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Related Concept Videos

Heritability01:06

Heritability

Heritability is a statistical concept that measures the degree to which genetic differences among individuals contribute to trait variations within a population. It is a fundamental idea in genetics, often prone to misinterpretation. Heritability is expressed as a percentage, reflecting the proportion of variation in a specific trait across a population that can be linked to genetic differences. However, it's important to understand that heritability does not determine how "genetic" a trait is,...
Range00:59

Range

The range is one of the measures of variation. It can be defined as the difference between a dataset's highest and lowest values. For example, in the study of seven 16-ounce soda cans, the filled volume of soda was measured, thus producing the following amount (in ounces) of soda:
15.9; 16.1; 15.2; 14.8; 15.8; 15.9; 16.0; 15.5
Measurements of the amount of soda in a 16-ounce can vary since different subjects record these measurements or since the exact amount - 16 ounces of liquid, was not...
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

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.
Genetics of Speciation02:16

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

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).

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems
07:41

Modeling the Size Spectrum for Macroinvertebrates and Fishes in Stream Ecosystems

Published on: July 30, 2019

Are range-size distributions consistent with species-level heritability?

Michael K Borregaard1, Nicholas J Gotelli, Carsten Rahbek

  • 1Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. mkborregaard@bio.ku.dk

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|July 5, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Species range-size heritability is debated. This study shows moderate-to-high heritability can generate realistic species range-size distributions (SRDs), challenging previous assumptions.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biogeography
  • Ecological Genetics

Background:

  • The heritability of species-level traits, particularly geographic range size, is a contentious topic in evolutionary biology.
  • A key argument against range-size heritability posits incompatibility with observed species range-size distributions (SRDs).
  • This incompatibility claim has remained empirically untested.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that species range-size heritability is incompatible with empirical species range-size distributions (SRDs).
  • To investigate the role of range-size heritability in shaping evolutionary patterns of species ranges.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized forward simulation models to simulate range-size evolution across varying degrees of heritability.
  • Compared simulated range-size distributions (SRDs) from three distinct models against the empirical SRD of South American avifauna.

Main Results:

  • Simulations indicated that moderate-to-high levels of range-size heritability consistently produced SRDs similar to empirical data.
  • Model outputs showed variations, but the general trend supported the potential for heritability to shape observed distributions.
  • The findings challenge the long-standing argument against range-size heritability based on distribution shape.

Conclusions:

  • Species range-size heritability is a plausible factor in generating realistic species range-size distributions (SRDs).
  • The study suggests that heritability may play a significant role in shaping current patterns of species geographic ranges.
  • Empirical testing supports the compatibility of range-size heritability with observed species range-size distributions.