Evolutionary and climate adaptation both describe how complex systems respond to environmental change, either via natural selection or deliberate human choices. Although adaptation in both contexts is expected to produce favorable outcomes, it can also result in maladaptation—ineffective, unintended, or harmful outcomes. As an emerging area of practice in conservation, climate adaptation could benefit from insights from evolut...

Climate adaptation actions should help, not harm. However, adaptation efforts can backfire, increasing vulnerability to climate change—a phenomenon known as maladaptation. In this essay, we argue that maladaptation dialogues—inclusive and deliberate conversations about negative consequences and failures of adaptation actions, especially among adaptation professionals—offer unique benefits for advancing climate adaptation pract...

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (hereafter Karner blue) is a federally listed endangered species occurring in disjunct locations within the Midwest and Eastern United States. As a hostplant specialist and an ectotherm, the Karner blue is likely to be susceptible to effects of climate change. We undertook warming experiments to explore the temperature sensitivity of various Karner blue life history stages...

Hybrid zones are a valuable tool for studying the process of speciation and for identifying the genomic regions undergoing divergence and the ecological (extrinsic) and nonecological (intrinsic) factors involved. Here, we explored the genomic and geographic landscape of divergence in a hybrid zone between Papilio glaucus and Papilio canadensis . Using a genome scan of 28,417 dd RAD SNP s, we identified genomic regions under po...

This study explores the sensitivity of high‐resolution mesoscale simulations of urban heat island ( UHI ) in the Chicago metropolitan area ( CMA ) and its environs to urban physical parameterizations, with emphasis on the role of lake breeze. A series of climate downscaling experiments were conducted using the urban‐Weather Research and Forecasting ( uWRF ) model at 1‐km horizontal resolution for a relatively warm period with...

Local adaptation of populations could preclude or slow range expansions in response to changing climate, particularly when dispersal is limited. To investigate the differential responses of populations to changing climatic conditions, we exposed poleward peripheral and central populations of two L epidoptera to reciprocal, common‐garden climatic conditions and compared their whole‐transcriptome expression. We found evidence of...

Mosquitoes are ecologically and economically important invertebrates that transmit numerous diseases and are an integral part of the food web in many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Despite their importance, there have been no central repositories for occurrence or abundance records of mosquitoes in the United States. To enable research dependent on the geographic distribution and abundance of mosquito species, we built a...

The loss of natural enemies is a key feature of species introductions and is assumed to facilitate the increased success of species in new locales (enemy release hypothesis; ERH). The ERH is rarely tested experimentally, however, and is often assumed from observations of enemy loss. We provide a rigorous test of the link between enemy loss and enemy release by conducting observational surveys and an in situ parasitoid exclusio...

We must consider the role of multitrophic interactions when examining species' responses to climate change. Many plant species, particularly trees, are limited in their ability to shift their geographic ranges quickly under climate change. Consequently, for herbivorous insects, geographic mosaics of host plant specialization could prohibit range shifts and adaptation when insects become separated from suitable host plants. In...

Phytophagous insects commonly interact through shared host plants. These interactions, however, do not occur in accordance with traditional paradigms of competition, and competition in phytophagous insects is still being defined. It remains unclear, for example, if particular guilds of insects are superior competitors or important players in structuring insect communities. Gall‐forming insects are likely candidates for such su...

Aim We examined the genetic structure of Quercus garryana to infer post‐glacial patterns of seed dispersal and pollen flow to test the hypotheses that (1) peripheral populations are genetically distinct from core populations and from one another; (2) genetic diversity declines towards the poleward edge of the species’ range; and (3) genetic diversity in the chloroplast genome, a direct measure of seed dispersal patterns, decli...

Climate change and invasive species are often treated as important, but independent, issues. Nevertheless, they have strong connections: changes in climate and societal responses to climate change may exacerbate the impacts of invasive species, whereas invasive species may affect the magnitude, rate, and impact of climate change. We argue that the design and implementation of climate‐change policy in the United States should s...

To reduce the risk of extinction due to climate change, some ecologists have suggested human‐aided translocation of species, or assisted migration (AM), to areas where climate is projected to become suitable. Such intentional movement, however, may create new invasive species if successful introductions grow out of control and cause ecologic or economic damage. We assessed this risk by surveying invasive species in the United...

Scientific and societal unknowns make it difficult to predict how global environmental changes such as climate change and biological invasions will affect ecological systems. In the long term, these changes may have interacting effects and compound the uncertainty associated with each individual driver. Nonetheless, invasive species are likely to respond in ways that should be qualitatively predictable, and some of these respo...

Genetic differentiation within a species’ range is determined by natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow. Selection and drift enhance genetic differences if populations are sufficiently isolated, while gene flow precludes differentiation and local adaptation. Over large geographical areas, these processes can create a variety of scenarios, ranging from admixture to a high degree of population differentiation. Genetic d...