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Related Concept Videos

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...
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.However, realistic environmental conditions limit the number of...
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...
Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth01:26

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

Exponential models are essential for describing rapid, multiplicative changes in natural systems, such as population growth. When a population doubles at regular intervals, the process can be modeled using a suitable base. For instance, a bacterial culture that doubles every three hours follows the model n(t)=n0⋅2t/3, where n(t) is the population at the time t.A more general model uses the natural base e, especially for continuous growth. This takes the form n(t)=n0⋅ert, where r is the relative...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...

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Related Experiment Video

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Precise, High-throughput Analysis of Bacterial Growth
09:00

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Published on: September 19, 2017

Simple growth laws and selection consequences.

E Szathmáry1

  • 1Eörs Szathmáry is at the Laboratory of Mathematical Biology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|January 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Population growth models may need revision. Subexponential or hyperbolic growth laws offer simpler, mechanistic explanations than traditional exponential (Malthusian) models in some cases, impacting ecological theories like species packing.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Theoretical Biology
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Traditional population growth is often modeled using deviations from exponential (Malthusian) growth.
  • This approach assumes a baseline of inherent exponential increase for populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the universal applicability of exponential growth models in population dynamics.
  • To propose alternative, simpler mechanistic models for population growth.
  • To explore the implications of these alternative models for ecological theory.

Main Methods:

  • Review of kinetic results from diverse fields: origin of life research, laser physics, and population dynamics.
  • Mechanistic analysis of growth processes to identify the simplest underlying assumptions.
  • Conceptual comparison of exponential, subexponential, and hyperbolic growth laws.

Main Results:

  • In specific contexts, subexponential or hyperbolic growth laws provide more mechanistically satisfactory explanations than exponential models.
  • These simpler models may be insufficient for precise quantitative predictions in density-dependent scenarios.
  • The conceptual framework of simpler growth laws offers substantial insights.

Conclusions:

  • The assumption of inherent exponential growth may not always be the most appropriate starting point for population modeling.
  • Subexponential and hyperbolic growth laws represent viable, mechanistically sound alternatives in certain situations.
  • Re-evaluation of ecological concepts, such as species packing, is warranted based on these alternative growth models.