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This eco-evolutionary feedback creates a tipping point beyond which adaptation fails as genetic drift overwhelms selection, and species\u2019 ranges contract from the margins or fragment abruptly\u2014even under gradual environmental change. This \u201cexpansion threshold\u201d is determined by three parameters: two quantifying the effects of spatial and temporal variability on the fitness of the population and one capturing the impact of genetic drift: the reduction of local genetic diversity across generations in finite populations. Genetic drift is strong in populations with small \u201cneighborhood size.\u201d Increasing dispersal, such as via assisted migration, enlarges neighborhood size, counteracting the loss of genetic variation due to genetic drift. This increases adaptive potential and can facilitate evolutionary rescue in changing environments. Conversely, beyond the expansion threshold, local genetic variance becomes depleted, increasing extinction probability. The theory provides general predictions for species\u2019 range and niche dynamics beyond standard ecological niche models, highlighting the fundamental impact of eco-evolutionary interactions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2604510123","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T09:47:13Z","timestamp":1778579233000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Evolution of species\u2019 range and niche in changing environments"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"123","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0951-3112","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jitka","family":"Polechov\u00e1","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics","place":["Vienna, Austria"]},{"name":"University of Vienna","place":["Vienna, Austria"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"341","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5962\/bhl.title.27468"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","unstructured":"J. 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