Transient Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics and the Window of Opportunity for Establishment of Immigrants.

AbstractTo what extent does landscape genetic structure bear the signature of arrival order of lineages during population assembly? Rapid genetic adaptation of resident populations founded by early colonists to local conditions might prevent establishment of later-arriving lineages, resulting in an evolution-mediated priority effect. This might result in a limited window of opportunity for establishment during which the resident population did not have sufficient time yet to monopolize the patch through local adaptation. The length of this window of opportunity is expected to depend on the degree to which early colonists and immigrants are preadapted to local habitat conditions.

Evolving Perspectives on Monopolization and Priority Effects.

Biologists are often confronted with high levels of unexplained variation when studying the processes that determine genetic and species diversity. Here, we argue that eco-evolutionary interactions might often play an important role during colonization and have longstanding effects on populations and communities. Adaptation following colonization can produce a strong positive feedback loop that promotes priority effects and context-dependent trajectories of population or species assembly.