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Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype02:27

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Testing a Claim about Population Proportion01:24

Testing a Claim about Population Proportion

A complete procedure for testing a claim about a population proportion is provided here.
There are two methods of testing a claim about a population proportion: (1) Using the sample proportion from the data where a binomial distribution is approximated to the normal distribution and (2) Using the binomial probabilities calculated from the data.
The first method uses normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution. The requirements are as follows: sample size is large...
Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

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Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
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Environment-contingent sexual selection in a colour polymorphic fish.

Suzanne M Gray1, Lawrence M Dill, Fadly Y Tantu

  • 1Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6. suzanne.gray@queensu.ca

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 1, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Spatial heterogeneity in visual environments drives sexual selection in fish. Different male color morphs gain reproductive success in distinct habitats, maintaining color diversity.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Sexual selection is a key driver of species variation, yet empirical evidence from natural settings remains scarce.
  • The influence of visual environment heterogeneity on sexual selection for male traits is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if spatial variations in visual environments cause environment-contingent sexual selection on male color morphs.
  • To determine the relationship between male color conspicuousness, reproductive success, and habitat type.

Main Methods:

  • Studied Telmatherina sarasinorum, a fish with five male color morphs in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
  • Conducted direct behavioral observations to assess reproductive success across two visually distinct habitats.
  • Measured visual environment characteristics, fish coloration, and visual pigment sensitivity.

Main Results:

  • Male blue and yellow morphs exhibited higher conspicuousness and reproductive fitness in different habitats.
  • A less conspicuous grey morph achieved high reproductive success in both environments.
  • Male trait conspicuousness strongly correlated with reproductive success across all morphs and habitats.

Conclusions:

  • Spatially heterogeneous visual environments play a significant role in maintaining male color polymorphism.
  • Environment-contingent sexual selection is a viable mechanism for preserving intraspecific variation.