Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

17.8K
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...
17.8K
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

13.7K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
13.7K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

27.9K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
27.9K
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

36.2K
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.
36.2K
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

66.5K
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).
66.5K
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

25.4K
Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
25.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Contrasting thermophilization among forests, grasslands and alpine summits.

Nature·2026
Same author

Climate change increases threat to plant diversity in tropical forests of Central America and southern Mexico.

PloS one·2024
Same author

Understanding the effect of component proportions on disease control in two-component cultivar cereal mixtures using a pathogen dispersal scaling hypothesis.

Scientific reports·2023
Same author

Testing the effectiveness of <i>rbcLa</i> DNA-barcoding for species discrimination in tropical montane cloud forest vascular plants (Oaxaca, Mexico) using BLAST, genetic distance, and tree-based methods.

PeerJ·2022
Same author

Evaluating Variation in Germination and Growth of Landraces of Barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L.) Under Salinity Stress.

Frontiers in plant science·2022
Same author

Directional turnover towards larger-ranged plants over time and across habitats.

Ecology letters·2021
Same journal

Incorporating Population Genomic Perspectives Into Kelp Conservation and Aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest.

Evolutionary applications·2026
Same journal

Multidisciplinary Evaluation of a 10-Year Restoration Program for Two Endangered Atlantic Salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i>) Populations.

Evolutionary applications·2026
Same journal

Tuberculosis Susceptibility and Inbreeding Depression Hinder <i>Ex Situ</i> Conservation in a Critically Endangered Rainforest Bird.

Evolutionary applications·2026
Same journal

Altitude-Associated Divergence of the Gut Microbiome in Endangered Forest Musk Deer: Evidence From Integrated Metagenomics, Metabolomics, and Culturomics.

Evolutionary applications·2026
Same journal

Evolutionary Footprint: A Systemic Indicator in Evolution, Ecology and Conservation.

Evolutionary applications·2026
Same journal

Integrating Ultimate and Proximate Explanations of Neurodivergence: Evolutionary Trade-Offs, Compensation, and Clinical Expression.

Evolutionary applications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging
09:19

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Published on: April 18, 2025

1.7K

Genetic factors associated with population size may increase extinction risks and decrease colonization potential in

Rafael F Del Castillo1, Sonia Trujillo-Argueta1, Nahúm Sánchez-Vargas2

  • 1Instituto Politécnico Nacional CIIDIR Oaxaca, Hornos, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán; Oaxaca, Mexico.

Evolutionary Applications
|January 9, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Genetic diversity and fitness in Pinus chiapensis are crucial for tropical forest regeneration. Small populations show low genetic diversity and fitness, highlighting inbreeding depression as a key factor in their decline.

Keywords:
Pinus chiapensiscolonizationconservationfitnessgenetic variationinbreeding depressionoutbreeding depressionpopulation sizerestorationtropical montane cloud forest

More Related Videos

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
20:36

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

9.3K
Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
09:09

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

Published on: August 8, 2017

8.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging
09:19

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Published on: April 18, 2025

1.7K
Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
20:36

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

9.3K
Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
09:09

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

Published on: August 8, 2017

8.1K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Pioneer species like Pinus chiapensis are vital for tropical montane cloud forest regeneration.
  • Human activities have diminished P. chiapensis populations, potentially impacting their genetic diversity and colonization potential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the link between population size, genetic diversity (using allozymes), and fitness (seed viability, seedling performance) in P. chiapensis.
  • To assess the relationship between fitness, observed heterozygosity, and population size across a wide range of population scales.

Main Methods:

  • Allozyme electrophoresis was used to assess genetic diversity.
  • Seed viability and seedling performance were measured in a common environment to estimate fitness.
  • Statistical analyses explored correlations between genetic diversity, population size, and fitness metrics.

Main Results:

  • Both genetic diversity and fitness estimates significantly increased with population size.
  • Small populations, regardless of habitat disturbance, exhibited low fitness.
  • Lowest fitness was observed in progenies with low heterozygosity, with seed viability peaking at intermediate levels, suggesting inbreeding and outbreeding depression.

Conclusions:

  • Inbreeding depression is a primary driver of P. chiapensis population decline.
  • Conservation strategies must prioritize maintaining large, genetically diverse populations and enhancing landscape connectivity.
  • Restoring gene flow and avoiding the introduction of genetically distant individuals are critical for effective conservation.