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139 results for “color variation”
Data from: Color variation and visual modeling provide no support for adaptive coloration in a blue crayfish
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Evolutionary dynamics of structural variation at a key locus for color pattern diversification in cichlid fishes
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Biochemical and genomic underpinnings of carotenoid color variation across a hybrid zone between South Asian flameback woodpeckers
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Data from: A ketocarotenoid-based color polymorphism in the Sira poison frog Ranitomeya sirensis indicates novel gene interactions underlying aposematic signal variation
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Evolutionary trade-offs may interact with physiological constraints to maintain color variation
<p>Animal coloration is a multifaceted trait with many ecological roles and related to a variety of developmental and physiological processes. Consequently, coloration is often subject to a variety of selective pressures, leading to the evolutionary maintenance of variation. In this study, we investigated hypotheses related to the maintenance of dorsal color variation in wood frogs (<i>Rana sylvatica</i>). First, we tested for multimodality, and whether color correlates with body size or condition or varies by sex or age-class. We combined behavioral trials with visual modeling to test for sex recognition. We also considered visual models for predators and tested for an interaction between discriminability indexes (JND) of color channel (chromatic vs. achromatic) and predator type (birds vs. snakes), as well as for a within individual trade-off between the JND of chromatic and achromatic coloration. Finally, we tested for disruptive viability selection on color using predation trials, and for antagonistic directional selection between viability selection and reproductive investment of females. We found that wood frogs present continuous color variation that does not correlate with body size or condition, but that changes with age. Wood frogs present subtle sexual dichromatism, but we found no evidence for a role of color in sex recognition. Instead, we discuss the possibility that sex differences might, at least in part, have a demographic explanation. Predator visual models indicated that wood frogs cannot solely rely on dorsal coloration for camouflage. Moreover, different predators might present selective pressures in different color channels, while individuals' achromatic and chromatic coloration trade-off in JND. Therefore, different selective pressures caused by different predators might interact with ontogenetic changes and developmental/physiological trade-offs to maintain color variation. We found no relationship between color and survival or reproductive investment, suggesting further work is required to fully understand selection on color. Our results highlight the importance of understanding evolutionary trade-offs and developmental/physiological constraints in combination with one another, and suggest the potential for an interaction between these proximate and ultimate mechanisms in the evolutionary maintenance of variation. These results likely extend beyond color expression in amphibians, and exemplify a more general process for such evolutionary outcomes.</p>
Diet variation driven by color vision phenotype in wild capuchin monkeys
<p>The polymorphic color vision of platyrrhine monkeys is a fascinating example of balancing selection acting on multiple genetic and phenotypic morphs. Yet, the mechanism of natural selection maintaining this variation remains elusive. Past research has demonstrated task-specific foraging advantages to dichromatic (two-opsin vision, red-green colorblind) and trichromatic (three-opsin vision, human "normal") monkeys, raising the potential for dietary niche differentiation. We ask whether color vision type influences diet variation in a population of wild, white-faced capuchins (<i>Cebus imitator</i>) in Costa Rica. To assess this, we record food intake during simultaneous focal follows of adult female dichromats and trichromats, and classify the conspicuity of diet items in capuchin visual space. We assess the degree of dietary and nutritional niche overlap during periods of high and low fruit abundance using nutritional geometry and Pianka's index. We find that in months of high fruit abundance, trichromats have higher intake of conspicuously-colored fruits, while dichromats have higher intake of camouflaged invertebrates, resulting in lower niche overlap. These differences disappear in months of low habitat-wide fruit abundance, a time when overall dietary breadth collapses. Our results support the hypothesis that niche differentiation in diet contributes to maintaining color vision variation without compromising species-specific nutritional intake.</p>
Data from: Not everything is black and white: color and behavioral variation reveal a continuum between cryptic and aposematic strategies in a polymorphic poison frog
Aposematism and crypsis are often viewed as two extremes of a continuum of visual conspicuousness to predators. Theory predicts that behavioral and coloration conspicuousness should vary in tandem along the conspicuousness spectrum for antipredator strategies to be effective. Here we used visual modeling of contrast and behavioral observations to examine the conspicuousness of four populations of the granular poison frog, Oophaga granulifera, which exhibits almost continuous variation in dorsal color. The patterns of geographic variation in color, visual contrast, and behavior support a gradient of overall conspicuousness along the distribution of O. granulifera. Red and green populations, at the extremes of the color distribution, differ in all elements of color, contrast, and behavior, strongly reflecting aposematic and cryptic strategies. However, there is no smooth cline in any elements of behavior or coloration between the two extremes. Instead populations of intermediate colors attain intermediate conspicuousness by displaying different combinations of aposematic and cryptic traits. We argue that coloration divergence among populations may be linked to the evolution of a gradient of strategies to balance the costs of detection by predators and the benefits of learned aversion.
Data from: No geographic variation in thermoregulatory color plasticity and limited variation in heat-avoidance behavior in Battus philenor caterpillars
Phenotypic plasticity can help organisms cope with variation in their current environment, including temperature variation, but not all environments are equally variable. In the least variable or extreme environments, plasticity may no longer be used. In this case, the plasticity could be lost all together, or it could persist with either the same or an altered reaction norm, depending on factors such as the plasticity's costs. In the pipevine swallowtail caterpillar (Battus philenor), I tested for changes in two forms of heat-avoidance plasticity, color change and refuge-seeking behavior, across the species' range in the United states, including the cooler eastern parts of its range where color change has not been observed and is unlikely to be needed. I found that both heat-avoidance behavior and color change persisted in all surveyed populations. Indeed, the reaction norm for color change remained nearly unaltered, while the threshold for refuge-seeking only changed slightly across populations. These results suggest that the costs of these plastic traits are low enough for them to be maintained by whatever minimal gene flow the population receives. I show that plasticity can be maintained unaltered in populations where it is not used and discuss the potential consequences of this persistence for both the ecology and evolution of plasticity.
Data from: Nonautosomal genetic variation in carotenoid coloration
Carotenoid-based coloration plays an important role in signaling, is often sexually dimorphic, and is potentially subject to directional and/or sex-specific selection. To understand the evolutionary dynamics of such color traits, it is essential to quantify patterns of inheritance, yet nonautosomal sources of genetic variation are easily overlooked by classical heritability analyses. Carotenoid metabolism has recently been linked to mitochondria, highlighting the potential for color variation to be explained by cytoplasmically inherited factors. In this study, we used quantitative genetic animal models to estimate the importance of mitochondrial and sex chromosome–linked sources of genetic variation in coloration in two songbird populations in which dietary carotenoids are either unmodified (great tit plumage) or metabolized into alternative color forms (zebra finch beak). We found no significant Z-linked genetic variance in great tit plumage coloration, while zebra finch beak coloration exhibited significant W linkage and cytoplasmic inheritance. Our results support cytoplasmic inheritance of color in the zebra finch, a trait based on endogenously metabolized carotenoids, and demonstrate the potential for nonautosomal sources to account for a considerable share of genetic variation in coloration. Although often overlooked, such nonautosomal genetic variation exhibits sex-dependent patterns of inheritance and potentially influences the evolution of sexual dichromatism.
Data from: Using human vision to detect variation in avian coloration: How bad is it?
Assessing variation in animal coloration is difficult as animals differ in their visual system properties. This has led some to propose that human vision can never be used to evaluate coloration, yet many studies have a long history of relying on human vision. To reconcile these views, we compared the reflectance spectra of preserved avian plumage elements with two measures that are humans biased: RGB values from digital photographs and the corresponding reflectance spectra from a field guide. We measured 73 plumage elements across 14 bird species. The field guide reflectance spectra were drastically different from that of the actual birds, particularly for blue elements. However, principal components analyses on all three data sets indicated remarkably similar data structure. We conclude that human vision can detect much of the variation in coloration in the visible range, providing fodder for subsequent studies in ecology, evolution, behavior, and visual ecology.
Data from: True colors: commercially-acquired morphological genotypes reveal hidden allele variation among dog breeds, informing both trait ancestry and breed potential
<p>Direct-to-consumer canine genetic testing is becoming increasingly popular among dog owners. The data collected therein provides intriguing insight into the current status of morphological variation present within purebred populations. Mars WISDOM PANEL<sup>TM</sup> data from 11,790 anonymized dogs, representing 212 breeds and 4 wild canine species, were evaluated at genes associated with 7 coat color traits and 5 physical characteristics. Frequencies for all tested alleles at these 12 genes were determined by breed and by phylogenetic grouping. A sub-set of the data, consisting of 30 breeds, was divided into separate same-breed populations based on country of collection, body size, coat variation, or lineages selected for working or conformation traits. Significantly different (p ≤ 0.00167) allele frequencies were observed between populations for at least one of the tested genes in 26 of the 30 breeds. Next, standard breed descriptions from major American and international registries were used to determine colors and tail lengths (e.g. genetic bobtail) accepted within each breed. Alleles capable of producing traits incongruous with breed descriptions were observed in 143 breeds, such that random mating within breeds has probabilities of between 4.9e<sup>-7</sup> and 0.25 of creating undesirable phenotypes. Finally, the presence of rare alleles within breeds, such as those for the recessive black coloration and natural bobtail, was combined with previously published identity-by-decent haplotype sharing levels to propose pathways by which the alleles may have spread throughout dog breeds. Taken together, this work demonstrates that: 1) the occurrence of low frequency alleles within breeds can reveal the influence of regional or functional selection practices; 2) it is possible to trace the mode by which characteristics have spread across breeds during historical breed formation; and 3) the necessity of addressing conflicting ideals in breed descriptions relative to actual genetic potential is crucial.</p>
M Dwarf Flare Continuum Variations on One-Second Timescales: Calibrating and Modeling of ULTRACAM Flare Color Indices
<p>These files contain the ULTRACAM light curves, the ULTRACAM flare color indices, the APO/DIS spectral data, and the NMSU 1-m U-band photometry from "M Dwarf Flare Continuum Variations on One-Second Timescales: Calibrating and Modeling of ULTRACAM Flare Color Indices", Kowalski, A. F., Mathioudakis, M., Hawley, S. L., Wisniewski, J. P., Dhillon, V. S., Marsh, T. R., Hilton, E. J., & Brown, B. P., 2016, Astrophysical Journal in press. See the included ReadMe file for detailed information on the files.</p>
FIGURES 41–49. Oecanthus pictus n in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 41–49. Oecanthus pictus n. sp. female. 41—habitus; 42, 44, 46—cerci and ovipositor, lateral, dorsal and ventral views, respectively; 43, 45, 47—ovipositor apex, lateral, dorsal and ventral views, respectively; 48—supranal plate; 49– subgenital plate.
FIGURE 27. Oecanthus pictus n in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURE 27. Oecanthus pictus n. sp. Variation found in scape and pedicel marks, in ventral view. Conventions: a—pedicel; b—scape.
FIGURES 15–19 in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 15–19. Calling songs of Oecanthus pictus n. sp. 15—Holotype spectrogram; 16—oscillogram of two pulses; 17— oscillogram of the trill; 18—regression lines showing the effect of temperature on pulse rate; 19—relationship between dominant frequency and pulse rate.
FIGURES 28–38 in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 28–38. Male genitalia of Oecanthus pictus n. sp. 28—ventral view with membranes; 29—phallic sclerites, dorsal view; 30—phallic sclerites, ventral view; 31—main lobe of pseudepiphallus, dosal view; 32—pseudepiphallus, ventral view; 33— pseudepiphallus, dorsal view; 34—phallic sclerites, diagonal view; 35—pseudepiphallus, diagonal view; 36—ectophallic sclerite; 37—ectophallic and endophallic sclerites; 38—endophallic sclerite. Conventions: MLPs—main lobe of pseudepiphallus; M—End.Sc-Median endophallic sclerite; L—End.Sc–lateral endophallic sclerite; End.Sc.p—endophallic sclerite posterior lobes; Ect.Sc—ectophallic sclerite; Ect.F—ectophallic fold; Ec—endophallic cavity; R–rami.
FIGURES 13–14 in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 13–14. Metanotal gland of Oecanthus pictus n. sp paratype. 13—whole gland, dorsal view; 14—posterior median lobe. Conventions: Sc—scutum; St—scutellum; ss—scutoscutellar suture; pml—posterior median lobe; a—tuft of bristles projected medio-anteriorly; b—bristles projected medio-posteriorly; c—bristles projected dorso-posteriorly.
FIGURES 20–25 in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 20–25. Head, pronotum and legs of Oecanthus pictus n. sp. paratypes. 20, 21, 22—head and pronotum, lateral view, increasing pigmentation; 23—legs I and II, respectively, lateral view, inner and outer faces; 24—legs III, lateral view; 25— Tibia III, lateral view. Conventions: L—left leg outer side; R—right leg inner side; a,c—set of three marks; b—ring; d–gpairs of marks.
FIGURES 5–12. Oecanthus pictus n in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 5–12. Oecanthus pictus n. sp. holotype male. 5—habitus in lateral view; 6—habitus in dorsal view; 7—stridulatory file; 8—head and pronotum, dorsal view; 9—Metanotal gland; 10—right tegmen; 11—subgenital plate; 12—supranal plate.
FIGURES 39–40 in A new species of tree crickets (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation
FIGURES 39–40. Comparison of the metanotal glands and tegmina by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using linear variables. 39—Metanotal gland; 40—Tegmina. Group 1, red; Group 2, green; Group 3, blue; Group 4, yellow.
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Allen Brain Atlas
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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.
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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.
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