Trade-offs among selection regimes shape trait evolution and resilience in three-guild networks

Eco-evolutionary feedbacks can alter species traits and reshape ecological networks, influencing network resilience to disturbance. Here we combine ecological dynamics, trait evolution and interaction rewiring in a three-guild adaptive network to test how biotic (antagonistic and mutualistic) and abiotic (environmental) selection pressures interact to shape community structure and stability. We focus on how different selection regimes affect trait directionality, functional diversity, temporal variability and network resilience. We find that weak trait directionality, high functional turnover and variability, and strong resilience are tightly linked. The greatest trait variability and resilience arise when antagonistic and environmental selection pressures are symmetrical. In species-rich communities, fluctuating selection emerges naturally, while dominance of antagonistic pressure consistently dampens trait directionality. Coupled ecological and evolutionary processes favour trait matching and generate both nested and modular network structures. Compared with bipartite antagonistic networks, network architecture plays a weaker role in shaping trait coevolution in three-guild systems. Together, these results show how trade-offs among antagonistic, mutualistic and environmental selection pressures govern trait evolution and resilience in complex ecological networks.