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

Genetic Variation01:25

Genetic Variation

322
Genetic variation is the diversity in DNA sequences found among individuals of the same species. This diversity is crucial for a species' survival because it helps organisms adapt to environmental changes. Genetic variation begins with fertilization, where an egg and sperm cell merge. Each of these cells carries 23 chromosomes, up to 46 in the fertilized egg. Chromosomes are long DNA strands that contain genes, the basic units of heredity.
Genes exist in different versions called alleles,...
322
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

13.2K
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...
13.2K
Gene Flow02:39

Gene Flow

35.2K
Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.
35.2K
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

5.8K
Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
5.8K
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

72.3K
Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.
72.3K
Genetic Drift03:33

Genetic Drift

39.9K
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.
39.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Understanding mammal avoidance of human settlements.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same author

Increasing forest disturbance enhances habitat suitability for Europe's large herbivores.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026
Same author

Wild Pedigree exploreR (wpeR): Streamlined Analysis and Visualization of Wild Pedigrees in Time and Space.

Molecular ecology resources·2026
Same author

Irreproducible research and a typology of replication efforts.

Research integrity and peer review·2026
Same author

Budding speciation, mitochondrial capture and introgression between surface and cave lineages in the Asellus aquaticus species complex.

Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society·2026
Same author

Radionuclide and Trace Element Distribution in Grey Wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>): Implications for Environmental Contamination and Transfer in Terrestrial Ecosystems.

Toxics·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2025

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals
07:40

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

20.9K

Wolf genetic diversity compared across Europe using the yardstick method.

Maja Jan1, Astrid Vik Stronen2,3,4, Barbara Boljte2,3

  • 1Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. mjelencic@gmail.com.

Scientific Reports
|August 22, 2023
PubMed
Summary

The yardstick method enables standardized comparison of wolf (Canis lupus) genetic diversity across European studies. This approach integrates diverse microsatellite data for effective transboundary population management and monitoring.

More Related Videos

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers
10:17

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Published on: October 5, 2017

8.9K
Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
09:09

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Published on: August 8, 2017

7.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 18, 2025

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals
07:40

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

20.9K
Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers
10:17

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Published on: October 5, 2017

8.9K
Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
09:09

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Published on: August 8, 2017

7.4K

Area of Science:

  • Conservation Genetics
  • Population Genetics
  • Wildlife Management

Background:

  • Integrating genetic data from multiple studies using microsatellite markers is challenging due to calibration issues.
  • Transboundary management of wide-ranging species like wolves (Canis lupus) necessitates comparable genetic data across populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and validate the "yardstick" method for comparing genetic diversity across European wolf populations.
  • To assess wolf genetic diversity in the Carpathian and Dinaric Mountains using a standardized approach.

Main Methods:

  • The "yardstick" method was employed to compare published European wolf genetic data (since 2002) with new profiles from the Carpathian and Dinaric Mountains.
  • Genetic diversity indices, including calibrated heterozygosity (Hec) and allelic richness (Ac), were calculated using shared microsatellite markers.
  • The Dinaric wolf population served as the reference for calibration.

Main Results:

  • Calibrated heterozygosity (Hec) and allelic richness (Ac) for Dinaric and Carpathian wolves were comparable to other European populations but lower than northeastern populations.
  • The yardstick method facilitated direct comparison of genetic diversity values despite discrepancies in marker selection across studies.
  • New measures of Hec and Ac provided intuitive interpretation of genetic diversity.

Conclusions:

  • The yardstick method effectively integrates diverse microsatellite data for robust genetic diversity comparisons.
  • This standardized approach supports spatiotemporal genetic monitoring of wolf populations and their evolutionary potential.
  • The method is valuable for managing wide-ranging species requiring transboundary cooperation.