Phenotypic plasticity (the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes in
response to variation in the environment) is commonplace. Yet its evolutionary significance …

Character displacement is the process by which traits evolve in response to selection to
lessen resource competition or reproductive interactions between species. Although …

The origin of biological diversity, via the formation of new species, can be inextricably linked
to adaptation to the ecological environment. Specifically, ecological processes are central to …

Evolutionary biology has long sought to explain how new traits and new species arise.
Darwin maintained that competition is key to understanding this biodiversity and held that …

In The Origin of Species, Darwin proposed his principle of divergence of character (a
process now termed “character displacement”) to explain how new species arise and why …

Reinforcement, the evolution of prezygotic reproductive barriers by natural selection in
response to maladaptive hybridization, is one of the most debated processes in speciation …

Biodiversity requires explanation. Why are there so many different kinds of living things, and
where do their unique features come from? Historically, biologists have attempted to …

Divergent natural selection drives evolutionary diversification. It creates phenotypic diversity
by favoring developmental plasticity within populations or genetic differentiation and local …

A key part of the ecological theory of adaptive radiation is disruptive selection during periods
of sympatry. Some insight into this process might be gained by studying populations that are …

Disruptive selection is potentially critical in maintaining variation and initiating speciation.
Yet there are few convincing examples of disruptive selection from nature. Moreover …