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This study examines how competition between species affects the probability of evolutionary rescue, where rapid adaptation prevents extinction during environmental change. Using mathematical models, researchers found that competition within and between species reduces rescue success, with a phenomenon called "survival interference" occurring when one recovering species inhibits rescue mutations in competitors. In multi-species communities, this interference effect weakens as species richness and unevenness increase, though it still reduces the total number of species that successfully adapt.
Why it matters
Understanding evolutionary rescue in competitive communities is crucial for predicting which species will survive rapid environmental changes like climate change or habitat destruction. These findings could inform conservation strategies by identifying conditions where competitive interactions prevent multiple species from adapting simultaneously.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
When ecological communities experience environmental change, continued coexistence may require rapid adaptation to avoid extinction, i.e., evolutionary rescue. This rescue can be inhibited by competition. Combining Lotka-Volterra and population genetic models, we investigate how both within- and between-species competition impact the probability of rescue. With a single species we derive closed-form approximations that quantify the negative impact of competition. We then use a two-species model to examine how the sweep of a rescue mutant in one species inhibits establishment of rescue mutants in another, a process we term survival interference. This interference is strongest when the stronger competitor begins recovering first, creating eco-evolutionary priority effects despite conditions permitting deterministic coexistence. Finally, considering larger competitive communities, we document how survival interference reduces the number of rescued species but weakens with species richness and unevenness. These results move us closer to predicting evolutionary rescue in ecological communities.