Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Studying eco-evolutionary dynamics in nature is challenging. In this Perspective, the authors discuss how genomic data can be used to understand the mechanisms behind eco-evolutionary dynamics and lead to evolutionary and ecological predictions in nature.
Intragenomic conflict arises when a gene functions for its own good to the detriment of the rest of the genome. Here, the authors propose a general theory of intragenomic conflict and discuss its implications to organismal maladaptation and human disease.
Biocultural approaches combining local values, knowledge, and needs with global ecological factors provide a fruitful indicator framework for assessing local and global well-being and sustainability, and help bridge the divide between them.
Lake ecosystems have provided much of the empirical evidence for ecological resilience theory. Here, a more rigorous logical approach is called for when translating this research into management decisions.
Host–microbiome interactions may have unique characteristics that are not completely captured by existing ecological and evolutionary theories. Here, the authors highlight potential pitfalls in applying these frameworks to the human microbiome.
Nearly ten years after the field of primate archaeology was first proposed, the status of the field is reported on, including recent discoveries as well as future directions and challenges, marking the end of archaeology’s ‘anthropocentric era’.
The fertilization effect has the potential to limit the impacts of global warming, but the biosphere is likely to shift into a period in which this effect is saturated.
Hunting in groups allows predators to forage more efficiently. Here, the authors outline a framework for evaluating social predation strategies according to five key behavioural dimensions.
Our understanding of how species diversity is maintained depends on spatial scale. Here, the coexistence–area relationship is developed to understand scale dependence and increase community ecology’s contribution to biodiversity conservation.
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationships remain constant no matter how many functions are considered. Biodiversity affects the level of multifunctionality and the effect on multifunctionality equals the average effect on single functions.
A new approach is outlined for capturing multiple facets of biodiversity in near real-time by combining the latest advances in automated Earth observation recording, high-throughput sequencing and ecological modelling.
Five laws derived from fossil data describe the relationships between species extinction and longevity, species richness, origination rates, extinction rates and diversification. These laws are crucial to the study of evolution and ecology.
Reproducibility starts with having a transparent and streamlined workflow. Here, the authors describe how they achieved this using open data tools for the collaborative Ocean Health Index project.
The evolutionary history of life and the history of the planet itself are closely entwined. This Perspective looks at the sources of energy — geochemical, sunlight, oxygen, flesh and fire — that have shaped this inter-relationship and the course of evolution.
Ecological interactions typically vary across both space and time. Here, the authors outline a framework for incorporating multiple layers of complexity into ecological networks, and discuss their potential applications and future challenges.
Recent developments in data acquisition and quantitative modelling allow evolutionary biologists to predict future processes. This Perspective reviews progress in understanding the evolutionary dynamics of systems such as microorganisms and cancer and discusses unifying concepts of predictive analysis.
Current understanding of eco-evolutionary feedbacks rests primarily on simple systems at small spatial scales. Here, the authors outline a framework for examining spatiotemporal dynamics in species-rich networks at the metacommunity scale.
Speciation can be a sudden or gradual process, and may involve genomic tipping points where positive feedback accelerates the process towards completion. Here, the mechanics of speciation tipping points and their similarities to other dynamic systems are discussed.
