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Related Concept Videos

Entropy01:18

Entropy

The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
Entropy02:39

Entropy

Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Entropy Changes Accompanying Specific Processes01:21

Entropy Changes Accompanying Specific Processes

Entropy, a measure of disorder in a system, changes during phase transitions like freezing or boiling. At the transition temperature Ttrs, where two phases are in equilibrium, the phase transition is a reversible process. The entropy change can be calculated from a substance's enthalpy of transition using the equation ΔStrs = ΔtrsH /Ttrs.When a perfect gas expands isothermally from one volume to another, entropy increases logarithmically with volume. Conversely, isothermal compression results...
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...
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:20

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation  between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...

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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Chaos and evolution.

R Ferriere1, G A Fox

  • 1Regis Ferriere is at the Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Ecole Normale Sup6rieure, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75230 Paris, Cedex 05, France.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|January 18, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nonlinear dynamics offer powerful tools for evolutionary biology, explaining biological complexity like oscillations and chaos. These methods can illuminate genotype frequency changes and evolutionary selection pressures.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Dynamical Systems Theory

Background:

  • The natural world exhibits inherent nonlinearities, leading to phenomena such as steady states, oscillations, and chaos.
  • Evolutionary biology is increasingly exploring the application of nonlinear methods to understand biological complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the growing importance and potential applications of nonlinear dynamics in evolutionary biology.
  • To explore how nonlinear methods can aid in understanding evolutionary processes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of nonlinear dynamics principles and their relevance to biological systems.
  • Conceptual application of dynamical systems theory to evolutionary scenarios.

Main Results:

  • Nonlinear dynamics can explain complex behaviors in biological systems, including steady states, oscillations, and chaos.
  • These methods are valuable for analyzing short-term changes in genotype frequency and the constraints on selection.
  • Nonlinear fluctuations in traits may be subject to selection, and long-term evolutionary patterns could be modeled.

Conclusions:

  • Nonlinear dynamics provide a robust framework for studying evolutionary biology.
  • Dynamical systems theory offers novel perspectives for understanding evolutionary mechanisms and patterns.