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

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.

Population Growth

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.

What is Population Genetics?

What is Population Genetics?

A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.

Modeling with Differential Equations

Modeling with Differential Equations

Population dynamics can be described mathematically by considering the population size P(t) as a function of time. The rate of change of the population is then represented by the derivative of P(t). A simple assumption is that the rate of growth is proportional to the size of the population itself. This leads to an exponential growth model, where the population increases rapidly without bound. While this is a useful first approximation, it does not reflect realistic long-term...

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).

What are Populations and Communities?

What are Populations and Communities?

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same journal

Publisher Correction: Assessing the Impact of Vaccination Strategies on COVID-19 Dynamics Via Time-varying Copulas.

Acta biotheoretica·2026

Same journal

Re-Engineering Wimsatt for Limited Beings.

Acta biotheoretica·2026

Same journal

Permanent Scaffolding of Social Expertise.

Acta biotheoretica·2026

Same journal

Who infects whom in an epidemic?

Acta biotheoretica·2026

Same journal

A Discrete Dynamical System Approach for Modeling Wolbachia Infection in Dioecious Populations.

Acta biotheoretica·2026

Same journal

Correction: The Emergence of Turing Instability and Pattern Formation in a Nonlinear Stochastic Spatiotemporal Epidemic Model with Reinfections.

Acta biotheoretica·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

A fundamental principle governing populations.

Marvin Chester¹

¹Physics Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. chester@physics.ucla.edu

Acta Biotheoretica

|May 15, 2012

Summary

A new principle of nature suggests one tenet drives all population behaviors, from growth to extinction. This unifying ecological principle is mathematically described by a single differential equation, challenging existing theories.

Area of Science:

Ecology
Population Dynamics
Mathematical Biology

Background:

Current ecological theories use multiple equations to explain diverse population behaviors.
Observed population dynamics include exponential growth, saturation, decline, extinction, and oscillations.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose a single, overriding principle governing all population behaviors.
To introduce a unifying differential equation for population dynamics.
To challenge the multiplicity of equations in orthodox population theory.

Main Methods:

Formulation of a novel ecological principle: a population's success alters its environment to oppose that success.
Development of a single differential equation derived from this principle.
Suggesting experimental validation methods.

More Related Videos

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations

Published on: December 7, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations

Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations

Published on: December 7, 2021

Main Results:

A single differential equation is proposed to encompass all observed population behaviors.
The proposed principle offers a unified framework for understanding population dynamics.
The theory predicts various population behaviors based on environmental feedback.

Conclusions:

A single principle and equation can explain the full spectrum of population dynamics.
This unified approach simplifies and potentially revolutionizes ecological modeling.
Further experiments are needed to validate this overarching theory of population behavior.