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19 results for “colour pattern variation”
Pattern variation is linked to anti-predator colouration in butterfly larvae
<p>Prey animals typically try to avoid being detected and/or advertise to would-be predators that they should be avoided. Both anti-predator strategies primarily rely on colour to succeed, but the specific patterning used is also important. While the role of patterning in camouflage is relatively clear, the design features of aposematic patterns are less well understood. Here, we use a comparative approach to investigate how pattern use varies across a phylogeny of 268 species of cryptic and aposematic butterfly larvae, which also vary in social behaviour. We find that longitudinal stripes are used more frequently by cryptic larvae and that patterns putatively linked to crypsis are more likely to be used by solitary larvae. In contrast, aposematic larvae are more likely to use horizontal bands and spots, but we find no differences in the use of individual pattern elements between solitary and gregarious aposematic species. However, solitary aposematic larvae are more likely to display multiple pattern elements, whereas those with no pattern are more likely to be gregarious. Our study advances our understanding of how pattern variation, colouration and social behaviour co-vary across lepidopteran larvae, and highlights new questions about how patterning affects larval detectability and predator responses to aposematic prey.</p>
Рис. 3–20. Варианты окраски Mesobuthus eupeus. 3–7 – Северо-ЗапаΑный Гобустан; 8–10 – Северо-Восточный Гобустан; 11–14 – ЦентраΛьный Гобустан; 15–17 – Юго-Восточный Гобустан; 18–20 – Юго-Восточный Ширван. Figs 3–20. Colour pattern variation in Mesobuthus eupeus. 3–7 – northwestern Gobustan; 8–10 – northeastern Gobustan; 11–14 – central Gobustan; 15–17 – southeastern Gobustan; 18–20 – southeastern Shirvan. in Materials on the colour pattern variability of Mesobuthus eupeus (C.L. Koch, 1839) (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in southeastern Shirvan and Gobustan (Eastern Azerbaijan)
Рис. 3–20. Варианты окраски Mesobuthus eupeus. 3–7 – Северо-ЗапаΑный Гобустан; 8–10 – Северо-Восточный Гобустан; 11–14 – ЦентраΛьный Гобустан; 15–17 – Юго-Восточный Гобустан; 18–20 – Юго-Восточный Ширван. Figs 3–20. Colour pattern variation in Mesobuthus eupeus. 3–7 – northwestern Gobustan; 8–10 – northeastern Gobustan; 11–14 – central Gobustan; 15–17 – southeastern Gobustan; 18–20 – southeastern Shirvan.
Pattern variation is linked to anti-predator colouration in butterfly larvae
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Data from: Unscrambling variation in avian eggshell colour and patterning in a continent-wide study
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PCA coordinates describing dorsal colour pattern variation in 723 Morpho butterflies
<p>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.</p>
Ecogeographical patterns in owl plumage colouration: climate and vegetation cover predict global colour variation
<p>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.</p> <p>Location: Global</p> <p>Time period: Contemporary</p> <p>Major taxa studied: Strigiformes</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>
Unexpected colour pattern variation in mimetic frogs: implication for the diversification of warning signals in the genus Ranitomeya
<p>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 <em>Ranitomeya</em> 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.</p>
PCA coordinates describing dorsal colour pattern variation in 723 Morpho butterflies
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Ecogeographical patterns in owl plumage colouration: climate and vegetation cover predict global colour variation
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Unexpected colour pattern variation in mimetic frogs: implication for the diversification of warning signals in the genus Ranitomeya
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Data on expert assessments of colour pattern variation in Erebidae and Noctuidae moths in Sweden
<p>Besides variation among animal species in ground colour and in the number, size, shape, and distribution of pattern elements, there is also considerable intraspecific variation in colour patterns that can manifest both between populations inhabiting different environments, and among individuals within populations. In previous investigations into the consequences of inter-individual variation in colour patterns in moths we have relied on a discrete classification with three categories: non-variable; variable; or highly variable colour patterns, as jointly assessed by Per-Eric Betzholtz and Markus Franzén (e.g., Forsman et al. 2015, 2016, Franzén et al. 2019). Here we provide the raw data from the anonymized assessments of colour pattern variation of 489 species of Erebidae and Noctuidae moths in Sweden performed by twelve lepidopterologists with extensive experience and expertise of the moth fauna in Sweden. In addition, the raw data (on a discrete scale) provided by the experts is used to generate a continuously distributed measure of the intra-specific colour pattern variation in moths. Despite variation among the independent scorers in their assessments of the average level of forewing colour pattern variation, there were statistically significant consistent differences in average colour pattern variation among the different species of moths (for details see Supporting Information I in Betzholtz et al. 2019).</p> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p class="EndNoteBibliography">Betzholtz, P.-E., A. Forsman, and M. Franzén. 2019. Inter-individual variation in colour patterns in noctuid moths characterizes long-distance dispersers and agricultural pests. Journal of Applied Entomology 143: 992-999.</p> <p class="EndNoteBibliography">Forsman, A., P. E. Betzholtz, and M. Franzén. 2015. Variable coloration is associated with dampened population fluctuations in noctuid moths. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282: 20142922.</p> <p class="EndNoteBibliography">Forsman, A., P. E. Betzholtz, and M. Franzén. 2016. Faster poleward range shifts in moths with more variable colour patterns. Scientific Reports 6: 36265.</p> <p class="EndNoteBibliography">Franzén, M., P. E. Betzholtz, and A. Forsman. 2019. Variable color patterns influence continental range size and species-area relationships on islands. Ecosphere 10: e02577.</p>
Data from: Colour pattern variation forms local background matching camouflage in a leaf-mimicking toad
<p>Optimal camouflage can, in principle, be relatively easily achieved in simple, homogeneous, environments where backgrounds always have the same color, brightness, and patterning. Natural environments are, however, rarely homogenous and species often find themselves viewed against varied backgrounds where the task of concealment is more challenging. One result of variable backgrounds is the evolution of intraspecific phenotypic variation which may either be generalized, with multiple similarly cryptic patterns, or specialized, with each discrete color form maximizing concealment against a single component of the background. We investigated the role of phenotypic variation in a highly variable population of the Neotropical toad <em>Rhinella margaritifera</em> using visual modeling and a computer-based detection task. We found that phenotypic variation was not divided into discrete color morphs and all toads were well camouflaged against the forest floor. However, although the whole population may appear to consist of random samples from the background, the toads were a particularly close match to the leaf litter, suggesting that they masquerade as dead leaves, which are themselves variable. Furthermore, rather than each color form being equally effective against a single background, each toad was specialized towards its own particular local surroundings, as suggested by a specialist strategy. Taken together, these data highlight the importance of background matching to a nominally masquerading species, as well as how habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales may affect the evolution of camouflage and phenotypic variation.</p>
Data from: Colour pattern variation forms local background matching camouflage in a leaf-mimicking toad
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Data on expert assessments of colour pattern variation in Erebidae and Noctuidae moths in Sweden
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Spatial and temporal variation in prey colour patterns for background-matching across a continuous heterogeneous environment
<p>In heterogeneous habitats, camouflage via background-matching can be challenging because visual characteristics can vary dramatically across small spatial scales. Additionally, temporal variation in signalling functions of colouration can affect crypsis, especially when animals use colouration seasonally for intraspecific signalling (e.g. mate selection). We currently have a poor understanding of how wild prey optimise background-matching within continuously heterogeneous habitats, and whether this is affected by requirements of intraspecific signalling across biological seasons. Here, we quantified colour patterns of a wild population of shore skink (<i>Oligosoma smithi</i>), a variably coloured lizard endemic to New Zealand, to 1) investigate whether background-matching varies across a vegetation gradient; 2) assess potential signalling functions of colour; and 3) to determine whether there is a trade-off between requirements for crypsis and intraspecific signalling in colouration across seasons. Although all pattern types occurred throughout the vegetation gradient, we found evidence for background-matching in skinks across the vegetation gradient, where dorsal brightness and pattern complexity corresponded with the proportion of vegetation cover. There was also a significant disparity between ventral colour (saturation) of juveniles and adults, and also between sexes, suggestive of sex recognition. However, there was little indication that colour was condition-dependent in adults. Despite some evidence for a potential role in signalling, crypsis did not greatly differ across seasons. Our study suggests that selection favours a mix of generalist and specialist background-matching strategies across continuously heterogeneous habitats.</p>
Data from: Heritable variation in colour patterns mediating individual recognition
Understanding the developmental and evolutionary processes that generate and maintain variation in natural populations remains a major challenge for modern biology. Populations of Polistes fuscatus paper wasps have highly variable colour patterns that mediate individual recognition. Previous experimental and comparative studies have provided evidence that colour pattern diversity is the result of selection for individuals to advertise their identity. Distinctive identity-signalling phenotypes facilitate recognition, which reduces aggression between familiar individuals in P. fuscatus wasps. Selection for identity signals may increase phenotypic diversity via two distinct modes of selection that have different effects on genetic diversity. Directional selection for increased plasticity would greatly increase phenotypic diversity but decrease genetic diversity at associated loci. Alternatively, heritable identity signals under balancing selection would maintain genetic diversity at associated loci. Here, we assess whether there is heritable variation underlying colour pattern diversity used for facial recognition in a wild population of P. fuscatus wasps. We find that colour patterns are heritable and not Mendelian, suggesting that multiple loci are involved. Additionally, patterns of genetic correlations among traits indicated that many of the loci underlying colour pattern variation are unlinked and independently segregating. Our results support a model where the benefits of being recognizable maintain genetic variation at multiple unlinked loci that code for phenotypic diversity used for recognition.
Spatial and temporal variation in prey colour patterns for background-matching across a continuous heterogeneous environment
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Data from: Heritable variation in colour patterns mediating individual recognition
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FIGURES 1–12 Watanabella graminea Choe, 1981 colour pattern variations 1–3. From Shanxi Prov., 1 in Description of a new leafhopper species of the genus Watanabella (Hemiptera Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) from China
FIGURES 1–12 Watanabella graminea Choe, 1981 colour pattern variations 1–3. From Shanxi Prov., 1. ♂, dorsal view; 2. ♂, lateral view; 3. ♂, face; 4–6. From Henan Prov., 4. ♂, dorsal view; 5. ♂, lateral view; 6. ♂, face; 7–9. From Guizhou Prov., 7. ♂, dorsal view; 8. ♂, lateral view; 9. ♂, face; 10–12. From Sichuan Prov., 10. ♂, dorsal view; 11. ♂, lateral view; 12. ♂, face;
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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.
International Brain Laboratory public data
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
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.