Nemo‐age: Spatially explicit simulations of eco‐evolutionary dynamics in stage‐structured populations under changing environments

• Published in: Methods in ecology and evolution Vol. 11; no. 10; pp. 1227 - 1236
• Main Authors: Cotto, Olivier, Schmid, Max, Guillaume, Frédéric, Münkemüller, Tamara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.10.2020; Wiley
• Subjects: adaptation; Age; Biodiversity; Changing environments; Climate models; Computer simulation; Demography; Environmental changes; Environmental effects; Evolution; forward‐time simulations; Genetics; Geographical distribution; life history; Life Sciences; population dynamics; Populations; Populations and Evolution; Spatial distribution; spatially explicit
• ISSN: 2041-210X; 2041-210X
• DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13460

Anticipating and preparing for the effect of environmental changes on biodiversity requires to understand and predict both the ecological and evolutionary responses of populations. Tools and methods to efficiently integrate these complex processes are lacking. We present the genetically and spatially explicit individual‐based simulation software Nemo‐age combining ecological and evolutionary processes. Nemo‐age has a strong emphasis on modelling complex life histories. We here provide a methodology to predict changes in species distribution for given climate projections using Nemo‐age. Modelling complex life histories, spatial distribution and evolutionary processes unravel possible eco‐evolutionary mechanisms that have been previously overlooked when populations endure rapid environmental changes. The interface of Nemo‐age is designed to integrate species' data from different fields, from demography to genetic architecture and spatial distributions, thus representing a versatile tool to model a variety of applied and theoretical scenarios.