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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Published on: April 24, 2017

Recognizing adaptation costs in the Anthropocene.

James A deMayo¹, Reid S Brennan², Melissa Pespeni³

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|October 23, 2025

Summary

Adaptation costs, driven by trade-offs, can hinder population rescue during rapid environmental change, even with high genetic variation. Understanding these costs is crucial for predicting ecosystem resilience.

Keywords:

Anthropocene adaptation adaptation costs global change trade-offs

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Science

Background:

Populations face rapid environmental change in the Anthropocene.
High genetic variation does not guarantee adaptation success.
Adaptation costs can limit evolutionary rescue.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the link between adaptation costs and evolutionary trade-offs.
To understand how adaptation costs emerge and impact populations.
To advocate for the inclusion of adaptation costs in global change research.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis linking adaptation costs to trade-offs.
Examination of ecological processes mediating adaptation costs (competition, symbiosis).
Review of factors influencing the emergence of adaptation costs (fluctuating environments, multiple stressors).

Main Results:

Adaptation costs are tied to traits promoting specialization and coexistence.
Costs can be cryptic and emerge under stress.
Ecological interactions mediate adaptation costs, limiting growth and ranges.

Conclusions:

Adaptation costs are a critical factor in evolutionary rescue.
Considering adaptation costs improves predictions of population responses to global change.
Incorporating adaptation costs enhances understanding of ecosystem resilience.