Fast environmental change and eco-evolutionary feedbacks can drive regime shifts in ecosystems before tipping points are crossed

Anthropogenic environmental changes are altering ecological and evolutionary processes of ecosystems. The possibility that ecosystems can respond abruptly to gradual environmental change when critical thresholds are crossed (i.e. tipping points) and shift to an alternative stable state is a growing concern. Here I show that fast environmental change can trigger regime shifts before environmental stress exceeds a tipping point in evolving ecological systems. The difference in the time scales of coupled ecological and evolutionary processes makes ecosystems sensitive not only to the magnitude of environmental changes, but also to the rate at which changes are imposed. Fast evolutionary change mediated by high trait variation can reduce the sensitivity of ecosystems to the rate of environmental change and prevent the occurrence of rate-induced regime shifts. This suggests that management measures to prevent rate-induced regime shifts should focus on mitigating the effects of environmental change and protecting phenotypic diversity in ecosystems.