EDITORIAL Evolution on ecological time-scales

Ecologically significant evolutionary change, occurring over tens of generations or fewer, is now widely documented in nature. These findings counter the long-standing assumption that ecological and evolutionary processes occur on different time-scales, and thus that the study of ecological processes can safely assume evolutionary stasis. Recognition that substantial evolution occurs on ecological time-scales dissolves this dichotomy and provides new opportunities for integrative approaches to pressing ques-tions in many fields of biology. 2. The goals of this special feature are twofold: to consider the factors that influence evolution on ecological time-scales – phenotypic plasticity, maternal effects, sexual selection, and gene flow – and to assess the consequences of such evolution – for population persistence, speciation, community dynamics, and ecosystem function