# behav: social isolation vs. evolutionary dynamics

<< For some animals—such as beetles, ants, toads, and primates—short-term social isolation can be just as vital as social interaction to development and long-term evolution. In a review published July 17 in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, two evolutionary biologists describe approaches for testing how an animal's isolation might impact natural selection and evolution. >>

Social isolation: Animals that break away from the pack can influence evolution. Cell Press. Jul 17, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-social-isolation-animals-evolution.html

AA << suggest that the 'index of social isolation', the mismatch between actual and optimal social interaction experienced by individuals within a population, may play a key role in releasing cryptic genetic variation, adaptation rates, diversification patterns, and ecosystem-level processes. Evolutionary dynamics arising from social isolation could have significant impacts in applied settings such as conservation, animal breeding, control of biological invasions, and evolutionary resilience to anthropogenic change. >>

Nathan W. Bailey, Allen J. Moore.  Evolutionary Consequences of Social Isolation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.05.008. Jul 17, 2018.

https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(18)30120-4