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Related Concept Videos

What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.The Theory of Natural...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Epistasis01:39

Epistasis

In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...

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Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

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Published on: May 21, 2019

Ecological and evolutionary dynamics under coloured environmental variation.

Lasse Ruokolainen1, Andreas Lindén, Veijo Kaitala

  • 1Integrative Ecology Unit, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. lasse.ruokolainen@helsinki.fi

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|August 25, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Environmental variation significantly impacts ecological and evolutionary population dynamics. Understanding these effects is crucial for predicting population fluctuations and long-term environmental change responses.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Environmental variation is a fundamental factor influencing ecological and evolutionary processes.
  • Spatio-temporally autocorrelated (colored) environmental variation is common in nature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the consequences of colored environmental variation on ecological and evolutionary population dynamics.
  • To understand the impacts of environmental variation regimes on different scales of organization.

Main Methods:

  • Review of ecological and evolutionary population models.
  • Analysis of environmental reddening effects on population fluctuations.
  • Consideration of complex models including space and species interactions.

Main Results:

  • Colored environmental variation alters the amplitude of population fluctuations.
  • Environmental reddening increases fluctuations in undercompensatory populations and decreases them in overcompensatory populations.
  • Environmental autocorrelation influences evolutionary dynamics through ecological filtering.

Conclusions:

  • Colored environmental variation has significant, predictable impacts on population dynamics.
  • Understanding environmental variation is key to predicting responses to long-term environmental change.
  • This knowledge is vital for managing populations from genes to communities.