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

Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

27.6K
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
27.6K
Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth02:33

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

108
Exponential models are essential for describing rapid, multiplicative changes in natural systems, such as population growth. When a population doubles at regular intervals, the process can be modeled using a suitable base. For instance, a bacterial culture that doubles every three hours follows the model n(t)=n0⋅2t/3, where n(t) is the population at the time t.A more general model uses the natural base e, especially for continuous growth. This takes the form n(t)=n0⋅ert, where r is...
108
Genetic Drift03:33

Genetic Drift

42.5K
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.
42.5K
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

22.4K
Overview
22.4K
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

61.4K
In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
61.4K
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

20.7K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
20.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Short-time statistics of extinction and blowup in reaction kinetics.

Physical review. E·2026
Same author

Slow spatial migration can help eradicate cooperative antimicrobial resistance in time-varying environments.

PLoS computational biology·2026
Same author

Corrigendum: DNA looping increases the range of bistability in a stochastic model of the lac genetic switch (2013 Phys. Biol. 10 026002).

Physical biology·2025
Same author

Impact of network assortativity on disease lifetime in the SIS model of epidemics.

Physical review. E·2025
Same author

Optimal reduction of an epidemic outbreak size via temporary quarantine.

Physical review. E·2025
Same author

Septic Hip Arthritis in Children: A Comparison of Arthrocentesis and the Double Luminal Drainage Catheter.

The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
20:36

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

9.0K

Population Dynamics in a Changing Environment: Random versus Periodic Switching.

Ami Taitelbaum1, Robert West2, Michael Assaf1

  • 1Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.

Physical Review Letters
|August 16, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Environmental changes impact population evolution. This study reveals that random environmental switching broadens population size distribution compared to periodic switching, altering fixation probabilities and evolutionary outcomes.

More Related Videos

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.2K
Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications
07:37

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

19.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
20:36

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

9.0K
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.2K
Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications
07:37

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

19.3K

Area of Science:

  • Population Dynamics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Environmental changes are key drivers of population evolution.
  • Population dynamics are influenced by demographic noise and environmental fluctuations.
  • Understanding evolutionary trajectories in variable environments is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate population dynamics of competing strains in a time-varying binary environment.
  • To compare evolutionary outcomes under stochastic (random) versus periodic environmental switching.
  • To identify conditions maximizing the fixation probability of a slower-growing strain.

Main Methods:

  • Modeling a two-strain population competing for resources with a time-varying carrying capacity.
  • Incorporating demographic noise (birth and death events) into population dynamics.
  • Analyzing population size distribution and fixation probabilities under different environmental switching patterns.

Main Results:

  • Population size distribution is broader under intermediate and fast random environmental switching compared to periodic variations.
  • Stochastic and periodic environmental switching lead to markedly different asymptotic behaviors in fixation probability.
  • Detailed conditions for maximal fixation probability of the slower strain were determined.

Conclusions:

  • The nature of environmental variability (random vs. periodic) significantly shapes population evolutionary trajectories.
  • Random environmental fluctuations can lead to broader population size distributions and distinct fixation dynamics.
  • This research provides insights into the evolutionary consequences of environmental unpredictability.