Looking across Scales in Disease Ecology and Evolution

Area of Science:

• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Disease Ecology
• Theoretical Ecology

Background:

• Ecological and evolutionary dynamics are influenced by processes operating across various spatial and temporal scales.
• The interplay between small-scale processes and large-scale dynamics is significant, impacting ecosystem functions and evolutionary trajectories.
• Historically, evolution was viewed as a long-timescale process, but it significantly influences ecological dynamics and vice versa.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of considering multiple scales in ecological and evolutionary studies.
• To demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary research spanning different scales.
• To introduce a focused collection of articles addressing scale-dependent dynamics in disease ecology and evolution.

Main Methods:

• Review of previously published articles within the journal over three decades.
• Analysis of studies demonstrating the benefits of cross-scale research.
• Introduction of new systems, theories, and methods presented in the focused topic section.

Main Results:

• Characterizing the specific scales of individual studies presents a significant challenge.
• Research spanning a spectrum of scales yields unique insights not obtainable from a narrow focus.
• The focused topic articles collectively offer novel perspectives through integrated approaches.

Conclusions:

• Integrating insights across diverse spatial and temporal scales is essential for advancing ecological and evolutionary understanding.
• Cross-scale research in disease ecology and evolution provides critical insights unattainable from single-scale studies.
• The presented articles offer valuable systems, theory, and methods for future scale-spanning research.