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

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

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...

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.

Evolutionary Processes in Microbes

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...

Migration

Migration

Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...

Malaria

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

GENETIC VARIATION AND JUVENILE SURVIVAL IN RED DEER.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2017

Same author

Twinning and major birth defects, National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2007.

Journal of epidemiology and community health·2016

Same author

Folate status and concentrations of serum folate forms in the US population: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2.

The British journal of nutrition·2015

Same author

Optimal serum and red blood cell folate concentrations in women of reproductive age for prevention of neural tube defects: World Health Organization guidelines.

MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report·2015

Same author

Hypomethylation of serum blood clot DNA, but not plasma EDTA-blood cell pellet DNA, from vitamin B12-deficient subjects.

PloS one·2013

Same author

Modeling fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid: the potential impact on exceeding the tolerable upper intake level for folic acid, NHANES 2001-2008.

Food & nutrition research·2013

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment

Published on: June 8, 2015

Evolution rampant: house mice on Madeira.

¹Department of Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK. rjberry@ucl.ac.uk

Molecular Ecology

|October 23, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

House mice on Madeira islands exhibit surprising genetic diversity, with distinct chromosomal races and varied mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. These findings shed light on their evolutionary history and colonization of the archipelago.

More Related Videos

Infecting Mice with Malassezia spp. to Study the Fungus-Host Interaction

Infecting Mice with Malassezia spp. to Study the Fungus-Host Interaction

Published on: November 6, 2019

Protocol for Production of a Genetic Cross of the Rodent Malaria Parasites

Protocol for Production of a Genetic Cross of the Rodent Malaria Parasites

Published on: January 3, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment

Published on: June 8, 2015

Infecting Mice with Malassezia spp. to Study the Fungus-Host Interaction

Infecting Mice with Malassezia spp. to Study the Fungus-Host Interaction

Published on: November 6, 2019

Protocol for Production of a Genetic Cross of the Rodent Malaria Parasites

Protocol for Production of a Genetic Cross of the Rodent Malaria Parasites

Published on: January 3, 2011

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Island Biogeography
Genetics

Background:

House mice (Mus musculus) are widespread, adaptable rodents with significant ecological and laboratory importance.
Previous research identified chromosomal diversity (Robertsonian races) on Madeira, suggesting complex evolutionary processes.
Studies on molecular and mitochondrial genomes have revealed genetic variability, prompting questions about island mouse origins.

Discussion:

Förster et al. analyze mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes from Madeira and mainland Portugal.
The study investigates the probable source populations for the Madeiran island colonizers.
Data is considered to estimate the timing of the colonization event(s).

Key Insights:

Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals distinct haplotype patterns in Madeiran house mice.
The research provides insights into the likely mainland origins of the island populations.
Genetic data offers clues regarding the temporal aspects of house mouse colonization in the Madeira archipelago.

Outlook:

Further genetic studies can refine our understanding of island colonization dynamics.
Investigating nuclear DNA may reveal additional layers of evolutionary history.
Comparative analyses with other island rodent populations could yield broader ecological insights.