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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.

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.The genetics of speciation involves the different traits or isolating mechanisms preventing gene exchange, leading to reproductive isolation. Reproductive isolation can be due to reproductive barriers that have effects either before or after the formation of a zygote. Pre-zygotic mechanisms prevent fertilization from occurring, and post-zygotic mechanisms...

Speciation Rates

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.

Formation of Species

Formation of Species

Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.Allopatric SpeciationIn allopatric speciation, gene flow between two populations of the same species is prevented by a geographic barrier, like...

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Specialization and evolutionary branching within migratory populations.

Colin J Torney¹, Simon A Levin, Iain D Couzin

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. ctorney@princeton.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|November 10, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study models how migration strategies evolve. It shows that populations can split into informed leaders and uninformed followers, maintaining biodiversity and social cooperation.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Theoretical ecology
Game theory

Background:

Specialization and speciation are key to biodiversity, cooperation, and social organization.
Existing models use evolutionary game theory and adaptive dynamics to explain population specialization.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how migration influences specialization and speciation.
To model the evolution of information acquisition strategies during migration.

Main Methods:

Developed a model incorporating migration and environmental cues.
Defined strategy space based on personal information acquisition versus social conformity.
Applied game theory and adaptive dynamics to analyze social interactions.

Main Results:

Demonstrated a link between migration and game theoretic dynamics.
Showed the emergence of a stable, polymorphic population.
Identified a subpopulation of uninformed individuals relying on specialized leaders.

Conclusions:

Migration strategies can drive population specialization and polymorphism.
The model provides a framework for understanding information dynamics in social systems.
This specialization supports biodiversity and efficient division of labor.