In biology, evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection.

Evolutionary genetics is the study of how genetic variation leads to evolutionary change. It includes topics such as the evolution of genome structure, the genetic basis of speciation and adaptation, and genetic change in response to selection within populations.

Evolutionary ecology mostly considers two things: how interactions (both among species and between species and their physical environment) shape species through selection and adaptation, and the consequences of the resulting evolutionary change.