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Related Concept Videos

Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

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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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Speciation Rates01:07

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Types of Selection01:46

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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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The Evidence for Evolution02:55

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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.
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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 21, 2025

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton
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Developmental constraints on fin diversity.

Alyssa Enny1, Kathleen Flaherty2, Shunsuke Mori1

  • 1Department of Genetics, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Development, Growth & Differentiation
|May 13, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Fish fin evolution showcases remarkable diversity. This review explores developmental constraints shaping fin evolution, integrating anatomical and genetic insights to understand fin morphology over 500 million years.

Keywords:
developmental constraintsdiversityevolutionfinskeleton

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Comparative anatomy

Background:

  • Fish fins exhibit vast evolutionary diversity, novelty, and convergence over 500 million years.
  • Comparative anatomy has revealed fundamental fin architectures and evolutionary trends, including convergent evolution.
  • Developmental constraints on fin evolution remain largely elusive, despite their influence on fin morphology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evolutionary history and developmental mechanisms of paired fins.
  • To illuminate potential developmental constraints on fin evolution.
  • To establish a conceptual framework for understanding developmental constraints in evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing anatomical and genetic knowledge of fin development.
  • Integration of data from comparative anatomy and evolutionary developmental biology.
  • Analysis of genomic and genetic tools applied to diverse fin morphologies.

Main Results:

  • Fin development exhibits both canalized (predictable) and unpredictable aspects influencing fin shape evolution.
  • Developmental constraints play a significant role in biasing evolutionary trajectories of fin morphology.
  • Evolutionary developmental biology provides tools to investigate these constraints.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding developmental constraints is crucial for a comprehensive theory of fin evolution.
  • The interplay between development and evolution shapes the diversity of fish fin morphology.
  • Further research using genomic and genetic tools can elucidate enigmatic properties of evolution.