The Evolutionary-Ecological Principle of Turesson-Schwartz and Experimental Aspects of Evolutionary Ecology

The experimental assessment of the morphogenetic reactions of intraspecific and close forms to the same developmental conditions, independently proposed for plants by G. Turesson and for animals by S.S. Schwartz, has a common methodological basis. We have defined it as the evolutionary-ecological Turesson–Schwartz principle (TSP), according to which evolutionary divergence is reflected in the different orientation and intensity of the morphogenetic reaction of intraspecific forms and species to similar developmental conditions. TSP allows one to compare the fan of modifications in remote forms, to assess the degree of their evolutionary and ecological divergence, and the similarity of ecological niches in morphofunctional features. The principle supports the possibility of assessing the morphogenetic responses of coenopopulations of closely related sympatric species to natural, anthropogenic or simulated changes in development conditions. Research of this kind is possible in three directions: experimental assessment of the evolutionary divergence of forms during development under similar controlled conditions; population-ecological experiments in the laboratory and/or in nature; and population-cenotic “experiments” in synecological studies and monitoring of communities. The Turesson–Schwartz principle potentially allows one to approach the identification and prediction of regional biotic crises in laboratory and natural conditions, assessing the sustainability of the development of cenopopulations of sympatric species under similar conditions.