Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Coevolution in variable mutualisms.

Richard Gomulkiewicz1, Scott L Nuismer, John N Thompson

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 644236, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA. gomulki@wsu.edu

The American Naturalist
|October 30, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Evaluating vectors for the design of a spillover-disrupting Lassa virus transmissible vaccine.

PLoS computational biology·2026
Same author

Interepidemic Rift Valley fever in East Africa: the recent risk landscape and projected impacts of global change.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Integrating Ethnography and Structural Equation Modelling to Assess Brucellosis Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices among Pastoralist Communities in Kenya.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025
Same author

Direct Effects of Polyploidization on Floral Scent.

Journal of chemical ecology·2025
Same author

Repeated polyploidization shapes divergence in floral morphology in <i>Lithophragma bolanderi</i> (Saxifragaceae).

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Hyperendemicity of Rift Valley Fever in Southwestern Uganda Associated With the Rapidly Evolving Lineage C Viruses.

The Journal of infectious diseases·2025
Same journal

Traffic Reduction during COVID-19 Lockdowns Benefited Species Already Tolerant of Noise Pollution: An Acoustic Analysis.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

On Pachycephalosaurs, Trade-Offs, and the Historical Genesis of Sociosexual Display Structures.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Structured Landscapes Promote Persistence by Favoring Prudent Predators.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Can Carbon Economy Explain Leaf Dynamic Seasonality in a Tropical Seasonal Rainforest?

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Behavior and Physiology Outpace Form When Linking Traits to Ecological Responses within Populations: A Meta-Analysis.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Seminal Fluid Proteins as Regulation Factors for Optimizing Reproduction: A Modeling Approach.

The American naturalist·2026
See all related articles

Mutualistic interactions can shift between beneficial and harmful due to environmental changes. This variability can destabilize species relationships, impacting coevolutionary dynamics and ecosystem stability.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Theoretical Biology

Background:

  • Mutualistic interactions are crucial in ecosystems but often vary across populations and time.
  • Understanding the stability and evolution of these relationships under fluctuating conditions is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the coevolutionary consequences of variable mutualisms using genetic models.
  • To investigate how spatial and temporal environmental variations influence the stability of mutualistic partnerships.

Main Methods:

  • Development and analysis of genetic models simulating coevolving species with variable fitness interactions.
  • Examination of how environmental fluctuations (spatial/temporal) affect trait matching and evolutionary stability.
  • Introduction of a third species to assess its impact on pairwise mutualistic interactions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Variable mutualisms can destabilize tightly matched traits, making species vulnerable to invasion by alternative types.
  • The presence of an additional mutualistic species can alter pairwise interactions, potentially shifting them from mutualistic to antagonistic.
  • Coevolution involving a third species can lead to oscillations between mutualism and antagonism in pairwise interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Spatial, temporal, and community-dependent factors are critical for understanding mutualistic coevolution.
  • The stability of mutualisms is sensitive to environmental variability and the presence of other species in the community.
  • Theoretical models provide insights into the complex dynamics of coevolving mutualistic relationships.