250076 VO Introduction to Adaptive Dynamics (2012S)

Adaptive Dynamics is a set of techniques to study the long-term evolutionary dynamics of quantitative traits as driven by mutation and substitution events. Adaptive Dynamics uses elements of game theory, dynamical systems theory and stochastic processes. A defining feature of Adaptive Dynamics is that fitness is not an a priori defined quantity but derived from an explicit ecological scenario. Adaptive Dynamics is particularly suitable to study evolution in complex ecological situations where selection can be both density- and frequency-dependent.