Figure 3.11

Figure 3.11 |  Micro-evolutionary dynamics in response to environmental change. Simplified conceptual framework shows two main eco-evolutionary trajectories for natural populations over time (vertical axis from top to bottom). If environmental stress is low, rapid responses (within a generation) through plastic phenotypic adjustments and selection (across generations) sustain fitness, enhancing maintenance of viable populations across generations. In contrast, if environmental stress is high, ongoing phenotypic plasticity and acclimation may be insufficient to buffer the negative effects, exacerbating the loss of fitness (change of colour to orange/yellow/red). Ultimately, very high stress conditions accelerate population decline, enhancing the risk of species extinction.