Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers

Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers

A species is a group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Typically, individuals of the same species appear similar and share common characteristics due to their highly similar genomes. However, not all organisms that look alike are members of the same species. Various mechanisms keep most species discrete. While some mechanisms prevent reproductive behavior and fertilization (pre-zygotic isolation), others prevent the production of fertile offspring after mating has...

Distribution and Dispersion

Distribution and Dispersion

Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with one another. An important aspect of ecology is understanding where species are found and how individuals are distributed within those areas. The geographic range of a species refers to the total area where its members are located, while dispersion describes the pattern of spacing of individuals within that range.Geographic Range and Dispersion PatternsWithin a species’ geographic range, individuals may be distributed...

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.

Life Histories

Life Histories

Constrained by limited energy and resources, organisms must compromise between offspring quantity and parental investment. This trade-off is represented by two primary reproductive strategies; K-strategists produce few offspring but provide substantial parental support, whereas r-strategists produce much progeny that receives little care. These strategies are related to an organism’s survival likelihood across its lifespan, which is represented by a survivorship curve. Three general types of...

Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies

Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies

Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance, and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species reproduce only once in their lifetime, often investing most available resources into that single reproductive event. Iteroparous species, by contrast, reproduce multiple times over their lifetimes, typically allocating fewer resources to any single...

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.Gene flow and natural selection are evolutionary mechanisms that shape the outcome of a hybrid zone. Gene flow...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

It's about (taking up) space: Discreteness of individuals and the strength of spatial coexistence mechanisms.

Ecology·2024

Same author

To Prosper, Live Long: Understanding the Sources of Reproductive Skew and Extreme Reproductive Success in Structured Populations.

The American naturalist·2024

Same author

The natural history of luck: A synthesis study of structured population models.

Ecology letters·2024

Same author

Snared in an Evil Time: How Age-Dependent Environmental and Demographic Variability Contribute to Variance in Lifetime Outcomes.

The American naturalist·2022

Same author

Time and Chance: Using Age Partitioning to Understand How Luck Drives Variation in Reproductive Success.

The American naturalist·2021

Same author

Technical Comment on Pande et al. (2020): Why invasion analysis is important for understanding coexistence.

Ecology letters·2020

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions

Published on: November 6, 2016

Multiple risk reduction mechanisms: can dormancy substitute for dispersal?

Robin E Snyder¹

¹Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid St, Cleveland, OH 44106-7080, USA. res29@case.edu

Ecology Letters

|September 16, 2006

Summary

Plant seed dormancy and dispersal are not interchangeable risk reduction strategies. In variable environments, dormancy can increase optimal seed dispersal distance, contrary to previous findings.

More Related Videos

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

Inducing the Entry of Third Stage Dispersal Juveniles of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus into Cryptobiosis Through Osmotic Regulation

Inducing the Entry of Third Stage Dispersal Juveniles of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus into Cryptobiosis Through Osmotic Regulation

Published on: December 27, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions

Published on: November 6, 2016

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

Inducing the Entry of Third Stage Dispersal Juveniles of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus into Cryptobiosis Through Osmotic Regulation

Inducing the Entry of Third Stage Dispersal Juveniles of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus into Cryptobiosis Through Osmotic Regulation

Published on: December 27, 2024

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Plant Sciences

Background:

Plants in variable environments utilize seed dispersal and dormancy to mitigate risks.
Previous studies in temporally uncorrelated environments suggested dormancy could substitute for dispersal, reducing optimal dispersal distance.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between seed dormancy and dispersal in spatiotemporally variable environments.
To determine if dormancy and dispersal are interchangeable risk reduction mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Theoretical modeling of plant population dynamics.
Analysis of the interplay between spatial and temporal environmental correlations.
Examination of the costs and benefits associated with seed dispersal.

Main Results:

In environments with positive temporal correlations, dormancy increases optimal seed dispersal distance.
Dormancy shifts the balance of dispersal costs and benefits, leading to increased dispersal.
An interaction between spatial and temporal correlations influences the existence of an evolutionarily stable dispersal distance.

Conclusions:

Seed dormancy and dispersal are not functionally equivalent risk mitigation strategies.
Environmental temporal correlations critically alter the evolutionary dynamics of seed dispersal.
Understanding these interactions is crucial for predicting plant adaptation in changing environments.