Experimental evolution in communities: beyond pairwise interactions

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Community Ecology

Background:

• Experimental evolution traditionally focuses on single or two-species systems.
• Recent advancements extend experimental evolution to complex community settings.
• Natural communities involve indirect effects, higher-order interactions, and multidimensional selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize the emerging field of experimental evolution in communities.
• To demonstrate how community context reshapes selection and evolutionary trajectories.
• To identify gaps and future directions for research in community experimental evolution.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature survey of multi-species, multi-generation experimental evolution studies.
• Analysis of 100 identified studies, noting a recent increase in research.
• Discussion of community ecology concepts and relevant experimental designs.

Main Results:

• Experimental evolution in communities is a growing field, with 100 studies identified.
• Most current research is biased towards microbial systems and competitive interactions.
• Community context significantly alters selection and evolutionary paths compared to simpler designs.

Conclusions:

• Experimental evolution in communities provides a powerful framework for understanding adaptation and coevolution.
• Key research areas include indirect/higher-order interactions, eco-evolutionary feedbacks, and genetic constraints.
• Increasing ecological realism through field experiments and addressing interaction networks is crucial for future research.