The emergence of an ‘evolutionary geomorphology’?

Abstract

Earth surface processes and landforms are modified through the actions of many microorganisms, plants and animals. As organism-driven landform modifications are sometimes to the advantage of the organism, some of these landform features have become adaptive functional components of ecosystems, concurrently affecting and responding to ecological and evolutionary processes. These recent eco-evolutionary insights, focused on feedback among geomorphologic, ecological and evolutionary processes, are currently leading to the emergence of what has been called an 'evolutionary geomorphology', with explicit consideration of feedbacks among the evolution of organisms, ecosystem structure and function and landform organization at the Earth surface. Here we provide an overview in the form of a commentary of this emerging sub-discipline in geosciences and ask whether the use of the term 'evolutionary geomorphology' is appropriate or rather misleading. The concept of evolutionary geomorphologyOrganisms respond and contribute to the modification of their physico-chemical environment from the micro-to the global scale. As living organisms evolved over geological timescales, these biotic evolutionary changes affected Earth surface processes and a variety of landforms adjusted to the new evolving life forms [1,2]. In turn, certain geomorphic modifications fed back to community structure and function as well as organism evolution.Thus, long-term feedback systems comprise an evolution- * E-mail: johannes.steiger@univ-bpclermont.fr ary dimension, i.e. the effects on and responses of vegetation, microorganisms and multicellular animals [2]. The responses of living organisms to long-term geomorphic and ecological feedback have to be considered as the result of passive biotic evolutionary processes acting on individuals. The development of new adaptations to modify environmental constraints should not be considered as an 'active choice' of building an improved physical environment. Biotic evolution, in Darwin's sense, strictly occurs as a consequence of natural selection at the organism level, where genotypic mutations, biotic and abiotic environmental selection pressures (e.g. physical disturbances and stress, presence of predators, inter-and/or intra-species competition) and species adaptation (i.e. the development of biological traits beneficial for the survival and reproduction of the organism or population) are involved [3]. Above the level of organisms, i.e. at the community and 376Brought to you by | MIT Libraries

The importance of biotic entrainment for base flow fluvial sediment transport

“…), it certainly seems reasonable to recommend continued investigation of the contribution that fauna make to the movement of sediment across Earth's surface, including in rivers. Such an argument is further supported by Phillips ' [] demonstration that the biosphere provides an energy subsidy that fuels geomorphological work, by growing acceptance that seamless coupling of biotic and abiotic systems properly explains Earth history [ Corenblit et al ., , ; Davies et al ., ; Steiger and Corenblit , ] and by the underperformance of many purely geophysical models of Earth surface mass transfer [ NRC , ].…”

The biogeomorphological life cycle of poplars during the fluvial biogeomorphological succession: a special focus on Populus nigra L.

“…The BLC emerged from the model of fluvial biogeomorphologic succession (Corenblit et al, 2007) and is integrated into the framework of evolutionary geomorphology (Corenblit et al, 2011;Steiger and Corenblit, 2012). The original concept of a biogeomorphological life cycle (BLC) proposed in this article originates from this corpus of recent knowledge (see reference list).…”

“…The framework of 'evolutionary geomorphology' specifically associated with biological processes was proposed by the authors in order to consider such feedbacks on an evolutionary timescale Steiger and Corenblit, 2012). The framework of 'evolutionary geomorphology' specifically associated with biological processes was proposed by the authors in order to consider such feedbacks on an evolutionary timescale Steiger and Corenblit, 2012).…”

Considering river structure and stability in the light of evolution: feedbacks between riparian vegetation and hydrogeomorphology

“…Wright (2009) and Wright et al (2012) stressed that engineer species almost certainly change selection pressures in largely modified environments through niche construction (NC) (sensu Laland et al, 1999;Odling-Smee et al, 2003). Alluvial landforms durably engineered by organisms were considered by Steiger and Corenblit (2012) in the scope of the NC framework as the signature of feedback between hydrogeomorphic processes and plant evolution, supporting the emergence of what they have called 'evolutionary geomorphology'. By definition, NC operates with an evolutionary response within the ecosystem engineered by living organisms.…”