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Related Concept Videos

Migration00:53

Migration

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Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
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What is Evolutionary History?02:35

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Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
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Gene Flow02:39

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Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.
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Genetic Drift03:33

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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.
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Genetics of Speciation

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Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
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The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
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Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration.

Joel O Abraham1, Nathan S Upham2,3,4, Alejandro Damian-Serrano3,5

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. joeloa@princeton.edu.

Nature Ecology & Evolution
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ungulate migration evolved independently multiple times, linked to grasslands and higher latitudes. This behavior also facilitated the evolution of larger body sizes in these mammals.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Zoology

Background:

  • Ungulate migrations are vital for ecosystem health and population abundance.
  • The evolutionary drivers and origins of migratory behavior in ungulates remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins and ecological correlates of migratory behavior in ungulates.
  • To understand the role of migration in ungulate evolution and its connection to environmental changes.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic path analysis was utilized with a comprehensive species-level phylogeny of mammals.
  • Reconstructions of migratory behavior were performed for extant and extinct ungulate species.

Main Results:

  • 95 out of 207 extant ungulate species exhibit migratory behavior, with independent origins in 17 lineages.
  • Migratory behavior evolved in association with grass-based diets, higher latitudes, and coincided with mid-Miocene cooling and C4 grassland expansion.
  • The evolution of migration supported the development of larger body sizes in ungulates, enabling exploitation of new ecological niches.
  • Seven of ten recently extinct ungulate species were likely migratory.

Conclusions:

  • Migratory behavior in ungulates has evolved multiple times independently, driven by environmental factors like grassland availability and climate shifts.
  • Migration played a significant role in ungulate adaptive radiation, including the evolution of larger body sizes.
  • Studying contemporary ungulate migrations offers insights into the ecology of extinct species and past ecosystems.