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Adaptation and extinction in changing environments

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Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution

Part of the book series: Experientia Supplementum ((EXS,volume 83))

Summary

The extinction risk of a population is determined by its demographic properties, the environmental conditions to which it is exposed, and its genetic potential to cope with and adapt to its environment. All these factors may have stochastic as well as directional components. The present chapter reviews several types of models concerned with the vulnerability of small populations to demographic stochasticity and to random and directional changes of the environment. In particular, the influence of mutation and genetic variability on the persistence time of a population is explored, critical rates for environmental change are estimated beyond which extinction on time scales of tens to a few thousand generations is virtually certain, and the extinction risks caused by the above mentioned factors are compared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mathematics, University of Vienna, Strudlhofgasse 4, A-1090, Wien, Austria

    Reinhard Bürger

  2. Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403, USA

    Michael Lynch

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  1. Reinhard Bürger
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, NL-9751 NN, Haren, The Netherlands

    R. Bijlsma

  2. Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, Building 540, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    V. Loeschcke

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Bürger, R., Lynch, M. (1997). Adaptation and extinction in changing environments. In: Bijlsma, R., Loeschcke, V. (eds) Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution. Experientia Supplementum, vol 83. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_12

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