CamoEvo: an open access toolbox for artificial camouflage evolution experiments

<p>Camouflage research has long shaped our understanding of evolution by natural selection, and elucidating the mechanisms by which camouflage operates remains a key question in visual ecology. However, the vast diversity of colour patterns found in animals and their backgrounds, combined with the scope for complex interactions with receiver vision presents a fundamental challenge for investigating optimal camouflage strategies. Genetic algorithms have provided a potential method for accounting for these interactions, but with limited accessibility. Here, we present CamoEvo, an open-access toolbox for investigating camouflage pattern optimisation by using tailored genetic algorithms, animal and egg maculation theory and artificial predation experiments. This system allows for camouflage evolution within the span of just 10-30 generations (~1-2 min per generation), producing patterns that are both significantly harder to detect and that are optimised to their background. CamoEvo was built in ImageJ to allow for integration with an array of existing open access camouflage analysis tools. We provide guides for editing and adjusting the predation experiment and genetic algorithm as well as an example experiment. The speed and flexibility of this toolbox makes it adaptable for a wide range of computer based phenotype optimisation experiments.</p>