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Lu B, Qiu X, Yang W, Yao Z, Ma X, Deng S, Zhang Q, Fu J, Qi Y. Genetic Basis and Evolutionary Forces of Sexually Dimorphic Color Variation in a Toad-Headed Agamid Lizard. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae054. [PMID: 38466135 PMCID: PMC10963123 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In the animal kingdom, sexually dimorphic color variation is a widespread phenomenon that significantly influences survival and reproductive success. However, the genetic underpinnings of this variation remain inadequately understood. Our investigation into sexually dimorphic color variation in the desert-dwelling Guinan population of the toad-headed agamid lizard (Phrynocephalus putjatai) utilized a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing phenotypic, ultrastructural, biochemical, genomic analyses, and behavioral experiments. Our findings unveil the association between distinct skin colorations and varying levels of carotenoid and pteridine pigments. The red coloration in males is determined by a genomic region on chromosome 14, housing four pigmentation genes: BCO2 and three 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthases. A Guinan population-specific nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in BCO2 is predicted to alter the electrostatic potential within the binding domain of the BCO2-β-carotene complex, influencing their interaction. Additionally, the gene MAP7 on chromosome 2 emerges as a potential contributor to the blue coloration in subadults and adult females. Sex-specific expression patterns point to steroid hormone-associated genes (SULT2B1 and SRD5A2) as potential upstream regulators influencing sexually dimorphic coloration. Visual modeling and field experiments support the potential selective advantages of vibrant coloration in desert environments. This implies that natural selection, potentially coupled with assortative mating, might have played a role in fixing color alleles, contributing to prevalence in the local desert habitat. This study provides novel insights into the genetic basis of carotenoid and pteridine-based color variation, shedding light on the evolution of sexually dimorphic coloration in animals. Moreover, it advances our understanding of the driving forces behind such intricate coloration patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Lu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xia Qiu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weizhao Yang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhongyi Yao
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaofeng Ma
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shunyan Deng
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jinzhong Fu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Yin Qi
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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Cordero-Molina S, Fetter-Pruneda I, Contreras-Garduño J. Neural mechanisms involved in female mate choice in invertebrates. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1291635. [PMID: 38269245 PMCID: PMC10807292 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1291635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Mate choice is a critical decision with direct implications for fitness. Although it has been recognized for over 150 years, our understanding of its underlying mechanisms is still limited. Most studies on mate choice focus on the evolutionary causes of behavior, with less attention given to the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved. This is especially true for invertebrates, where research on mate choice has largely focused on male behavior. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the neural, molecular and neurohormonal mechanisms of female choice in invertebrates, including behaviors before, during, and after copulation. We identify areas of research that have not been extensively explored in invertebrates, suggesting potential directions for future investigation. We hope that this review will stimulate further research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagrario Cordero-Molina
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jorge Contreras-Garduño
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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3
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Robledo-Ospina LE, Rao D. Dangerous visions: a review of visual antipredator strategies in spiders. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10156-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Information content of ultraviolet-reflecting colour patches and visual perception of body coloration in the Tyrrhenian wall lizard Podarcis tiliguerta. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03023-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Pecháček P, Stella D, Kleisner K. A morphometric analysis of environmental dependences between ultraviolet patches and wing venation patterns in Gonepteryx butterflies (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-09969-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Zeng H, Wee SSE, Painting CJ, Zhang S, Li D. Equivalent effect of UV coloration and vibratory signal on mating success in a jumping spider. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hua Zeng
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Samantha S E Wee
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Christina J Painting
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Shichang Zhang
- Center for Behavioral Ecology & Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Daiqin Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Bok MJ, Roberts NW, Cronin TW. Behavioural evidence for polychromatic ultraviolet sensitivity in mantis shrimp. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1384. [PMID: 30068672 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stomatopod crustaceans are renowned for their elaborate visual systems. Their eyes contain a plethora of photoreceptors specialized for chromatic and polarization detection, including several that are sensitive to varying wavelength ranges and angles of polarization within the ultraviolet (UV) range (less than 400 nm). Behavioural experiments have previously suggested that UV photoreception plays a role in stomatopod communication, but these experiments have only manipulated the entire UV range. Here, using a behavioural approach, we examine UV vision in the stomatopod Haptosquilla trispinosa Using binary trained choice assays as well as innate burrow-choice experiments, we assessed the ability of H. trispinosa to detect and respond to narrow-band LED stimuli peaking near 314 nm (UVB) versus 379 nm (UVA) in wavelength. We find that H. trispinosa can discriminate these stimuli and appears to display an aversive reaction to UVB light, suggesting segregated behavioural responses to stimuli within the UV range. Furthermore, we find that H. trispinosa can discriminate stimuli peaking near 379 nm versus 351 nm in wavelength, suggesting that their wavelength discrimination in the UV is comparable to their performance in the human-visible range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Bok
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Nicholas W Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Thomas W Cronin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
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Hsiung BK, Justyn NM, Blackledge TA, Shawkey MD. Spiders have rich pigmentary and structural colour palettes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:1975-1983. [PMID: 28566355 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.156083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the mechanisms of colour production in organisms is important for understanding how selection acts upon a variety of behaviours. Spiders provide many spectacular examples of colours used in courtship, predation, defence and thermoregulation, but are thought to lack many types of pigments common in other animals. Ommochromes, bilins and eumelanin have been identified in spiders, but not carotenoids or melanosomes. Here, we combined optical microscopy, refractive index matching, confocal Raman microspectroscopy and electron microscopy to investigate the basis of several types of colourful patches in spiders. We obtained four major results. First, we show that spiders use carotenoids to produce yellow, suggesting that such colours may be used for condition-dependent courtship signalling. Second, we established the Raman signature spectrum for ommochromes, facilitating the identification of ommochromes in a variety of organisms in the future. Third, we describe a potential new pigmentary-structural colour interaction that is unusual because of the use of long wavelength structural colour in combination with a slightly shorter wavelength pigment in the production of red. Finally, we present the first evidence for the presence of melanosomes in arthropods, using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy, overturning the assumption that melanosomes are a synapomorphy of vertebrates. Our research shows that spiders have a much richer colour production palette than previously thought, and this has implications for colour diversification and function in spiders and other arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bor-Kai Hsiung
- Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA .,Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA
| | - Nicholas M Justyn
- Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA
| | - Todd A Blackledge
- Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA.,Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA
| | - Matthew D Shawkey
- Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA.,Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA.,Biology Department, Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Ghent University, Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent 9000, Belgium
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Robledo-Ospina LE, Escobar-Sarria F, Troscianko J, Rao D. Two ways to hide: predator and prey perspectives of disruptive coloration and background matching in jumping spiders. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Gawryszewski FM, Calero-Torralbo MA, Gillespie RG, Rodríguez-Gironés MA, Herberstein ME. Correlated evolution between coloration and ambush site in predators with visual prey lures. Evolution 2017; 71:2010-2021. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felipe M. Gawryszewski
- Department of Biology; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
- Departmento de Genética; Universidade Federal de Goiás; Goiânia GO Brazil
| | - Miguel A. Calero-Torralbo
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC); Almeria Spain
| | - Rosemary G. Gillespie
- Department of Environmental Science, University of California; Berkeley California 94720 USA
| | - Miguel A. Rodríguez-Gironés
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC); Almeria Spain
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Finkbeiner SD, Fishman DA, Osorio D, Briscoe AD. Ultraviolet and yellow reflectance but not fluorescence is important for visual discrimination of conspecifics by Heliconius erato. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:1267-1276. [PMID: 28108668 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.153593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Toxic Heliconius butterflies have yellow hindwing bars that - unlike those of their closest relatives - reflect ultraviolet (UV) and long wavelength light, and also fluoresce. The pigment in the yellow scales is 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine (3-OHK), which is found in the hair and scales of a variety of animals. In other butterflies like pierids with color schemes characterized by independent sources of variation in UV and human-visible yellow/orange, behavioral experiments have generally implicated the UV component as most relevant to mate choice. This has not been addressed in Heliconius butterflies, where variation exists in analogous color components, but moreover where fluorescence due to 3-OHK could also contribute to yellow wing coloration. In addition, the potential cost due to predator visibility is largely unknown for the analogous well-studied pierid butterfly species. In field studies with butterfly paper models, we show that both UV and 3-OHK yellow act as signals for H. erato when compared with models lacking UV or resembling ancestral Eueides yellow, respectively, but attack rates by birds do not differ significantly between the models. Furthermore, measurement of the quantum yield and reflectance spectra of 3-OHK indicates that fluorescence does not contribute to the visual signal under broad-spectrum illumination. Our results suggest that the use of 3-OHK pigmentation instead of ancestral yellow was driven by sexual selection rather than predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan D Finkbeiner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA .,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama.,Department of Biological Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Dmitry A Fishman
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Daniel Osorio
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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James M, Nandamuri SP, Stahl A, Buschbeck EK. The unusual eyes of Xenos peckii (Strepsiptera: Xenidae) have green- and UV--sensitive photoreceptors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:3866-3874. [PMID: 27974533 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.148361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The highly specialized evolution of Strepsiptera has produced one of the most unusual eyes among mature insects, perhaps in line with their extremely complex and challenging life cycle. This relatively rare insect order is one of the few for which it has been unclear what spectral classes of photoreceptors any of its members may possess, an even more apt question given the nocturnal evolution of the group. To address this question, we performed electroretinograms on adult male Xenos peckii: we measured spectral responses to equi-quantal monochromatic light flashes of different wavelengths, and established VlogI relationships to calculate spectral sensitivities. Based on opsin template fits, we found maximal spectral sensitivity (λmax) in the green domain at 539 nm. Application of a green light to 'bleach' green receptors revealed that a UV peak was contributed to by an independent UV opsin with a λmax of 346 nm. Transcriptomics and a phylogenetic analysis including 50 other opsin sequences further confirmed the presence of these two opsin classes. While these findings do not necessarily indicate that these unorthodox insects have color vision, they raise the possibility that UV vision plays an important role in the ability of X. peckii males to find the very cryptic strepsipteran females that are situated within their wasp hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisano James
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sri Pratima Nandamuri
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006, USA
| | - Aaron Stahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006, USA
| | - Elke K Buschbeck
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006, USA
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Ultraviolet (UV) light occupies the spectral range of wavelengths slightly shorter than those visible to humans. Because of its shorter wavelength, it is more energetic (and potentially more photodamaging) than ‘visible light’, and it is scattered more efficiently in air and water. Until 1990, only a few animals were recognized as being sensitive to UV light, but we now know that a great diversity, possibly even the majority, of animal species can visually detect and respond to it. Here, we discuss the history of research on biological UV photosensitivity and review current major research trends in this field. Some animals use their UV photoreceptors to control simple, innate behaviors, but most incorporate their UV receptors into their general sense of vision. They not only detect UV light but recognize it as a separate color in light fields, on natural objects or living organisms, or in signals displayed by conspecifics. UV visual pigments are based on opsins, the same family of proteins that are used to detect light in conventional photoreceptors. Despite some interesting exceptions, most animal species have a single photoreceptor class devoted to the UV. The roles of UV in vision are manifold, from guiding navigation and orientation behavior, to detecting food and potential predators, to supporting high-level tasks such as mate assessment and intraspecific communication. Our current understanding of UV vision is restricted almost entirely to two phyla: arthropods and chordates (specifically, vertebrates), so there is much comparative work to be done.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. Cronin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Michael J. Bok
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Sölvegatan 35, Lund 223 62, Sweden
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