The importance of evolutionary constraints in ecological time scales

摘要: The importance of constraints, defined as factors that retard or prevent a population from reaching its immediate adaptive peak on an ecological time scale is analysed. This done by means simple quantitative genetic models, which if anything underestimate the constraints. results show even in simplest case response to selection will not generally be same direction vector, i.e. nearest optimum. Adding complexity identifies cases where may lead suboptimal directions. It concluded information about univariate variances sufficient predict evolutionary responses and misleading. However, covariances are always acting but can under certain circumstances promote evolution towards understood spectral decomposition variance—covariance matrix, it shown eigenvector associated with largest amount variance various degrees determine outcome selection. A literature survey pattern character covariation morphological characters natural populations shows wide variety correlation patterns, quite often high level covariance between traits. suggests constraints short-term more common than appreciated.