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Goldenberg J, Bisschop K, Bruni G, Di Nicola MR, Banfi F, Faraone FP. Melanin-based color variation in response to changing climates in snakes. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11627. [PMID: 38952653 PMCID: PMC11213819 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Melanism, the process of heavier melanin deposition, can interact with climate variation at both micro and macro scales, ultimately influencing color evolution in organisms. While the ecological processes regulating melanin production in relation to climate have been extensively studied, intraspecific variations of melanism are seldom considered. Such scientific gap hampers our understanding of how species adapt to rapidly changing climates. For example, dark coloration may lead to higher heat absorption and be advantageous in cool climates, but also in hot environments as a UV or antimicrobial protection mechanism. To disentangle such opposing predictions, here we examined the effect of climate on shaping melanism variation in 150 barred grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) and 383 green whip snakes (Hierophis viridiflavus) across Italy. By utilizing melanistic morphs (charcoal and picturata in N. helvetica, charcoal and abundistic in H. viridiflavus) and compiling observations from 2002 to 2021, we predicted that charcoal morphs in H. viridiflavus would optimize heat absorption in cold environments, while offering protection from excessive UV radiation in N. helvetica within warm habitats; whereas picturata and abundistic morphs would thrive in humid environments, which naturally have a denser vegetation and wetter substrates producing darker ambient light, thus providing concealment advantages. While picturata and abundistic morphs did not align with our initial humidity expectations, the charcoal morph in N. helvetica is associated with UV environments, suggesting protection mechanisms against damaging solar radiation. H. viridiflavus is associated with high precipitations, which might offer antimicrobial protection. Overall, our results provide insights into the correlations between melanin-based color morphs and climate variables in snake populations. While suggestive of potential adaptive responses, future research should delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms regulating this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Goldenberg
- Division of Biodiversity and Evolution, Department of BiologyLund UniversityLundSweden
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of BiologyGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
| | - K. Bisschop
- Division of Biodiversity and Evolution, Department of BiologyLund UniversityLundSweden
- Laboratory of Aquatic BiologyKU Leuven KulakKortrijkBelgium
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of BiologyGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
| | - G. Bruni
- Independent Researcher, Viale Palmiro TogliattiSesto FiorentinoFlorenceItaly
| | - M. R. Di Nicola
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Wildlife Health GhentGhent UniversityMerelbekeBelgium
- Unit of Dermatology and CosmetologyIRCCS San Raffaele HospitalMilanItaly
| | - F. Banfi
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of BiologyUniversity of AntwerpWilrijkBelgium
| | - F. P. Faraone
- Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e FarmaceuticheUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
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2
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Rutschmann A, Perry C, Le Galliard JF, Dupoué A, Lourdais O, Guillon M, Brusch G, Cote J, Richard M, Clobert J, Miles DB. Ecological responses of squamate reptiles to nocturnal warming. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:598-621. [PMID: 38062628 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Nocturnal temperatures are increasing at a pace exceeding diurnal temperatures in most parts of the world. The role of warmer nocturnal temperatures in animal ecology has received scant attention and most studies focus on diurnal or daily descriptors of thermal environments' temporal trends. Yet, available evidence from plant and insect studies suggests that organisms can exhibit contrasting physiological responses to diurnal and nocturnal warming. Limiting studies to diurnal trends can thus result in incomplete and misleading interpretations of the ability of species to cope with global warming. Although they are expected to be impacted by warmer nocturnal temperatures, insufficient data are available regarding the night-time ecology of vertebrate ectotherms. Here, we illustrate the complex effects of nocturnal warming on squamate reptiles, a keystone group of vertebrate ectotherms. Our review includes discussion of diurnal and nocturnal ectotherms, but we mainly focus on diurnal species for which nocturnal warming affects a period dedicated to physiological recovery, and thus may perturb activity patterns and energy balance. We first summarise the physical consequences of nocturnal warming on habitats used by squamate reptiles. Second, we describe how such changes can alter the energy balance of diurnal species. We illustrate this with empirical data from the asp viper (Vipera aspis) and common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), two diurnal species found throughout western Europe. Third, we make use of a mechanistic approach based on an energy-balance model to draw general conclusions about the effects of nocturnal temperatures. Fourth, we examine how warmer nights may affect squamates over their lifetime, with potential consequences on individual fitness and population dynamics. We review quantitative evidence for such lifetime effects using recent data derived from a range of studies on the European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara). Finally, we consider the broader eco-evolutionary ramifications of nocturnal warming and highlight several research questions that require future attention. Our work emphasises the importance of considering the joint influence of diurnal and nocturnal warming on the responses of vertebrate ectotherms to climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Rutschmann
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Constant Perry
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7618, IRD, INRAE, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement (iEES Paris), Tours 44-45, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris, 75005, France
- Département de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMS 3194, Centre de Recherche en écologie expérimentale et Prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), 78 rue du château, Saint-Pierre-Lès-Nemours, 77140, France
| | - Andréaz Dupoué
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, UMR 6539, LEMAR, 1625 Rte de Sainte-Anne, Plouzané, 29280, France
| | - Olivier Lourdais
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372-Université de La Rochelle, 405 Route de Prissé la Charrière, Villiers-en-Bois, 79630, France
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Life Sciences Center Building, 427E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | - Michaël Guillon
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372-Université de La Rochelle, 405 Route de Prissé la Charrière, Villiers-en-Bois, 79630, France
- Cistude Nature, Chemin du Moulinat-33185, Le Haillan, France
| | - George Brusch
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd., San Marcos, CA, 92096, USA
| | - Julien Cote
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), UMR5174, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS, IRD, 118 Rte de Narbonne, Toulouse, 31077, France
| | - Murielle Richard
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS UAR2029, 02 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Donald B Miles
- Department of Biological Sciences, 131 Life Science Building, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
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3
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Laumeier R, Brändle M, Rödel MO, Brunzel S, Brandl R, Pinkert S. The global importance and interplay of colour-based protective and thermoregulatory functions in frogs. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8117. [PMID: 38114472 PMCID: PMC10730650 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43729-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Small-scale studies have shown that colour lightness variation can have important physiological implications in ectotherms, with darker species having greater heating rates, as well as protection against pathogens and photooxidative damage. Using data for 41% (3059) of all known frog and toad species (Anura) from across the world, we reveal ubiquitous and strong clines of decreasing colour lightness towards colder regions and regions with higher pathogen pressure and UVB radiation. The relative importance of pathogen resistance is higher in the tropics and that of thermoregulation is higher in temperate regions. The results suggest that these functions influence colour lightness evolution in anurans and filtered for more similarly coloured species under climatic extremes, while their concurrent importance resulted in high within-assemblage variation in productive regions. Our findings indicate three important functions of colour lightness in anurans - thermoregulation, pathogen and UVB protection - and broaden support for colour lightness-environment relationships in ectotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricarda Laumeier
- Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
- Department of Biodiversity and Species Conservation, Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Forestry, University of Applied Science Erfurt, Leipziger Straße 77, 99085, Erfurt, Germany.
| | - Martin Brändle
- Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Department of Evolutionary Diversity Dynamics, Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Brunzel
- Department of Biodiversity and Species Conservation, Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Forestry, University of Applied Science Erfurt, Leipziger Straße 77, 99085, Erfurt, Germany
| | - Roland Brandl
- Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Pinkert
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect Street, 06511, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany
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4
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Thompson A, Kapsanaki V, Liwanag HEM, Pafilis P, Wang IJ, Brock KM. Some like it hotter: Differential thermal preferences among lizard color morphs. J Therm Biol 2023; 113:103532. [PMID: 37055135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Temperature rules the lives of ectotherms. To perform basic biological functions, ectotherms must make behavioral adjustments to keep their body temperatures near a preferred temperature (Tpref). Many color polymorphic lizards are active thermoregulators and exhibit morph differences in traits related to thermoregulation, such as color, body size, and microhabitat use. The Aegean wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii, is a heliothermic lizard with orange, white, and yellow color morphs that differ in size, behavior, and microhabitat use. Here, we tested whether P. erhardii color morphs from the same population from Naxos island, Greece, differ in Tpref. We hypothesized that orange morphs would prefer lower temperatures than white and yellow morphs because orange morphs are often found on cooler substrates and in microhabitats with more vegetation cover. We obtained Tpref for 95 individuals using laboratory thermal gradient experiments of wild-caught lizards and found that orange morphs do, indeed, prefer cooler temperatures. Average orange morph Tpref was 2.85 °C lower than average white and yellow morph Tpref. Our results add support to the idea that P. erhardii color morphs have multivariate alternative phenotypes and present the possibility that thermally heterogeneous environments play a role in the maintenance of color polymorphism in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Thompson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Vassiliki Kapsanaki
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Heather E M Liwanag
- Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Zoological Museum, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ian J Wang
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kinsey M Brock
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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5
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Bury S, Kolanek A, Chylarecki P, Najbar B, Kurek K, Mazgajski TD. Climatic conditions and prevalence of melanistic snakes-contrasting effects of warm springs and mild winters. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2022; 66:1329-1338. [PMID: 35396943 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-022-02279-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges that wildlife is facing. Rapid shifts in climatic conditions may accelerate evolutionary changes in populations as a result of strong selective pressure. Most studies focus on the impact of climatic conditions on phenologies and annual cycles, whereas there are fewer reports of empirical support for climate-driven changes in the phenotypic variability of free-living populations. We investigated whether climatic variables explain the prevalence of colour polymorphism in a population of the grass snake (Natrix natrix) with two morphotypes, the melanistic and non-melanistic ones, in the period 1981-2013. We found that the prevalence of the black phenotype was negatively related to spring temperature and winter harshness, expressed as the number of snow days. According to the thermal melanism hypothesis, a high predation rate during warmer springs may override relaxed thermal benefits and vice versa, i.e. black individuals may perform better than typical ones when thermal conditions in spring are unfavourable. In turn, because they are smaller, melanistic individuals may be exposed to a higher risk of winter mortality, particularly during longer winters. We highlight the need for more studies on the effects of climatic conditions on temporal variation in melanism prevalence in other populations and species as well as in various geographic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanisław Bury
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
- NATRIX Herpetological Association, Opolska 41/1, 52-010, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Aleksandra Kolanek
- NATRIX Herpetological Association, Opolska 41/1, 52-010, Wrocław, Poland
- Department of Geoinformatics and Cartography, Institute of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wroclaw, pl. Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Przemysław Chylarecki
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Najbar
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, prof. Z. Szafrana 1, 65-516, Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Kurek
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Kraków, Poland
| | - Tomasz D Mazgajski
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warszawa, Poland
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6
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Goldenberg J, Bisschop K, D'Alba L, Shawkey MD. The link between body size, colouration and thermoregulation and their integration into ecogeographical rules: a critical appraisal in light of climate change. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Goldenberg
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Dept of Biology, Ghent Univ. Ghent Belgium
| | - Karen Bisschop
- Inst. for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Univ. of Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Dept of Biology, KU Leuven KULAK Kortrijk Belgium
| | - Liliana D'Alba
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Dept of Biology, Ghent Univ. Ghent Belgium
| | - Matthew D. Shawkey
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Dept of Biology, Ghent Univ. Ghent Belgium
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