This is the article in JMDE that Theresa LeGros and I wrote about how constructs from ecology and evolutionary biology can be applied to evaluation. Below is the opening paragraph. The entire entire article is here too.
Background: Evaluation recognizes the need to consider three constructs – program change over time, the consequences of program action over time, and relationships between programs with their environments. Our methods for studying these constructs are home grown, i.e. they have developed almost exclusively within our field. These constructs, however, have a long and deep history in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). Thus, it makes sense to consider how EEB might contribute to the models. methodologies, and d ata analysis strategies that evaluation applies to program change, outcomes, and program/environment interactions. Further, in recent years evaluation has been paying ever greater attention to how complex system behavior affects programs and their outcomes. Much in the fields of EEB can be seen as a subset of complexity.
Evaluation Uncertainty 