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Related Concept Videos

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

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

Migration

Migration

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.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Temporal variability can promote migration between habitats.

Harman Jaggi¹, David Steinsaltz², Shripad Tuljapurkar¹

¹Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA.

Theoretical Population Biology

|June 26, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Environmental variability can favor migration, even when one site is best on average. Increased fluctuations in fitness across sites can boost population growth rates through migration.

Keywords:

Dispersal Evolution of migration Migration Reduction principle Stochastic growth rates Temporal variation Variable environments

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Area of Science:

Ecology and Evolution
Population Dynamics
Environmental Science

Background:

Migration is crucial for species survival and adaptation.
Fixed environments with a single best site typically disfavor migration.
The role of environmental variability in favoring migration remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if environmental variability can favor migration when a single best site exists on average.
To provide a general and precise framework for understanding migration's evolutionary benefits under fluctuating conditions.

Main Methods:

Development of new mathematical inequalities to analyze stochastic growth rates.
Utilizing simulations to illustrate the theoretical findings.
Examining the interplay of site differences, migration paths, and environmental fluctuations.

Main Results:

Stochastic growth rate can increase with migration when fitness fluctuates across sites.
The effect of migration depends on the difference in expected growth rates and the variance of these differences.
High environmental variance can lead to beneficial "bursts" of growth in suboptimal sites.

Conclusions:

Environmental variability, not just average conditions, is a key driver for the evolution of migration.
The spatial distribution of habitat quality and its temporal fluctuations critically influence migration's importance.
Findings challenge the reduction principle and offer insights into ecological dynamics and evolutionary biology.