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

Hybrid Zones02:29

Hybrid Zones

22.1K
Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.
22.1K
What is a Species?01:17

What is a Species?

51.2K
Overview
51.2K
Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

17.8K
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.
17.8K
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

24.3K
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
24.3K
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

37.8K
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
37.8K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

33.6K
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.
33.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Using Landsat Satellite Imagery to Investigate Spatial and Temporal Variation in Life History Traits in a Long-Term Study Population of Superb Fairy-Wrens <i>Malurus cyaneus</i>.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Satellite-Derived NDVI Predicts Forage Availability in a Wild Ungulate System: Ground-Truthing Using Field-Collected Vegetation Biomass.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Many small climate change impacts presage rapid population extinction in a common iconic bird.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Changes in phenology mediate vertebrate population responses to temperature globally.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Unmeasured prior viability selection resolves the paradox of stasis for body size in wild Soay sheep.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Simple maternal effects animal models may provide biased estimates of additive genetic and maternal variation.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians
06:49

Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians

Published on: March 14, 2014

12.1K

HYBRID DYSFUNCTION IN FIRE-BELLIED TOADS (BOMBINA).

Loeske E B Kruuk1, Jason S Gilchrist1, Nick H Barton1

  • 1Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, United Kingdom.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 1, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Hybridization between Bombina toads leads to reduced fitness, with hybrid offspring experiencing significantly higher mortality and developmental abnormalities compared to pure parental types. This suggests genetic incompatibilities play a key role in reproductive isolation.

Keywords:
Amphibiahybrid zonenatural selectionreproductive isolationspeciation

More Related Videos

Egg Microinjection and Efficient Mating for Genome Editing in the Firebrat Thermobia domestica
06:08

Egg Microinjection and Efficient Mating for Genome Editing in the Firebrat Thermobia domestica

Published on: October 20, 2020

5.0K
Reproductive Techniques for Ovarian Monitoring and Control in Amphibians
04:37

Reproductive Techniques for Ovarian Monitoring and Control in Amphibians

Published on: May 12, 2019

16.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians
06:49

Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians

Published on: March 14, 2014

12.1K
Egg Microinjection and Efficient Mating for Genome Editing in the Firebrat Thermobia domestica
06:08

Egg Microinjection and Efficient Mating for Genome Editing in the Firebrat Thermobia domestica

Published on: October 20, 2020

5.0K
Reproductive Techniques for Ovarian Monitoring and Control in Amphibians
04:37

Reproductive Techniques for Ovarian Monitoring and Control in Amphibians

Published on: May 12, 2019

16.4K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Speciation Research
  • Amphibian Ecology

Background:

  • Reproductive isolation mechanisms, including endogenous and exogenous selection, are crucial for speciation.
  • The relative importance of these selection modes remains debated, necessitating clear fitness data for hybrid genotypes.
  • The Bombina hybrid zone presents a model system to study these processes, though hybrid dysfunction evidence is currently equivocal.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the fitness of hybrid genotypes in the Bombina hybrid zone.
  • To determine the impact of hybridization on embryonic and larval development.
  • To assess the role of endogenous and exogenous selection in reproductive isolation between Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata.

Main Methods:

  • Collection of naturally laid eggs from a transect across the Bombina hybrid zone in Croatia.
  • Laboratory-rearing of collected eggs to assess developmental success and mortality.
  • Quantification of embryonic and larval mortality rates and morphological abnormalities in hybrid and parental populations.

Main Results:

  • Hybrid populations exhibited significantly reduced fitness compared to parental types.
  • Central hybrid zone populations showed substantially higher embryonic and larval mortality (up to 20%) versus pure populations (2%).
  • Increased frequencies of morphological abnormalities were observed in hybrid offspring, with notable variation in fitness among hybrid genotypes.

Conclusions:

  • Hybridization in the Bombina zone results in significant fitness costs, primarily due to increased mortality and developmental issues.
  • These findings support the role of endogenous selection (genomic incompatibilities) in driving reproductive isolation.
  • Variation in hybrid fitness suggests complex interactions influencing gene flow barriers between these toad species.