title: Does eutrophication-driven evolution change aquatic ecosystems?
abstract: Eutrophication increases primary production and changes the relative abundance, taxonomic composition and spatial distribution of primary producers within an aquatic ecosystem. The changes in composition and location of resources alter the distribution and flow of energy and biomass throughout the food web. Changes in productivity also alter the physico-chemical environment, which has further effects on the biota. Such ecological changes influence the direction and strength of natural and sexual selection experienced by populations. Besides altering selection, they can also erode the habitat gradients and/or behavioural mechanisms that maintain ecological separation and reproductive isolation among species. Consequently, eutrophication of lakes commonly results in reduced ecological specialization as well as genetic and phenotypic homogenization among lakes and among niches within lakes. We argue that the associated loss in functional diversity and niche differentiation may lead to decreased carrying capacity and lower resource-use efficiency by consumers. We show that in central European whitefish species radiations, the functional diversity affected by eutrophication-induced speciation reversal correlates with community-wide trophic transfer efficiency (fisheries yield per unit phosphorus). We take this as an example of how evolutionary dynamics driven by anthropogenic environmental change can have lasting effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'.
authors.affiliation: Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland tjalexander001@gmail.com.|Division of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6971-6205
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.|Division of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vonlanthen
authors.affiliation: Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.|Division of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Seehausen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005068:Eutrophication; D005398:Fisheries; D020387:Food Chain; D060106:Lakes; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D012487:Salmonidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus
keywords: eco-evolutionary dynamics; eutrophication; lakes; whitefish