The evolution of ecology

Abstract

In spite of an early history of interaction, progress in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology during most of this century has been made largely in parallel, with little creative exchange until the past two decades. In contrast, recent history in the two fields shows an exciting and productive trend toward a unified effort in understanding the ecological and evolutionary forces and constraints that together produce the phenomenon of adaptation. Common themes that have drawn the two fields together in the past decade include an intensified appreciation of discontinuities in time and space, an increased awareness of the interaction of history and mechanism, a greater concern for tradeoffs and constraints, and a renewed exploration of the role of hierarchy in producing pattern. © 1985 by the American Society of Zoologists.