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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.
Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations, psychological...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype02:27

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
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.
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
09:09

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Published on: August 8, 2017

Anthropogenic environments exert variable selection on cranial capacity in mammals.

Emilie C Snell-Rood1, Naomi Wick

  • 1Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA. emilies@umn.edu

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|August 23, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Urban environments may favor behavioral plasticity in mammals, with some species showing increased cranial capacity. However, evolutionary changes vary, and rural areas also show plasticity shifts.

Keywords:
cognitioncranial capacityfecundityrodentsurban evolution

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Animal behavior
  • Conservation science

Background:

  • Behaviorally flexible species are hypothesized to adapt to human-altered environments.
  • It remains unclear if these environments drive evolutionary increases in behavioral plasticity.
  • Anthropogenic changes may select for or against specific adaptive traits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if anthropogenic environments, specifically urban settings, select for increased behavioral plasticity in mammals.
  • To examine evolutionary changes in relative cranial capacity as a proxy for behavioral plasticity.
  • To assess if species' reproductive rates influence the degree of evolutionary response.

Main Methods:

  • Measured relative cranial capacity over time and space in 10 mammal species.
  • Compared cranial capacity between urban and rural populations.
  • Analyzed trends in cranial capacity within urban and rural populations over time.
  • Correlated evolutionary responses with species' fecundity and diet.

Main Results:

  • Urban populations of two small mammal species exhibited significantly greater cranial capacity than rural counterparts.
  • Species with higher fecundity showed more pronounced cranial capacity differences between urban and rural populations.
  • Contrary to predictions, urban populations did not show increased cranial capacity over time; some decreased.
  • Rural insectivorous species consistently showed increased cranial capacity over time.

Conclusions:

  • Urban environments offer partial support for selecting increased behavioral plasticity, potentially early in colonization.
  • Behavioral plasticity may also be favored in changing rural environments due to human activity.
  • The evolutionary response to urbanization is complex and species-specific, with varying cranial capacity trends.