“The Ecological Theater and the Evolutionary Play” (G.E. Hutchinson, 1965)
Hutchinson (1965) describes ecology as the backdrop against which evolutionary processes play out. In this analogy, ecology can affect evolution, much like the setting of a play can influence the audience’s perception. However, evolution (the “play”) as no affect on ecology (the “theater”).
“Animal Population Regulation by the Genetic Feed-back Mechanism” (D. Pimentel 1961 Am Nat)
To stick with this analogy, Pimentel (1961) sees ecology and evolution more as two actors in the same play, interacting dynamically.
*The contrast of these two approaches to evolutionary ecology is laid out wonderfully in Reznick 2013 Am Nat.
**Cartoons by E. Holdridge.
