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Yokum EE, Goldstein DL, Krane CM. Novel observations of "freeze resistance" and dynamic blue and green dorsal coloration in frozen and thawing Dryophytes chrysoscelis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:1044-1051. [PMID: 37661700 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Freeze tolerant animals survive the winter by tolerating the freezing and thawing of up to 70% of body water and the respective cessation and resumption of essential functions including circulation and respiration during each freeze-thaw cycle. Cope's gray treefrog Dryophytes chrysoscelis is a freeze tolerant anuran that uses a system of cryoprotectants to prevent intracellular freezing and mitigate osmotic stress during freezing and thawing episodes. Morphological features were documented in D. chrysoscelis using a repeated freeze-thaw protocol. Dorsal skin in frozen frogs was distinctly blue and green before reverting to brown during thawing. The dorsal color change in frozen frogs does not function similarly to other known color change events in amphibians. The return to brown skin color in thawing animals coincides with recovery of vital functions in freeze tolerant frogs, suggesting that dorsal color change is an indicator of postfreeze recovery in D. chrysoscelis. We also provide evidence of "freeze resistance" in D. chrysoscelis. Two individuals did not freeze following three successive bouts of ice inoculation at -2.5°C and maintained brown dorsal color despite ice crystallization on the dorsum and contact with frozen substrate. Both frogs had similar plasma osmolality, circulating cryoprotectants, and incidence of cryoinjury compared to frogs that were frozen and thawed once or three times. Freeze resistance may be explained by physical changes in the skin including lipid accumulation and dehydration. This integrative study presents novel attributes of organismal freeze tolerance in D. chrysoscelis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David L Goldstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Carissa M Krane
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA
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2
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Liedtke HC, Lopez-Hervas K, Galván I, Polo-Cavia N, Gomez-Mestre I. Background matching through fast and reversible melanin-based pigmentation plasticity in tadpoles comes with morphological and antioxidant changes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12064. [PMID: 37495600 PMCID: PMC10371988 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39107-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Facultative colour change is widespread in the animal kingdom, and has been documented in many distantly related amphibians. However, experimental data testing the extent of facultative colour change, and associated physiological and morphological implications are comparatively scarce. Background matching in the face of spatial and temporal environmental variation is thought to be an important proximate function of colour change in aquatic amphibian larvae. This is particularly relevant for species with long larval periods such as the western spadefoot toad, Pelobates cultripes, whose tadpoles spend up to six months developing in temporary waterbodies with temporally variable vegetation. By rearing tadpoles on different coloured backgrounds, we show that P. cultripes larvae can regulate pigmentation to track fine-grained differences in background brightness, but not hue or saturation. We found that colour change is rapid, reversible, and primarily achieved through changes in the quantity of eumelanin in the skin. We show that this increased eumelanin production and/or maintenance is also correlated with changes in morphology and oxidative stress, with more pigmented tadpoles growing larger tail fins and having an improved redox status.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Christoph Liedtke
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group. Biological Station of Doñana - CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain.
| | - Karem Lopez-Hervas
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany
| | - Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, CSIC, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Polo-Cavia
- Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ivan Gomez-Mestre
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group. Biological Station of Doñana - CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain
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3
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Park C, No S, Yoo S, Oh D, Hwang Y, Kim Y, Kang C. Testing multiple hypotheses on the colour change of treefrogs in response to various external conditions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4203. [PMID: 36918652 PMCID: PMC10015036 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31262-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphibians are famous for their ability to change colours. And a considerable number of studies have investigated the internal and external factors that affect the expression of this phenotypic plasticity. Evidence to date suggests that thermoregulation and camouflage are the main pressures that influence frogs' adaptive colour change responses. However, certain gaps in our knowledge of this phenomenon remain, namely: (i) how do frogs adjust their colour in response to continuously changing external conditions?; (ii) what is the direction of change when two different functions of colour (camouflage and thermoregulation) are in conflict?; (iii) does reflectance in the near-infrared region show thermally adaptive change?; and (iv) is the colour change ability of each frog an individual trait (i.e., consistent within an individual over time)? Using Dryophytes japonicus (Hylidae, Hyla), we performed a series of experiments to answer the above questions. We first showed that frogs' responses to continuously-changing external conditions (i.e., background colour and temperature) were not linear and limited to the range they experience under natural conditions. Second, when a functional conflict existed, camouflage constrained the adaptive response for thermoregulation and vice versa. Third, though both temperature and background colour induced a change in near-infrared reflectance, this change was largely explained by the high correlation between colour (reflectance in the visible spectrum) and near-infrared reflectance. Fourth, within-individual variation in colour change capacity (i.e., the degree of colour change an individual can display) was lower than inter-individual variation, suggesting individuality of colour change capacity; however, we also found that colour change capacity could change gradually with time within individuals. Our results collectively reveal several new aspects of how evolution shapes the colour change process and highlight how variation in external conditions restricts the extent of colour change in treefrogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chohee Park
- Department of Biosciences, Mokpo National University, Cheonggye, Muan, Jeollanamdo, 58554, South Korea.,Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Seongsoo No
- Department of Biosciences, Mokpo National University, Cheonggye, Muan, Jeollanamdo, 58554, South Korea.,Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Sohee Yoo
- Department of Biosciences, Mokpo National University, Cheonggye, Muan, Jeollanamdo, 58554, South Korea.,Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Dogeun Oh
- Department of Biosciences, Mokpo National University, Cheonggye, Muan, Jeollanamdo, 58554, South Korea.,Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Yerin Hwang
- Department of Biosciences, Mokpo National University, Cheonggye, Muan, Jeollanamdo, 58554, South Korea.,Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Yongsu Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Changku Kang
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea. .,Research Institute of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea.
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4
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Spatial differentiation of background matching strategies along a Late Pleistocene range expansion route. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10216-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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5
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Shamanna Seshadri K, Thaker M. Correlated evolution of parental care with dichromatism, colors, and patterns in anurans. Evolution 2022; 76:737-748. [PMID: 35245394 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Parental care is widespread and has fitness benefits. But caregiving parents incur costs including higher predation, and this may lead to selection for body colors or patterns that help mitigate the risks of caring. The evolution of coloration, including sexual dichromatism, however, can be driven by other factors, such as sexual selection. Therefore, examining the associations between parental care and color patterns may provide key insights into evolutionary patterns and selection pressures for parental care. Our comparative analysis of 988 anuran species reveals that dichromatic species are less likely to provide parental care, irrespective of the caregiving sex, and are more likely to breed in aquatic habitats. We then examined whether dorsal colors and patterns that enhance crypticity or function as aposematic signals are associated with the caregiving sex, and the modality of care (transport or stationary). Only caregiving males are more likely to have dorsal Stripes, but none of the colors (Green-Brown, Red, Yellow, Blue-Black) and other patterns (Plain, Bands, Spots, Mottled-Patches) were associated with caregiving females or the modality of care. Overall, sexual dichromatism, breeding ecology, and parental care are associated, but the evolution of caregiving behavior does not appear to influence the myriad colors and patterns characteristic of anurans globally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Thaker
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
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Wuthrich KL, Nagel A, Swierk L. Rapid Body Color Change Provides Lizards with Facultative Crypsis in the Eyes of Their Avian Predators. Am Nat 2021; 199:277-290. [DOI: 10.1086/717678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Lin Wuthrich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902
| | - Amber Nagel
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019
| | - Lindsey Swierk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511; and Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Loreto 16001, Perú
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Tong H, Li J, Wo Y, Shao G, Zhao W, Aguilar‐Gómez D, Jin Y. Effects of substrate color on intraspecific body color variation in the toad-headed lizard, Phrynocephalus versicolor. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10253-10262. [PMID: 31624549 PMCID: PMC6787858 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Diversity in animal coloration is generally associated with adaptation to their living habitats, ranging from territorial display and sexual selection to predation or predation avoidance, and thermoregulation. However, the mechanism underlying color variation in toad-headed Phrynocephalus lizards remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the population color variation of Phrynocephalus versicolor. We found that lizards distributed in dark substrate have darker dorsal coloration (melanic lizards) than populations living in light substrates. This characteristic may improve their camouflage effectiveness. A reciprocal substrate translocation experiment was conducted to clarify the potential role of morphological adaptation and physiological plasticity of this variation. Spectrometry technology and digital photography were used to quantify the color variation of the above-mentioned melanic and nonmelanic P. versicolor populations and their native substrate. Additionally, substrate color preference in both populations was investigated with choice experiments. Our results indicate that the melanic and nonmelanic populations with remarkable habitat color difference were significantly different on measured reflectance, luminance, and RGB values. Twenty-four hours, 30 days, and 60 days of substrate translocation treatment had little effects on dorsal color change. We also found that melanic lizards choose to live in dark substrate, while nonmelanic lizards have no preference for substrate color. In conclusion, our results support that the dorsal coloration of P. versicolor, associated with substrate color, is likely a morphological adaptation rather than phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Tong
- College of Life SciencesChina Jiliang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Jiasheng Li
- College of Life SciencesChina Jiliang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yubin Wo
- College of Life SciencesChina Jiliang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Gang Shao
- College of Life SciencesChina Jiliang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Wei Zhao
- School of Life SciencesLanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | | | - Yuanting Jin
- College of Life SciencesChina Jiliang UniversityHangzhouChina
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Eacock A, Rowland HM, Edmonds N, Saccheri IJ. Colour change of twig-mimicking peppered moth larvae is a continuous reaction norm that increases camouflage against avian predators. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3999. [PMID: 29158965 PMCID: PMC5691783 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Camouflage, and in particular background-matching, is one of the most common anti-predator strategies observed in nature. Animals can improve their match to the colour/pattern of their surroundings through background selection, and/or by plastic colour change. Colour change can occur rapidly (a few seconds), or it may be slow, taking hours to days. Many studies have explored the cues and mechanisms behind rapid colour change, but there is a considerable lack of information about slow colour change in the context of predation: the cues that initiate it, and the range of phenotypes that are produced. Here we show that peppered moth (Biston betularia) larvae respond to colour and luminance of the twigs they rest on, and exhibit a continuous reaction norm of phenotypes. When presented with a heterogeneous environment of mixed twig colours, individual larvae specialise crypsis towards one colour rather than developing an intermediate colour. Flexible colour change in this species has likely evolved in association with wind dispersal and polyphagy, which result in caterpillars settling and feeding in a diverse range of visual environments. This is the first example of visually induced slow colour change in Lepidoptera that has been objectively quantified and measured from the visual perspective of natural predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Eacock
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah M. Rowland
- Predators and Prey Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Nicola Edmonds
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Ilik J. Saccheri
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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Cadena V, Smith KR, Endler JA, Stuart-Fox D. Geographic divergence and colour change in response to visual backgrounds and illumination intensity in bearded dragons. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:1048-1055. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.148544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Animals may improve camouflage by both dynamic colour change and local evolutionary adaptation of colour but we have little understanding of their relative importance in colour-changing species. We tested for differences in colour change in response to background colour and light intensity in two populations of central bearded dragon lizards (Pogona vitticeps) representing the extremes in body coloration and geographical range. We found that bearded dragons change colour in response to various backgrounds and that colour change is affected by illumination intensity. Within-individual colour change was similar in magnitude in the two populations but varied between backgrounds. However, at the endpoints of colour change, each population showed greater similarity to backgrounds that were representative of the local habitat compared with the other population, indicating local adaptation to visual backgrounds. Our results suggest that even in species that change colour, both phenotypic plasticity and geographic divergence of coloration may contribute to improved camouflage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Cadena
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kathleen R. Smith
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - John A. Endler
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
| | - Devi Stuart-Fox
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Smith KR, Cadena V, Endler JA, Kearney MR, Porter WP, Stuart-Fox D. Color Change for Thermoregulation versus Camouflage in Free-Ranging Lizards. Am Nat 2016; 188:668-678. [DOI: 10.1086/688765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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11
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Rojas B. Behavioural, ecological, and evolutionary aspects of diversity in frog colour patterns. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1059-1080. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana Rojas
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences; University of Jyvaskyla; PO Box 35 Jyväskylä FI 40001 Finland
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12
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Kang C, Kim YE, Jang Y. Colour and pattern change against visually heterogeneous backgrounds in the tree frog Hyla japonica. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22601. [PMID: 26932675 PMCID: PMC4773871 DOI: 10.1038/srep22601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Colour change in animals can be adaptive phenotypic plasticity in heterogeneous environments. Camouflage through background colour matching has been considered a primary force that drives the evolution of colour changing ability. However, the mechanism to which animals change their colour and patterns under visually heterogeneous backgrounds (i.e. consisting of more than one colour) has only been identified in limited taxa. Here, we investigated the colour change process of the Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica) against patterned backgrounds and elucidated how the expression of dorsal patterns changes against various achromatic/chromatic backgrounds with/without patterns. Our main findings are i) frogs primarily responded to the achromatic differences in background, ii) their contrasting dorsal patterns were conditionally expressed dependent on the brightness of backgrounds, iii) against mixed coloured background, frogs adopted intermediate forms between two colours. Using predator (avian and snake) vision models, we determined that colour differences against different backgrounds yielded perceptible changes in dorsal colours. We also found substantial individual variation in colour changing ability and the levels of dorsal pattern expression between individuals. We discuss the possibility of correlational selection on colour changing ability and resting behaviour that maintains the high variation in colour changing ability within population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changku Kang
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.,Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 120-570, Republic of Korea
| | - Ye Eun Kim
- Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 120-570, Republic of Korea
| | - Yikweon Jang
- Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 120-570, Republic of Korea
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