionary predictions.
• Future research should integrate maladaptation into models of global change impacts.