Rapid ecological transitions are persistent changes in some state of nature (e.g., population abundance, species composition, ecosystem processes) that occur over relatively short periods of time and often cause substantive impacts on biodiversity or ecosystem function. Interest in rapid ecological transitions has developed from a variety of theoretical and empirical research areas, giving rise to an array of descriptive terms and process-related ideas (e.g., regime shifts, thresholds and tipping points, alternative stable states, niche opportunities, black swan events, and extreme climatic events). Because different research areas have approached rapid ecological transitions from different perspectives, there are both overlaps in the patterns they are describing but subtle but important differences in the processes they highlight as driving rapid ecological change. This confluence of ideas and concepts makes studying rapid ecological transitions both exciting and confusing. With this rapid expansion in interest in explaining rapid changes in nature, now is an ideal time to bring together scientists to share thoughts on the types of rapid changes that occur and the causes and consequences of those changes.