Genomic perspectives on the inference of evolutionary changes in ecological life-history traits

Genome-wide polymorphism data are increasingly used in conservation biology, and new developments in theoretical population genomics generate refined statistical inference methods. Most theories and methods remain based on human life-history traits and genome characteristics, namely, that the ratio of the population rates of recombination over mutation is approximately one. However, most fungal, invertebrate or plant species exhibit violations of the classic population genetics models due to their peculiar life cycles, such as long-life span and generation overlap, dormancy, clonality, selfing and large variance in offspring production (sweepstakes reproduction). We first present applicable inference methods accounting for these life-history traits. Second, we highlight new inference methods to estimate the timing and magnitude of changes in these traits over evolutionary times. We suggest that methodological and theoretical novelties pave the way to dissect the causes and consequences of changes in ecological and evolutionary (life-history) traits in plant species and in multi-species assemblages (communities) in response to changing environments.