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

The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

48.4K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
48.4K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

33.1K
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.
33.1K
Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

42.5K
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
42.5K
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

3.8K
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
3.8K
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

9.2K
While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
9.2K
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

3.7K
3.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Social learning and memory.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same author

Niche construction in quantitative traits: heritability and response to selection.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2022
Same author

Ten simple rules for principled simulation modelling.

PLoS computational biology·2022
Same author

Adaptive co-evolution of mitochondria and the Y-chromosome: A resolution to conflict between evolutionary opponents.

Ecology and evolution·2021
Same author

The life history of learning: Demographic structure changes cultural outcomes.

PLoS computational biology·2019
Same journal

The microlandscapes of tree trunks: the effect of lichen and tree-level characteristics on arthropod communities.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Centimetre-scale landscapes to assess the motion behaviour and cognition of gastropods and bivalves.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Intertidal microcosms of wave-swept rocky shores: ecological and physiological insights from a uniquely stressful environment.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Temporal and spatial variation in temperature and oxygen at the microscale: key niche axes for aquatic life.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Natural microcosms in ecology: fulfilling the promise of model systems?

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Microbe-induced galls and plant defence: metabolite crosstalk in a co-evolutionary battle.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Measuring Microbial Mutation Rates with the Fluctuation Assay
07:44

Measuring Microbial Mutation Rates with the Fluctuation Assay

Published on: November 28, 2019

25.0K

Cultural complexity and evolution in fluctuating environments.

Laurel Fogarty1

  • 1CoMPLEX, University College London, Gower Street, London W1E 6BT, UK laurel.fogarty@gmail.com.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|February 15, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Environmental instability drives cultural innovation, increasing complexity. Stable environments reduce innovation rates, impacting cultural repertoire maintenance. This study models these dynamics.

Keywords:
cultural evolutionenvironmental fluctuationinnovation

More Related Videos

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC
08:18

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC

Published on: February 18, 2022

4.6K
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
08:36

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Published on: August 8, 2019

12.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Measuring Microbial Mutation Rates with the Fluctuation Assay
07:44

Measuring Microbial Mutation Rates with the Fluctuation Assay

Published on: November 28, 2019

25.0K
Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC
08:18

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC

Published on: February 18, 2022

4.6K
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
08:36

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Published on: August 8, 2019

12.8K

Area of Science:

  • Cultural Evolution
  • Environmental Science
  • Social Dynamics

Background:

  • Cultural complexity models often overlook environmental factors, focusing on demographics.
  • Statistical studies suggest environmental variability influences cultural complexity.
  • The interplay between environmental change and cultural innovation is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how environmental fluctuations affect cultural innovation rates.
  • To analyze the relationship between innovation rates and maintaining cultural complexity.
  • To explore the influence of different cultural transmission modes on these dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Development of two mathematical models based on genetic mutation models.
  • Simulation of cultural innovation under varying environmental stability.
  • Analysis of different cultural transmission biases (success, conformity, random oblique learning).

Main Results:

  • Cultural innovation rates increase in unstable environments and decrease in stable ones.
  • Environmental stability's effect on innovation differs quantitatively across transmission modes.
  • Innovation can enhance diversity, contingent on learning mode and parameters.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental variability is a key driver of cultural innovation and complexity.
  • Understanding cultural transmission modes is crucial for predicting diversity.
  • This research bridges cultural evolution and environmental change dynamics.