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COMMUNITY GENETICS: EXPANDING THE SYNTHESIS OF ECOLOGY AND GENETICS
Author(s) -
Neuhauser Claudia,
Andow D. A.,
Heimpel George E.,
May Georgiana,
Shaw Ruth G.,
Wagenius Stuart
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084[0545:cgetso]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - ecological genetics , ecology , population genetics , biology , evolutionary ecology , coevolution , community , population , evolutionary biology , habitat , host (biology) , sociology , demography
Community genetics synthesizes community ecology and population genetics and yields fresh insights into the interplay between evolutionary and ecological processes. A community genetics framework proves especially valuable when strong selection on traits results from or impinges on interspecific interactions, an increasingly common phenomenon as more communities are subject to direct management or anthropogenic disturbances. We draw illustrations of this perspective from our ongoing studies of three representative communities, two managed and one natural, that have recently undergone large perturbations. The studied communities are: (1) insect pests of crop plants genetically engineered to produce insecticidal toxins; (2) insect‐pollinated plants in habitats severely fragmented by agriculture and urbanization; and (3) a pathogen and its crop host now grown extensively outside their native ranges. We demonstrate the value of integrating genetic and ecological processes to gain a full understanding of community dynamics, particularly in nonequilibrium systems that are subject to strong selection. Corresponding Editor: A. A. Agrawal