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Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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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...
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Limits to Natural Selection01:38

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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.
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Ecological Succession02:17

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Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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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.
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What is Natural Selection?01:32

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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.
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Speciation Rates01:07

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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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VARIABLE SELECTION ALONG A SUCCESSIONAL GRADIENT.

Samuel M Scheiner1

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 2, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Selection patterns in perennial grass (Danthonia spicata) varied across populations and traits over five years. These findings align with genetic shifts in reproductive effort but not in other measured traits.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Plant Science

Background:

  • Phenotypic variation exists within and among populations of the perennial grass Danthonia spicata.
  • Understanding selection patterns is crucial for comprehending adaptation in successional environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure selection patterns in Danthonia spicata populations along a successional gradient.
  • To investigate the relationship between phenotypic traits, fitness components, and genetic changes.

Main Methods:

  • A five-year study of Danthonia spicata populations in northern lower Michigan.
  • Multiple-regression analysis was used to assess selection on morphological, reproductive, and life-history traits.
  • Fecundity and mortality were measured as fitness components.

Main Results:

  • Substantial variation in the magnitude and direction of selection was observed among populations and fitness components.
  • Directional selection estimates were robust, but stabilizing/disruptive selection estimates changed with the inclusion of additional reproductive traits.
  • Selection patterns correlated with genetic changes in reproductive effort but not with culm or leaf length.

Conclusions:

  • Selection pressures on Danthonia spicata vary significantly across populations and traits.
  • Observed selection patterns are partially consistent with genetic variation along successional gradients.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand the interplay of selection and genetic drift in plant populations.