Friday, January 28, 2011  Whisky Rescue  A wintery Mont St
Hilaire is the location for the second Quebec Centre for
Biodiversity Science (QCBS) workshop, this one on eco-
evolutionary dynamics. A diverse group of ecologists and
evolutionary biologists from south and north of the border met
to argue and debate the new synthesis; when is it important, why
is it important, how often? they cried. The ideas flowed almost
as freely as the whisky, but by day 2 a new framework was
emerging. Experiments for new data, analysis for new insights,
and a synthesis to end all syntheses. One synthesis to rule them
all!!!  An iconic example of eco-evolutionary dynamics is
evolutionary rescue, the poorly understood means by which
evolution can propel a population away from extinction. Few have
considered the ecological consequences of evolutionary rescue,
and fewer still, the community context in which these dynamics
play out. The group will explore beyond genetic variation to
also consider plasticity, niche construction, and e