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

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

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...

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.

What is Natural Selection?

What is Natural Selection?

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.

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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,...

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Evolutionary history drives organ-specific variability in plant non-structural carbohydrates.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026

Same author

Increasingly severe thermal stresses on global photosynthesis using insights from observations of canopy temperature.

National science review·2026

Same author

Integrated policies could raise China's soybean self-sufficiency and ease global land-use pressure.

Nature food·2026

Same author

Sympatric Oaks Exhibit Local Divergence and Convergence in Adaptive Strategies Along Climate Gradients.

Plant, cell & environment·2026

Same author

Asymmetric temperature responses to soil moisture drought legacies under anthropogenic forcing.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> and warming intensify plant reliance on soil nitrogen reserves despite intensive fertilization.

Nature communications·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Published on: August 8, 2017

Nutrient scarcity as a selective pressure for mast seeding.

M Fernández-Martínez^1,2, I Pearse³, J Sardans^4,5

¹PLECO (Plants and Ecosystems), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. marcos.fernandez-martinez@uantwerpen.be.

|December 4, 2019

Summary

Plants exhibiting mast seeding, a synchronized mass flowering and seeding event, show higher intensity in species with low foliar nitrogen and phosphorus. This reproductive strategy may have evolved as an adaptation to nutrient-limited environments.

More Related Videos

The Barnacle Balanus improvisus as a Marine Model - Culturing and Gene Expression

The Barnacle Balanus improvisus as a Marine Model - Culturing and Gene Expression

Published on: August 8, 2018

Investigation of Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks Using Rotated Cores

Investigation of Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks Using Rotated Cores

Published on: March 26, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Published on: August 8, 2017

The Barnacle Balanus improvisus as a Marine Model - Culturing and Gene Expression

The Barnacle Balanus improvisus as a Marine Model - Culturing and Gene Expression

Published on: August 8, 2018

Investigation of Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks Using Rotated Cores

Investigation of Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks Using Rotated Cores

Published on: March 26, 2019

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Plant Science

Background:

Mast seeding, a synchronized mass flowering and seeding event, is a widespread reproductive strategy in plants.
While potentially costly to individual fitness, its prevalence suggests significant evolutionary advantages.
Understanding the ecological drivers of mast seeding is crucial for plant reproductive ecology.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between masting behavior and plant nutrient status.
To test if masting is more common in species with low foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations.
To explore the link between the evolution of masting and nutrient economy strategies.

Main Methods:

Utilized a global dataset of seed production time series for 219 plant species.
Controlled for local climate and productivity variables.
Analyzed foliar N and P concentrations and N/P ratios in relation to masting intensity.

Main Results:

Masting intensity was significantly higher in plant species with low foliar N and P concentrations.
Species with imbalanced N/P ratios exhibited particularly strong masting.
The evolutionary history of masting is linked to nutrient economy strategies.

Conclusions:

Mast seeding is more pronounced in plant species experiencing nutrient-limiting conditions.
This reproductive trait likely evolved as an adaptation to cope with nutrient limitations and imbalances.
Nutrient availability is a key factor shaping plant reproductive strategies.