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Related Concept Videos

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
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...
Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations, psychological...
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...
Heritability01:06

Heritability

Heritability is a statistical concept that measures the degree to which genetic differences among individuals contribute to trait variations within a population. It is a fundamental idea in genetics, often prone to misinterpretation. Heritability is expressed as a percentage, reflecting the proportion of variation in a specific trait across a population that can be linked to genetic differences. However, it's important to understand that heritability does not determine how "genetic" a trait is,...
Evolutionary Processes in Microbes01:26

Evolutionary Processes in Microbes

Microbial evolution occurs rapidly due to short generation times and a variety of genetic processes, including horizontal gene transfer, mutation, recombination, and genetic drift. These mechanisms collectively enable microbes to adapt swiftly to changing environments.Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) allows genes to move between different species and occurs through three main mechanisms: conjugation, transformation, and transduction. Conjugation involves direct cell-to-cell contact for DNA...

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Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
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Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

Quantitative trait evolution and environmental change.

Mats Björklund1, Esa Ranta, Veijo Kaitala

  • 1Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Mats.Bjorklund@ebc.uu.se

Plos One
|February 21, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Environmental changes make population adaptation unpredictable. Positive autocorrelation in environmental noise significantly increases unpredictability, highlighting the need for detailed environmental pattern data in evolutionary models.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Ecology
  • Climate change adaptation

Background:

  • Climate change necessitates understanding population evolutionary responses.
  • Assessing the adaptive capacity of populations to environmental shifts is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate population adaptability under changing environmental conditions.
  • To determine the influence of environmental noise autocorrelation on evolutionary outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Individual-based simulations were employed.
  • Varied parameters included fitness curve shapes, heritability, density compensation, and environmental noise autocorrelation.

Main Results:

  • Positive autocorrelation in environmental noise leads to highly unpredictable evolutionary trajectories.
  • Strong selection increased population load and extinction risk, especially with low heritability.
  • Density compensation influenced load variance under strong selection and affected genetic variance.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental fluctuation patterns significantly complicate predictions of population evolutionary futures.
  • Accurate predictions require data on heritability, fitness functions, and density compensation.
  • Future environmental change models, including global warming, must integrate environmental noise patterns.