Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

Conservation of Small Populations

Conservation of Small Populations

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...

Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

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.

Limits to Natural Selection

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.

Genetic Drift

Genetic Drift

Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Lack of Detectable Anti-Diphtheria Toxin Antibodies in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) from a Corynebacterium ulcerans Hotspot.

Journal of wildlife diseases·2026

Same author

Differential Immune Responses Correlate With Chytridiomycosis Severity in Italian Crested Newts.

Molecular ecology·2026

Same author

Inconsistent Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Europe.

Emerging infectious diseases·2026

Same author

Up-to-date MALDI-TOF MS-based identification of the <i>Corynebacterium diphtheriae</i> species complex for improved diagnostics.

Journal of clinical microbiology·2026

Same author

Decline of Common Toad Populations in Flanders Is Not Linked to Surrounding Landscape.

Ecology and evolution·2026

Same author

Neophobia and motivation in birds: A gene expression study informed by reinforcement sensitivity theory.

Behavioural brain research·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Navigating MARRVEL, a Web-Based Tool that Integrates Human Genomics and Model Organism Genetics Information

Navigating MARRVEL, a Web-Based Tool that Integrates Human Genomics and Model Organism Genetics Information

Published on: August 15, 2019

Host niche may determine disease-driven extinction risk.

Mark Blooi¹, Alexandra E Laking^1,2, An Martel¹

¹Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.

|July 14, 2017

Summary

Bromeliad habitats offer amphibians refuge from the deadly chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd). Stream-dwelling amphibians face five times higher Bd threat than those in bromeliads, which inhibit fungal transmission.

More Related Videos

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Published on: July 8, 2025

Cultivation of Heligmosomoides Polygyrus: An Immunomodulatory Nematode Parasite and its Secreted Products

Cultivation of Heligmosomoides Polygyrus: An Immunomodulatory Nematode Parasite and its Secreted Products

Published on: April 6, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Navigating MARRVEL, a Web-Based Tool that Integrates Human Genomics and Model Organism Genetics Information

Navigating MARRVEL, a Web-Based Tool that Integrates Human Genomics and Model Organism Genetics Information

Published on: August 15, 2019

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Published on: July 8, 2025

Cultivation of Heligmosomoides Polygyrus: An Immunomodulatory Nematode Parasite and its Secreted Products

Cultivation of Heligmosomoides Polygyrus: An Immunomodulatory Nematode Parasite and its Secreted Products

Published on: April 6, 2015

Area of Science:

Amphibian disease ecology
Pathogen-environment interactions
Conservation biology

Background:

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) causes devastating amphibian declines globally.
Amphibian susceptibility to Bd varies geographically and by species, suggesting environmental factors influence disease impact.
Understanding habitat-specific disease dynamics is crucial for effective amphibian conservation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how amphibian habitat type (bromeliad phytotelmata vs. streams) influences the risk of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection.
To compare Bd prevalence and environmental conditions in bromeliad and stream microhabitats in Central America.
To identify factors contributing to differential Bd threat across habitats.

Main Methods:

Comparative study of amphibian populations in bromeliad and stream habitats in Honduran cloud forests.
Quantification of Bd prevalence in associated amphibian species.
Analysis of physicochemical water conditions and micro-eukaryote communities in both habitat types.

Main Results:

Amphibian species associated with stream microhabitats had five times higher odds of being threatened by Bd compared to those in bromeliads.
Bd prevalence was significantly lower in bromeliad-associated amphibians than in riparian species.
Bromeliad water exhibited less suitable conditions for Bd and higher abundance of Bd-ingesting micro-eukaryotes.

Conclusions:

Bromeliad phytotelmata can serve as crucial environmental refuges, protecting associated amphibians from Bd.
These microhabitats may limit Bd zoospore survival and pathogen reservoir development, mitigating chytridiomycosis spread.
Conservation strategies should consider the role of microhabitats like bromeliads in safeguarding amphibian populations.