Zachary Wood, Eric P Palkovacs, Brian J Olsen, Michael T. Kinnison

Humans are dominant global drivers of ecological and evolutionary change, rearranging ecosystems and natural selection in many ways. Here, we show increasing evidence that human activity also plays a disproportionate role in shaping the eco-evolutionary potential of systems. We suggest the net outcome of human influences on trait change, ecology, and the feedbacks that link them, will often (but not always) be to increase the intensity of eco-evolutionary coupling, with important consequences for stability and resilience of populations, communities, and ecosystems. We also integrate existing ecological and evolutionary metrics to predict and manage the eco-evolutionary dynamics of human-impacted systems. To support this framework, we use a simple eco-evo feedbacks model to show that factors affecting coupling strength are major determinants of eco-evolutionary dynamics. Our framework suggests that proper management of anthropogenic effects requires a science of human-effects on eco-evolutionary potential.