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

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

46.1K
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...
46.1K
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

676
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,...
676
Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

11.9K
Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
11.9K
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

1.1K
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...
1.1K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

34.2K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
34.2K
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

23.3K
Overview
23.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Individual preferences for sound tool design in a parrot.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2023
Same author

The EBSD spatial resolution of a Timepix-based detector in a tilt-free geometry.

Ultramicroscopy·2021
Same author

Breeding biology and the evolution of dynamic sexual dichromatism in frogs.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2017
Same author

Convergent evolution across the Australian continent: ecotype diversification drives morphological convergence in two distantly related clades of Australian frogs.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2015
Same author

OS044. Morphological differences in murine placenta detected by magneticresonance imaging measurements of T2 relaxation times in mouse models ofpreeclampsia.

Pregnancy hypertension·2015
Same author

PP084. Magnetic resonance imaging measurements of T2 relaxation times within contrasting regions of murine placenta is dependent upon blood flow.

Pregnancy hypertension·2015
Same journal

From head to tail: does habitat use drive morphological variation in snakes?

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026
Same journal

Plant hormone manipulation impacts salt spray tolerance, which preempts herbivory as a driver of local adaptation in the yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026
Same journal

Influence of the resource acquisition-allocation Y-model's parameters on the detection of phenotypic trade-offs.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026
Same journal

Chromosomal inversions may assist acute salinity and temperature adaptation in Atlantic cod eggs.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026
Same journal

Quantitative genetics of shy-bold behaviour and plastic response to novel predator cues in the cherry shrimp, Neocaridina davidi.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026
Same journal

Do interactions between different Selfish Genetic Elements matter?

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

10.1K

Sexual selection predicts brain structure in dragon lizards.

D Hoops1, J F P Ullmann2, A L Janke2

  • 1Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia.

Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|October 4, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sexual selection influences brain structure in dragon lizards. Males with stronger sexual selection have larger medial preoptic nuclei (MPON) and smaller ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei (VMN), showing sex-specific brain evolution.

Keywords:
agamidlizardmagnetic resonance imagingmedial preoptic nucleusneurosciencereptilesexual dichromatismsexual dimorphismventromedial hypothalamic nucleusvisual modelling

More Related Videos

Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards
12:30

Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards

Published on: December 14, 2006

12.1K
Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

15.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

10.1K
Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards
12:30

Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in Lizards

Published on: December 14, 2006

12.1K
Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

15.1K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Sexual selection often drives differences in male and female phenotypes, favoring larger, more elaborate males.
  • Previous research on sexual selection's impact on vertebrate brain structure yielded inconsistent results.
  • The medial preoptic nucleus (MPON) and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN) are key brain regions regulating reproductive behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if sexual selection consistently influences the MPON and VMN in dragon lizards.
  • To determine if these brain regions evolve differently between sexes in response to sexual selection.
  • To examine the co-evolution of the MPON and VMN with overall brain size.

Main Methods:

  • High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and histology were used on brains from 14 Ctenophorus dragon lizard species.
  • Species were selected based on varying strengths of precopulatory sexual selection.
  • Statistical models were employed to analyze brain region volumes in relation to sexual selection and brain volume.

Main Results:

  • Males from species with higher sexual selection exhibited larger MPON and smaller VMN volumes.
  • No significant patterns of variation were observed in these brain regions in females.
  • Both MPON and VMN showed correlated evolution with overall brain volume, indicating mosaic evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Sexual selection can drive sex-specific evolution of brain regions regulating reproductive behavior.
  • The MPON and VMN evolve in a mosaic fashion, differing between males and females.
  • These brain nuclei evolve in concert with overall brain size, influenced by sexual selection pressures.