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Dear Colleagues,

Wild populations are facing rapid and sometimes extreme environmental changes that are currently exacerbated by pressing human activities. A major scientific endeavor is to unravel the evolutionary processes allowing wild populations to adequately respond to these rapid and drastic environmental changes. In recent decades, the accumulation of empirical data as well as the development of new theories and molecular tools have largely improved our ability to tackle such a major question. In particular, there is now growing evidence that evolutionary processes (gene flow, drift, mutation, and natural selection) interact in sometimes complex ways to shape the rapid responses of organisms to changing environments, and this can lead to unexpected feedback between evolutionary and ecological dynamics. These rapid responses are sustained by genetic determinants in addition to alternative inheritance systems, including epigenetic and/or social avatars of information. Unravelling these underlying molecular mechanisms may change the design of management and conservation plans for wild populations.

In this Special Issue, we aim to present these novel research avenues on the evolutionary dynamics of wild populations so as to generate a general overview of the most up-to-date and fascinating studies. We specifically aim to integrate experimental, observational, and theoretical studies on wild populations that focus on (i) the role of dispersal as a process sustaining metapopulation dynamics in spatially structured landscapes, (ii) the genetic and non-genetic (including epigenetic) bases of adaptation, (iii) the reciprocal links between evolutionary and ecological dynamics over contemporary timescales, and (iv) the genomic and epigenomic conservation of wild populations. 

Dr. Delphine Legrand
Dr. Simon Blanchet
Guest Editors