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Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

40.9K
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...
40.9K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

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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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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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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.
22.1K
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

31.5K
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.
31.5K
Genetics of Speciation02:16

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.
19.4K
Genetic Drift03:33

Genetic Drift

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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Manipulation of Gene Function in Mexican Cavefish
07:01

Manipulation of Gene Function in Mexican Cavefish

Published on: April 22, 2019

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Selection-driven trait loss in independently evolved cavefish populations.

Rachel L Moran1,2, Emilie J Richards3, Claudia Patricia Ornelas-García4

  • 1Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA. rlmoran@tamu.edu.

Nature Communications
|May 3, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary adaptation in cavefish shows that both existing genetic variations and new mutations drive repeated trait changes. Genes with larger mutation targets are more likely to be involved in this adaptive evolution.

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Behavioral Tracking and Neuromast Imaging of Mexican Cavefish
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Manipulation of Gene Function in Mexican Cavefish
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Behavioral Tracking and Neuromast Imaging of Mexican Cavefish
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Genome Editing in Astyanax mexicanus Using Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases TALENs
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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Phenotypic convergence can arise from parallel genetic changes in natural systems.
  • Understanding the genetic basis of repeated evolution is crucial for evolutionary biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the genetic mechanisms behind repeated trait evolution (loss and enhancement) in independent cavefish lineages.
  • Determine the relative contributions of standing genetic variation and de novo mutations to adaptation.

Main Methods:

  • Whole genome resequencing of Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) cavefish populations.
  • Comparative genomic analysis to identify genetic changes associated with adaptation.

Main Results:

  • Both standing genetic variation and de novo mutations significantly contribute to repeated adaptation in cavefish.
  • Genes with larger mutational targets are more frequently implicated in repeated evolutionary events.
  • Cave environments may influence mutation rates, impacting adaptive evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Repeated evolution is shaped by both pre-existing and novel genetic variation.
  • The mutational target size of genes influences their likelihood of contributing to adaptive evolution.
  • Environmental factors in caves may play a role in the rate of adaptive mutations.