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

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

94
The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
94
What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

114.8K
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.
114.8K
Energy Budgets00:51

Energy Budgets

9.2K
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
9.2K
Characteristics of Life01:23

Characteristics of Life

222.4K
Biology is a natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their structure, function, development, interactions, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. The field's scope is extensive and divided into several specialized disciplines, such as anatomy, physiology, ethology, genetics, and many more. All living things share a few key traits, including cellular organization, heritable genetic material and the ability to adapt/evolve, metabolism to regulate energy needs, the...
222.4K
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

40.2K
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...
40.2K
Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

177
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,...
177

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Three centuries of technological innovation: Opportunity is the mother of invention.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Scaling COVID-19 rates with population size in the United States.

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·2025
Same author

Life History Differences Between <i>Lepidoptera</i> Larvae and <i>Blattodea</i> Nymphs Lead to Different Energy Allocation Strategies and Cellular Qualities.

Insects·2025
Same author

Energetic cost of biosynthesis is a missing link between growth and longevity in mammals.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

Comparison of Energy Budget of Cockroach Nymph (Hemimetabolous) and Hornworm (Holometabolous) under Food Restriction.

Insects·2024
Same author

Maximum power in evolution, ecology and economics.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2023
Same journal

Three-Dimensional Correlated Random Walks for Animal Movement and Habitat Selection.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Higher-Order Interactions Can Promote Coexistence by Rewiring Intransitivities Into Competitive Networks.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Plants That Evolved Under High Phylogenetic Diversity Have Higher Invasion Success, Particularly in Undisturbed Communities.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Predictors of Food Web Resistance to Environmental Change.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

AI, Comparative Advantage, and the Next Decade of Ecological Research.

Ecology letters·2026
Same journal

Towards Key Principles of Host-Associated Microbiome Assembly.

Ecology letters·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans
10:08

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: May 18, 2022

3.4K

Life, Death and Energy: What Does Nature Select?

James H Brown1, Chen Hou2, Charles A S Hall3

  • 1Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Ecology Letters
|October 15, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The third synthesis in evolutionary biology centers on energy and biophysical processes, introducing the equal fitness paradigm (EFP). This framework quantifies organismal energy conversion for survival and reproduction, explaining natural selection

Keywords:
energyevolutionfitnesslife historymetabolismnatural selection

More Related Videos

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications
07:37

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

18.3K
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

13.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans
10:08

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: May 18, 2022

3.4K
Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications
07:37

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

18.3K
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
10:20

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

13.3K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Ecological Energetics

Background:

  • Evolutionary biology has undergone two major syntheses: Darwin's natural history and the incorporation of genetic mechanisms.
  • A third synthesis is emerging, focusing on energy and biophysical processes as fundamental drivers of evolution.
  • Existing evolutionary frameworks often overlook the quantitative role of energy in organismal success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and define the equal fitness paradigm (EFP) as a quantitative framework for evolutionary biology.
  • To elucidate how natural selection optimizes energetic fitness, defined by biomass conversion into offspring.
  • To explore the implications of the EFP for understanding organismal life histories and diversity.

Main Methods:

  • Development of the equal fitness paradigm (EFP) equation: = * * * .
  • Analysis of steady-state conditions where energy content ( ≈ 22.4 kJ/g) and biomass ( ≈ 1 g/g) are conserved across generations.
  • Examination of how natural selection acts on EFP parameters across diverse animal life histories.

Main Results:

  • The EFP quantifies the energetic basis of survival and reproduction, demonstrating natural selection maximizes energetic fitness.
  • Selection directly targets the parameters within the EFP, not necessarily isolated traits like metabolic rate or longevity.
  • The paradigm explains why there is no inherent advantage to traits such as higher metabolic power, growth rate, fecundity, or longevity.

Conclusions:

  • The EFP provides a unifying, energy-centric view of evolutionary processes and natural selection.
  • Understanding energy acquisition and conversion is key to explaining the diversity of life.
  • This biophysical approach offers a new foundation for evolutionary biology, integrating diverse life histories under a common energetic principle.