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357 results for “colour patterns”

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dryad36/100

PCA coordinates describing dorsal colour pattern variation in 723 Morpho butterflies

Species interactions such as mimicry can promote trait convergence but disentangling this effect from those of shared ecology, evolutionary history and niche conservatism is often challenging. Here by focusing on wing color pattern variation within and between three butterfly species living in sympatry in a large proportion of their range, we tested the effect of species interactions on trait diversification. These butterflies display a conspicuous iridescent blue coloration on the dorsal side of their wings and a cryptic brownish colour on the ventral side. Combined with an erratic and fast flight, these color patterns increase the difficulty of capture by predators and contribute to the high escape abilities of these butterflies. We hypothesize that, beyond their direct contribution to predator escape, these wing patterns can be used as signals of escape abilities by predators, resulting in positive frequency-dependent selection favouring convergence in wing pattern in sympatry. To test this hypothesis, we quantified dorsal wing pattern variations of 723 butterflies from the three species sampled throughout their distribution, including sympatric and allopatric situations and compared the phenotypic distances between species, sex and localities. We detected a significant effect of localities on colour pattern, and higher inter-specific resemblance in sympatry as compared to allopatry, consistent with the hypothesis of local convergence of wing patterns. Our results provide support to the existence of escape mimicry in the wild and stress the importance of estimating trait variation within species to understand trait variation between species, and to a larger extent, trait diversification at the macro-evolutionary scale.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Global geographic patterns in the colours and sizes of animal‐dispersed fruits

Aim. Fruit colours attract animal seed dispersers, yet the causes of fruit colour diversity remain controversial. The lack of knowledge of large-scale spatial patterns in fruit colours has limited our ability to formulate and test alternative hypotheses to explain fruit colour, fruit size, and fruit colour diversity. We describe spatial (especially latitudinal) variation in fruit colour, colour diversity, and length, and test for correlations between fruit colour, length, and plant habit. Location. Global. Time period. Present-day. Major taxa studied. Seed plants. Methods. We assembled a database of fruit traits for 13,178 fleshy-fruited plant species spanning 136 sites around the world. To assess whether fruit colour categories correspond with spectral reflectances, we tested for clustering of hue, chroma, and saturation for 236 species for which we had reflectance data. We then quantified latitudinal gradients in fruit colour, fruit length, and fruit colour diversity while controlling for the effects of plant habit, and whether colour categories varied with respect to average fruit size. Results. Colour categories corresponded well with reflectance data. The tropics show high colour diversity, while red fruits progressively constitute a higher proportion of the fleshy-fruited plant community towards high latitudes. All mammal-associated colours (green, orange, brown, and yellow) are more common in the tropics than at high latitudes. Fruit length also increases towards the tropics. Main conclusions. Tropical communities tend to have diverse fruit colours, including many mammal-associated fruit colours, while high latitude communities contain a higher percentage of red-fruited species. The correlation between colour and size is strong, and some latitudinal patterns may be partly driven by changes in fruit size. Differences in geography and in the history of plant lineages in the southern versus the northern hemisphere may help to explain some biogeographic patterns, but alternative hypotheses related to fruit defence, development, and metabolic costs are plausible.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Agonistic character displacement of genetically based male colour patterns across darters

Agonistic character displacement (ACD) occurs when selection to avoid maladaptive interspecific aggression leads to the evolution of agonistic signals and/or associated behavioural biases in sympatry. Here we test for a pattern consistent with ACD in male colour pattern in darters (Percidae: Etheostoma). Male colour pattern has been shown to function in male-male competition rather than female mating preferences in several darter species. Additionally, males bias their aggression towards conspecific over heterospecific males in sympatry but not in allopatry, consistent with divergent ACD in male behavioural biases. We use a common garden approach to show that differences in male colour pattern among four closely related darter species are genetically based. Additionally, we demonstrate that some aspects of male colour pattern exhibit enhanced differences in sympatric compared to allopatric populations of two darter species, consistent with ACD. However, other male colour traits are more similar between species in sympatry compared to allopatry, indicating that not all signal components are under strong divergent selection in sympatry. This study provides evidence that interspecific male-male aggressive interactions alone can promote elaborate male signal evolution both between and within species. We discuss the implications this has for male-driven ACD and cascade ACD.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

dryad36/100

Datasets and scripts from: Sensory-based quantification of male colour patterns in Trinidadian guppies reveals no support for parallel phenotypic evolution in multivariate trait space

Parallel evolution, in which independent populations evolve along similar phenotypic trajectories, offers insights into the repeatability of adaptive evolution. Here, we revisit a classic example of parallelism, that of repeated evolution of brighter males in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata). In guppies, colonisation of low predation habitats is associated with emergence of 'more colourful' phenotypes since predator-induced viability selection for crypsis weakens while sexual selection by female preference for conspicuousness remains strong. Our study differs from previous investigations in three respects. First, we adopt a multivariate phenotyping approach to characterise parallelism in multi-trait space. Second, we use ecologically-relevant colour traits defined by the visual systems of the two selective agents (i.e. guppy, predatory cichlid). Third, we estimate population genetic structure to test for adaptive (parallel) evolution against a model of neutral phenotypic divergence. We find strong phenotypic differentiation that is inconsistent with a neutral model but very limited support for the predicted pattern of greater conspicuousness at low predation. Effects of predation regime on each trait were in the expected direction, but weak, largely non-significant, and explained little among-population variation. In multi-trait space, phenotypic trajectories of lineages colonising low from high predation regimes were not parallel. Our results are consistent with reduced predation risk facilitating adaptive differentiation, potentially by female choice, but suggest that this proceeds in independent directions of multi-trait space across lineages. Pool-sequencing data also revealed SNPs showing greater differentiation than expected under neutrality, among which some are found in genes contributing to colour pattern variation, presenting opportunities for future genetic study.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

zenodo36/100

Dataset, R code and metadata for Lim et al., Pattern matters in the aposematic colouration of Papilio polytes butterflies

Dataset, R code and metadata for Lim et al., Pattern matters in the aposematic colouration of Papilio polytes butterflies.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2024View details →

zenodo36/100

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-

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Cortex cis-regulatory switches establish scale colour identity and pattern diversity in Heliconius

In Heliconius butterflies, wing pattern diversity is controlled by a few genes of large effect that regulate colour pattern switches between morphs and species across a large mimetic radiation. One of these genes, cortex, has been repeatedly associated with colour pattern evolution in butterflies. Here we carried out CRISPR knock-outs in multiple Heliconius species and show that cortex is a major determinant of scale cell identity. Chromatin accessibility profiling and introgression scans identified cis-regulatory regions associated with discrete phenotypic switches. CRISPR perturbation of these regions in black hindwing genotypes recreated a yellow bar, revealing their spatially limited activity. In the H. melpomene/timareta lineage, the candidate CRE from yellow-barred phenotype morphs is interrupted by a transposable element, suggesting that cis-regulatory structural variation underlies these mimetic adaptations. Our work shows that cortex functionally controls scale colour fate and that its cis-regulatory regions control a phenotypic switch in a modular and pattern-specific fashion.

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Ecogeographical patterns in owl plumage colouration: climate and vegetation cover predict global colour variation

Aim: Ecogeographical rules link animal colours, especially those produced by melanin pigments, with variation in environmental conditions over wide geographical scales. In particular, Gloger's rule, coined in two versions for endothermic animals, suggests that tegument darkness would increase at high temperature, as well as in highly humid environments. On the other hand, the thermal melanism hypothesis, predicts that darker colourations should be more frequent in colder areas given their thermoregulation benefits. Location: Global Time period: Contemporary Major taxa studied: Strigiformes Methods: Here, we provide a global comparative test of these contrasting expectations in all extant owls (n = 198 species), a group of nocturnal birds displaying huge variability in the degree of melanin-based plumage colouration and environmental specialization. Combining analyses at both species and assemblage level, we assessed the climatic and environmental variables explaining variation in plumage lightness and redness across broad geographical gradients. Results: Darker and redder owl phenotypes are more likely found near the equator. Species and assemblage level analyses reveal that owls have more frequently darker and redder plumages in warmer regions. In addition, owl species living in more vegetated areas are darker, and owl assemblages show darker colours in wetter areas. Main conclusions: Global patterns of colour variation in owls do not fit expectations from the thermal melanism hypothesis but supports Gloger´s rule. Our findings also stresses that several alternative selective forces may explain climatic effects on colouration over large geographical scales. Experimental work is urged to uncover the possible mechanisms behind the detected associations between owl colour and environmental variables.

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Unexpected colour pattern variation in mimetic frogs: implication for the diversification of warning signals in the genus Ranitomeya

Predation is expected to promote uniformity in the warning colouration of defended prey, but also mimicry convergence between aposematic species. Despite selection constraining both colour-pattern and population divergence, many aposematic animals display numerous geographically structured populations with distinct warning signals. Here, we explore the extent of phenotypic variation of sympatric species of Ranitomeya poison frogs and test for theoretical expectations on variation and convergence in mimetic signals. We demonstrate that both warning signal and mimetic convergence are highly variable and are negatively correlated: some localities display high variability and no mimicry while in others the phenotype is fixed and mimicry is perfect. Moreover, variation in warning signals is always present within localities, and in many cases, this variation overlaps between populations, such that variation is continuous. Finally, we show that coloration is consistently the least variable element and is likely of greater importance for predator avoidance compared to patterning. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of warning signal diversification and suggest that, like many other locally adapted traits, a combination of standing genetic variation and founding effect might be sufficient to enable divergence in colour pattern.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

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