Ecological changes with minor effect lead to delayed evolutionary regime shifts

Small changes in the environmental conditions of biological communities that have only minor immediate effects, may, after a substantial delay, cause dramatic shifts in these communities by triggering evolutionary processes. This is the main conclusion of research from theoretical ecologists Catalina Chaparro-Pedraza and André de Roos at the University of Amsterdam. The results are published Ecology and Evolution. It is well-established that small changes in environmental conditions can cause abrupt and dramatic changes in ecosystems. In shallow lakes, for example, small changes in nutrient input may cause a sudden shift from a clear-water state with many species to a turbid state with low biodiversity. Likewise, small increases in grazing pressure may result in the collapse of plant communities in semi-arid regions, ultimately transforming large areas into deserts. Regime shifts.