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112 results for “colour polymorphism”
Figure 16 in A new subspecies of Сryptocephalus ergenensis Morawitz, 1863 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) from Kazakhstan and significance of colour pattern polymorphism examination
Figure 16. Records of Cryptocephalus ergenensis and boundaries of steppe zonobiome-
Fig. 6 in Genetically Determined Colour Polymorphism In Larvae Of Ceriagrion Chaoi (Insecta: Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
Fig. 6. Ceriagrion chaoi male emerged from dark larva.
Fig. 5 in Genetically Determined Colour Polymorphism In Larvae Of Ceriagrion Chaoi (Insecta: Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
Fig. 5. Female Ceriagrion chaoi emerging from brown larva.
Fig. 1 in Genetically Determined Colour Polymorphism In Larvae Of Ceriagrion Chaoi (Insecta: Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
Fig. 1. Exuviae of brown (left) and dark (right) colour larvae of Ceriagrion chaoi.
Data from: Regional variation in climate change alters the range-wide distribution of colour polymorphism in a wild bird
<p><span>According to Gloger's rule animal colouration is expected to be darker in wetter and warmer climates. Such environmental clines are predicted to occur in colour polymorphic species and to be shaped by selection if colour morphs represent adaptations to different environments. We studied if the distribution of the colour polymorphic tawny owl (<em>Strix aluco</em>) morphs (a pheomelanic brown and a pale grey) across Europe follow the predictions of Gloger's rule and if there is a temporal change in the geographical patterns corresponding to regional variations in climate change. We used data on tawny owl museum skin specimen collections. First, we investigated long-term spatiotemporal variation in the probability of observing the colour morphs in different climate zones. Second, we studied if the probability of observing the colour morphs was associated with general climatic conditions. Third, we studied if weather fluctuations prior the finding year of an owl explains colour morph in each climate zone. The brown tawny owl morph was historically more common than the grey morph in every studied climate zone. Over time the brown morph has become rarer in the temperate and Mediterranean zone, whereas it has first become rarer but then again more common in the boreal zone. Based on general climatic conditions winter and summer temperature were positively and negatively associated with proportion of brown morph, respectively. Winter precipitation was negatively associated with proportion of brown morph. The effects of five-year means of weather on the probability to observe a brown morph differed between climate zones, indicating region dependent effect of climate change and weather on tawny owl colouration. To conclude, tawny owl colouration does not explicitly follow Gloger's rule, implying a time and space dependent complex system shaped by many factors. We provide novel insights in how the geographic distribution of pheomelanin-based colour polymorphism is changing.</span></p>
Facilitation and competition shape a geographical mosaic of flower colour polymorphisms
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Deep structure, long-distance migration and admixture in the colour polymorphic land snail Cepaea nemoralis
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Data from: Changes in gene expression during female reproductive development in a colour polymorphic insect
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Data from: Regional variation in climate change alters the range-wide distribution of colour polymorphism in a wild bird
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Colour polymorphism in the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus
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FIGURE 1A–D in On a new synonymy in the spider genus Nephila Leach, 1815 (Araneidae Nephilinae) from India with supplementary notes on colour polymorphism in the genus
FIGURE 1A–D. Habitus photographs of Nephila pilipes (Fabricius, 1793). A, C, Black morph (ADSH623218); A, female; C, male. B, D, Yellow morph (typical morph) (ADSH623318); B, female; D, male. Scale bars: C–D, 2 mm. Photo credit A, B Jimmy Paul.
Telomere length in relation to colour polymorphism across life stages in the tawny owl
<p>Abstract of the paper:<br> Telomere erosion has been proposed to be tightly associated with senescence, environmental stressors and life history trade-offs. How telomere dynamics vary across life stages and especially in relation to (heritable) phenotypic traits is still unclear. The tawny owl <em>Strix aluco</em> display a highly heritable melanin-based colour polymorphism, a grey and a brown morph, linked to several fitness traits including morph-specific telomere dynamics. As adults, brown tawny owls have shorter relative telomere length (RTL) and exhibit faster telomere shortening rate than grey owls. Here we test if these morph-specific telomere dynamics emerge already during growth, or if they are induced only in adult life through differential physiological costs associated with the life history of the morphs. We analysed RTL from 287 tawny owl offspring and 81 first breeding adults to evaluate at what life stage morph-specific patterns emerge. We found no differences in RTL between the two morphs during the nestling period nor at the first breeding attempt. Sex, brood size or size rank in the nest did not affect offspring RTL. Among first-breeders, females had shorter telomeres than males suggesting a sampling time dependent difference in reproductive costs between sexes, due to the prominent sex roles in tawny owls in the early nestling period. The probability to return to breed after the first breeding attempt was not affected by RTL, sex or colour morph. The lack of morph-specific difference in RTL among nestlings and first breeders suggests that previously observed morph-specific differences in RTL dynamics in adults emerge at the onset of the breeding career and is likely due to different physiological profiles and life-history strategies adopted by adults. We conclude that different telomere dynamics and senescence patterns among highly heritable phenotypes (colour morphs) are likely to be a result of differential costs of reproduction and self-maintenance.</p>
Data from: The evolution of colour polymorphism in British winter‐active Lepidoptera in response to search image use by avian predators
Phenotypic polymorphism in cryptic species is widespread. This may evolve in response to search image use by predators exerting negative frequency‐dependent selection on intraspecific colour morphs, "apostatic selection". Evidence exists to indicate search image formation by predators and apostatic selection operating on wild prey populations, though not to demonstrate search image use directly resulting in apostatic selection. The present study attempted to address this deficiency, using British Lepidoptera active in winter as a model system. It has been proposed that the typically polymorphic wing colouration of these species represents an anti‐search image adaptation against birds. To test (a) for search image driven apostatic selection, dimorphic populations of artificial moth‐like models were established in woodland at varying relative morph frequencies and exposed to predation by natural populations of birds. In addition, to test (b) whether abundance and degree of polymorphism are correlated across British winter‐active moths, as predicted where search image use drives apostatic selection, a series of phylogenetic comparative analyses were conducted. There was a positive relationship between artificial morph frequency and probability of predation, consistent with birds utilising search images and exerting apostatic selection. Abundance and degree of polymorphism were found to be positively correlated across British Lepidoptera active in winter, though not across all taxonomic groups analysed. This evidence is consistent with polymorphism in this group having evolved in response to search image driven apostatic selection and supports the viability of this mechanism as a means by which phenotypic and genetic variation may be maintained in natural populations.
Data from: The significance of prey avoidance behaviour for the maintenance of a predator colour polymorphism
The existence of conspicuous colour polymorphisms in animals provides an ideal opportunity to examine the mechanisms which determine genetic and phenotypic variation in populations. It is well known that directional and negative frequency-dependent selection by predators can influence the persistence of colour polymorphisms in their prey, but much less attention has been paid to the idea that prey behaviour could generate selection on predator colour morphs. In this study, we examine the role that avoidance behaviour by honeybees might play in selection on a colour-polymorphic sit-and-wait predator, the crab spider Synema globosum. In two field experiments, we offered flowers harbouring spiders of different colour morphs to foraging honeybees. In the first, we tested for a pre-existing propensity in honeybees to avoid one spider morph over another, and whether this behaviour is influenced by the flower species on which spiders hunt. In the second, we tested the ability of bees to learn to avoid spider morphs associated with a previous simulated attack. Our results suggest that honeybees do not impose strong directional selection on spider morphs in our study population, and that avoidance behaviour is not influenced by flower species. However, we find evidence that honeybees learn to avoid spiders of a colour morph that has previously been associated with a simulated attack. These findings are the first empirical evidence for a mechanism by which prey behaviour might generate negative frequency-dependent selection on predator colour morphs, and hence potentially influence the long-term persistence of genetic and phenotypic diversity in predator populations.
Data from: Genetics and evidence for balancing selection of a sex-linked colour polymorphism in a songbird
Colour polymorphisms play a key role in sexual selection and speciation, yet the mechanisms that generate and maintain them are not fully understood. Here, we use genomic and transcriptomic tools to identify the precise genetic architecture and evolutionary history of a sex-linked colour polymorphism in the Gouldian finch Erythrura gouldiae that is also accompanied by remarkable differences in behaviour and physiology. We find that differences in colour are associated with an ~72-kbp region of the Z chromosome in a putative regulatory region for follistatin, an antagonist of the TGF-β superfamily genes. The region is highly differentiated between morphs, unlike the rest of the genome, yet we find no evidence that an inversion is involved in maintaining the distinct haplotypes. Coalescent simulations confirm that there is elevated nucleotide diversity and an excess of intermediate frequency alleles at this locus. We conclude that this pleiotropic colour polymorphism is most probably maintained by balancing selection.
Data from: Local adaptation and divergence in colour signal conspicuousness between monomorphic and polymorphic lineages in a lizard
Population differences in visual environment can lead to divergence in multiple components of animal coloration including signalling traits and colour patterns important for camouflage. Divergence may reflect selection imposed by different receivers (conspecifics, predators), which depends in turn on the location of the colour patch. We tested for local adaptation of two genetically and phenotypically divergent lineages of a rock-inhabiting lizard, Ctenophorus decresii, by comparing the visual contrast of colour patches to different receivers in native and non-native environments. The lineages differ most notably in male throat coloration, which is polymorphic in the northern lineage and monomorphic in the southern lineage, but also differ in dorsal and lateral coloration, which is visible to both conspecifics and potential predators. Using models of animal colour vision, we assessed whether lineage-specific throat, dorsal and lateral coloration enhanced conspicuousness to conspecifics, increased crypsis to birds or both, respectively, when viewed against the predominant backgrounds from each lineage. Throat colours were no more conspicuous against native than non-native rock but contrasted more strongly with native lichen, which occurs patchily on rocks inhabited by C. decresii. Conversely, neck coloration (lateral) more closely matched native lichen. Furthermore, although dorsal coloration of southern males was consistently more conspicuous to birds than that of northern males, both lineages had similar absolute conspicuousness against their native backgrounds. Combined, our results are consistent with local adaptation of multiple colour traits in relation to multiple receivers, suggesting that geographic variation in background colour has influenced the evolution of lineage-specific coloration in C. decresii.
Data from: It's not all black and white: investigating colour polymorphism in manta rays across Indo-Pacific populations
Intraspecific colour polymorphisms have been the focus of numerous studies, yet processes affecting melanism in the marine environment remain poorly understood. Arguably the most prominent example of melanism in marine species occurs in manta rays (Mobula birostris and M. alfredi). Here, we use photo identification catalogues to document the frequency variation of melanism across Indo-Pacific manta ray populations and test for evidence of selection by predation acting on colour morph variants. We use mark-recapture modeling to compare colour morph survivorship in three M. alfredi populations and assess the relationship between frequency variation and geographical distance. While large differences in melanism frequencies existed among populations of both species (0-40%), apparent survival estimates revealed no difference in survivorship between morphs. We found a significant association between phenotypic and geographical distance in M. birostris, but not in M. alfredi. Our results suggest melanism is not under selection by predation in the tested M. alfredi populations, and that frequency differences across populations of both species are a consequence of neutral genetic processes. As colour polymorphisms are often subjected to complex selection mechanisms, our findings only begin to elucidate the underlying evolutionary processes responsible for the maintenance and frequency variation of melanism in manta ray populations.
Data from: Parental coordination with respect to colour polymorphism in a crater lake fish
In many taxa, success in parental care requires the coordinated efforts of both parents. Given the evolutionary potential of parental performance, as well as phenotype-related behavioural differences, it is surprising that parental coordination in polymorphic species has attracted only very limited research attention. To redress this gap, I combined multiple approaches to assess parental performance and coordination of parental effort in the colour polymorphic and biparental cichlid fish, Amphilophus sagittae, in its natural crater lake habitat. I compared parents of the two colour morphs, dark and gold, as well as pairs that had mated colour assortatively ('same colour' pairs) versus disassortatively ('mixed' pairs). The two morphs differed in terms of a higher than expected number of single gold morph parents. Interestingly, parental coordination, in terms of the size of the defended territory and the rate of aggressive responses towards natural territory intruders, was lower in mixed than same colour pairs. Mixed pairs also had their territories in deeper water. However, no pair type differences in early survival of biparentally defended broods were detected. The findings contribute towards a better understanding of the role of parental coordination in polymorphic species, highlighting the importance of considering parental effort, coordination, and performance in the context of the dynamics of (colour) polymorphisms in the wild. Indeed, if the observed behavioural differences will translate into negative fitness effects for mixed pairs, parental performance can also provide a mechanism selecting for colour assortative mating and restricting gene flow under mating regimes that are not completely assortative.
Data from: Female-limited colour polymorphism in the crab spider Synema globosum (Araneae: Thomisidae)
Conspicuous colour variation, caused by the influence of the environment on phenotype or by genetic differences among individuals, is frequently observed in nature. If genetic in origin, colour variation can facilitate the study of mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance of true polymorphisms. Here we describe, for the first time, the female-limited colour polymorphism in the crab spider, Synema globosum. We looked for associations between life-history traits and female colour morph, and identified potential agents of selection that could influence the maintenance of the polymorphism. Our results showed that the polymorphism is discrete and heritable, and that differences in colour among morphs are likely to be detectable by honeybees, birds, and conspecifics. We found limited evidence of differences among morphs in morphology and ecology, and found no differences in components of reproduction. Based on the lines of evidence obtained in this study, we suggest that selection exerted by prey, predators, and/or mates is likely to influence the maintenance of the polymorphism observed in S. globosum.
Back in black: concealed skin colour and skin colour polymorphism promotes diversification in birds
<p>Evolutionary biologists have long been interested in understanding the factors that promote diversification in organisms, often focusing on distinct and/or conspicuous phenotypes with direct effects on natural or sexual selection such as body size and plumage colouration. However, multiple traits that potentially influence net diversification are not conspicuous and/or might be concealed. One such trait, the dark, melanin-rich skin concealed beneath the feathers, evolved more than 100 times during avian evolution, frequently in association with white feathers on the crown and UV-rich environments, suggesting that it is a UV-photoprotective adaptation. Furthermore, multiple species are polymorphic, having both light and dark skin. Such polymorphisms might aid in species occupying different UV radiation environments with dark skin enabling their presence in high UV-rich areas, and light skin to cope with potential negative effects of melanised skin when this becomes redundant. As such these polymorphisms are predicted in species with large latitudinal variation in their distribution. Furthermore, via this polymorphism, and by alleviating evolutionary constraints on feather colour, the evolution of dark skin may promote net diversification. Here, using an expanded dataset on bird skin colouration of 3033 species (with all families and 99% of bird genera), we found that more than 19% of species had dark skin. Contrary to our prediction, dark-skinned birds have smaller distribution ranges. Furthermore, we show that the evolution of dark skin colours and polymorphism in skin colouration, promotes net diversification. These results suggest that even hidden or concealed traits can influence large-scale evolutionary events such as diversification in birds.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
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The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
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