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Related Concept Videos

Competition02:34

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.Intraspecific competition, which occurs between individuals of the same species, serves as a natural mechanism for regulating population size. Too much...
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).Mechanisms of Genetic VariationThe original sources of genetic variation are mutations,...
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...
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.For one, natural selection can only act upon existing genetic variation. Hypothetically, redtusks may enhance elephant survival by deterring ivory-seeking poachers. However, if there are no gene variants—or alleles—for redtusks, natural selection cannot increase the prevalence of...
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

Speciation can proceed at markedly different rates, and evolutionary biologists commonly describe these differences through the models of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium. Both patterns explain how new species arise, but they differ in the tempo and continuity of evolutionary change. In both cases, evolutionary change arises from heritable variation within populations, with natural selection often shaping traits that improve survival and reproduction under specific environmental conditions.
Microbial Interactions: Competition01:26

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Environmental variation, stochastic extinction, and competitive coexistence.

Peter B Adler1, John M Drake

  • 1Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, USA. peter.adler@usu.edu

The American Naturalist
|September 27, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Environmental fluctuations impact species persistence. While variation can increase extinction risk, it can also stabilize coexistence through a storage effect, with optimal coexistence at intermediate variation levels.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Population Dynamics
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • Environmental fluctuations are critical for predicting ecological impacts of climate variability.
  • Conflicting theories exist: single-species theory predicts increased extinction risk, while coexistence theory suggests environmental variation aids species survival via a storage effect.
  • Reconciling these perspectives is crucial for understanding population persistence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reconcile opposing theories on environmental variation's effect on population persistence.
  • To investigate the interplay between environmental variation, demographic stochasticity, and species coexistence.
  • To predict how future climate variability might affect species persistence.

Main Methods:

  • Stochastic simulations of a two-species storage effect model.
  • Analysis of the relationship between environmental variation and coexistence time.
  • Evaluation of extinction risk under varying environmental conditions.

Main Results:

  • Environmental variation can simultaneously increase extinction risk and stabilize coexistence when demographic stochasticity is present.
  • A unimodal relationship was observed between environmental variation and coexistence time, with maximum coexistence at intermediate levels.
  • The stabilizing storage effect grows with low variation, while extinction risk increases sharply at higher variation levels.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental variation has a dual effect on population persistence, depending on its level.
  • Intermediate environmental variation optimizes species coexistence.
  • Future climate variability may either enhance or diminish an inferior competitor's persistence, contingent on current variation levels.