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Dryad

Phenotypic rates of change evolutionary and ecological dataset (PROCEED) version 5.0

Cite this dataset

Gotanda, Kiyoko (2021). Phenotypic rates of change evolutionary and ecological dataset (PROCEED) version 5.0 [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dz08kprxx

Abstract

Wild populations must continuously respond to environmental changes or they risk extinction. Those responses can be measured as phenotypic rates of change which can allow us to predict contemporary adaptive responses, some of which are evolutionary. About two decades ago, a database of phenotypic rates of change in wild populations was compiled. Since then, researchers have used (and expanded) this database to examine phenotypic responses to specific types of human disturbance. Here, we updatedthe database adding 5675 new estimates of phenotypic changes. Using this newer version of the database, now containing 7338 estimates of phenotypic change, we revisit the conclusions of four published articles. We then synthesize the expanded dataset to compare rates of change across different types of human disturbance. Analyses of this expanded database suggests that: I. a small absolute difference in rates of change exists between human disturbed and natural populations, II. harvesting by humans results in higher rates of change than other types of disturbances, III. introduced populations have increased rates of change, and IV. body size does not increase through time. Thus, findings from earlier analyses have largely held-up in analyses of our new database that encompass a much larger breadth of species, traits, and human disturbances. Lastly, we use new analyses to explore how various types of human disturbances affect rates of phenotypic change, and we call for this database to serve as a stepping stone for further analyses to understand patterns of contemporary phenotypic change.