Research presented earlier this year at a conference sponsored by the UCLA Institute of the Environment, published in an upcoming special edition of Molecular Ecology, said human-caused ecological changes have resulted in greater threats of disease, reduced diversity in plant and animal communities, and an overall loss of natural heritage.

"Evolutionary change caused by human activities touches every ecosystem on the planet, yet our understanding of the processes and the long-term consequences remain poorly understood," Thomas Smith, acting director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment, and Louis Bernatchez of Universite Laval in Quebec said in the preface to the special edition.

They called for additional research and better collaboration with policy makers to incorporate evolution in planning and to develop strategies to maximize adaptability, the journal said Thursday in a release.

More than 300 scientists and policymakers from 20 countries attended the UCLA summit.