Generalism in nature: a community ecology perspective

Abstract Life on Earth is complex and generally abounds in food webs with other living organisms terms of an ecological community. Besides such complexity, the fact that populations most have never been studied their molecular ecology, it best to tread carefully when describing a given species as ‘generalist’, more especially dietary habitat breadth. We very much doubt population homogeneity ever exists—because are always undergoing molecular-genetic changes, sometimes rapid, response various challenges (e.g. climate, intra- interspecific competition). In any case, may already begun undergo cryptic speciation. Such entities can occupy different habitats or exhibit breadths result interactions formed over spatial scales. These scales include everything from local (including islands) geographic. The fossil evidence reveals specialisations existed vast swathes time. Besides, well documented, evolution only occurs adaptations leading specialisation, ultimately, specialist entitles, i.e. lower levels ecological-evolutionary divergence. Here, focusing diet, we posit mono-, oligo-and polyphagous accurate relation breadth animals, omnivory adopted case items. Thus, strongly urge dubious unscientific term ‘generalism’ be dropped favour these precise scientifically directly relating phagy.