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Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

40.6K
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...
40.6K
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

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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.
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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.
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What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

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Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
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Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

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Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations,...
245
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

7.2K
The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli
09:01

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

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Selection and the direction of phenotypic evolution.

François Mallard1, Bruno Afonso1, Henrique Teotónio1

  • 1Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8197, Inserm U1024, PSL Research University, Paris, France.

Elife
|August 31, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Predicting adaptive evolution in Caenorhabditis elegans is possible by examining ancestral selection differentials. Multivariate phenotypic evolution aligns with predictions, even when individual traits deviate from selection direction.

Keywords:
C. elegansG-matrixadaptationevolutionary biologyexperimental evolutionlocomotion behaviorquantitative geneticssecondary theorem natural selection

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Related Experiment Videos

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Quantitative Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Predicting adaptive phenotypic evolution requires stable selection gradients and genetic covariances.
  • Understanding multivariate trait evolution is crucial for evolutionary theory.
  • Caenorhabditis elegans serves as a model organism for studying adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the adaptive evolution of locomotion behavior and body size traits in C. elegans over 50 generations.
  • To test the predictability of multivariate phenotypic evolution using ancestral selection differentials.
  • To investigate the relationship between selection direction and individual trait evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental evolution of six locomotion and body size traits in C. elegans.
  • Measurement of traits in the ancestral and novel environments.
  • Analysis of selection differentials and genetic variation.
  • Comparison of predicted and observed evolutionary trajectories.

Main Results:

  • The direction of adaptive multivariate phenotypic evolution was predictable from ancestral selection differentials, especially when measured in the new environment.
  • Individual trait evolution did not consistently align with the direction of selection.
  • Trait responses to selection varied among replicate populations due to partial alignment of genetic variation with selection.

Conclusions:

  • The study validates selection theory, demonstrating the predictability of multivariate adaptive evolution over tens of generations.
  • Discrepancies in individual trait evolution are explained by the orientation of genetic variation relative to selection.
  • Findings highlight the complex interplay between selection, genetic variation, and multivariate phenotypic evolution.