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

Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

Gene Duplication and Divergence

7.6K
The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was  generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
7.6K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

31.0K
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.
31.0K
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

22.4K
Overview
22.4K
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

43.5K
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...
43.5K
Complementation Tests00:49

Complementation Tests

5.8K
A complementation test is a simple cross to identify whether the two mutations are located on the same gene or different genes. It was first performed by Edward Lewis in the 1940s while working on fruit flies. He developed the test to identify the location and arrangement of different mutations on chromosomes.
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
5.8K
Epistasis01:39

Epistasis

49.4K
In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...
49.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Infrared camouflage in leaf-sitting frogs: a cautionary tale on adaptive convergence.

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·2025
Same author

Polarization and reflectance are linked to climate, size and mechanistic constraints in a group of scarab beetles.

Scientific reports·2024
Same author

Short-term fluctuating and long-term divergent selection on sympatric Monkeyflowers: insights from decade-spanning reciprocal transplants.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

The extent of rapid colour change in male agamid lizards is unrelated to overall sexual dichromatism.

Ecology and evolution·2023
Same author

Assessing the impact of fire on spiders through a global comparative analysis.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2023
Same author

Exposure to thermal extremes favors higher solar reflectivity in intertidal gastropods.

iScience·2022
Same journal

Animal empathy reconsidered: a multidimensional profile account.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same journal

Dynamic molecular networks unveil the mechanism behind hypoxia-induced tumour cell dormancy.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same journal

Kin discrimination in plants: overview and implications for population and community ecology.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same journal

Review of the fauna associated with wild and farmed mussels and oysters in the Mediterranean.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same journal

What drives animal responses to high severity fire? The role of functional traits.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same journal

Partners or passengers? Revisiting the association between diatoms and aquatic animals.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

9.9K

Convergence and divergence in lizard colour polymorphisms.

Devi Stuart-Fox1, Anne Aulsebrook1, Katrina J Rankin1

  • 1School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.

Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
|October 8, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Lizards exhibit convergent evolution of color polymorphism, with distinct male morphs appearing independently across species. Despite similar colors, associated traits and evolutionary drivers show significant divergence.

Keywords:
Squamataconvergencecorrelational selectiongenetic architecturemating strategiessexual signal

More Related Videos

Quantifying Abdominal Pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster
08:41

Quantifying Abdominal Pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: June 1, 2017

9.3K
Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
04:10

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

6.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

9.9K
Quantifying Abdominal Pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster
08:41

Quantifying Abdominal Pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: June 1, 2017

9.3K
Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
04:10

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

6.4K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Color polymorphic species are crucial for understanding phenotypic variation.
  • Lizards show repeated, convergent evolution of similar color polymorphisms in sexual signals.
  • This convergence offers insights into evolutionary processes like divergence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize current knowledge on lizard color polymorphisms in both sexes.
  • To review advances in the mechanisms underlying color variation.
  • To examine correlated traits and evolutionary processes associated with polymorphism.

Main Methods:

  • Literature synthesis of existing research on lizard color polymorphism.
  • Review of biochemical, cellular, and genetic mechanisms.
  • Analysis of correlated behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits.

Main Results:

  • Male lizards commonly display red/orange, yellow, or white/blue color morphs, with mixed morphs also observed.
  • Convergent color phenotypes contrast with divergent correlated traits (behavioral, physiological, life-history).
  • Classification of 'mixed' morphs requires greater coherence.

Conclusions:

  • Lizard color polymorphism provides a powerful system for studying evolutionary convergence and divergence.
  • Future research should focus on the genetic basis of convergent phenotypes and environmental influences.
  • Continued research promises broad significance for evolutionary biology.