1
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Graham ZA, Padilla Perez DJ. Correlated evolution of conspicuous colouration and burrowing in crayfish. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240632. [PMID: 38981529 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Conspicuous colours have fascinated biologists for centuries, leading to research on the evolution and functional significance of colour traits. In many cases, research suggests that conspicuous colours are adaptive and serve a function in sexual or aposematic signalling. In other cases, a lack of evidence for the adaptive value of conspicuous colours garners interest from biologists, such as when organisms that live underground and are rarely exposed to the surface are nevertheless colourful. Here, we use phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate colour evolution throughout freshwater crayfishes that vary in burrowing ability. Within the taxa we analysed, conspicuous colours have evolved independently over 50 times, and these colours are more common in semi-terrestrial crayfishes that construct extensive burrows. The intuitive but not evolutionarily justified assumption when presented with these results is to assume that these colours are adaptive. But contrary to this intuition, we discuss the hypothesis that colouration in crayfish is neutral. Supporting these ideas, the small population sizes and reduced gene flow within semi-terrestrial burrowing crayfishes may lead to the fixation of colour-phenotype mutations. Overall, our work brings into question the traditional view of animal colouration as a perfectly adapted phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackary A Graham
- Department of Organismal Biology, Ecology, and Zoo Science, West Liberty University, 208 University Drive , West Liberty, WV 26074, USA
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2
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Dittrich C, Hoelzl F, Smith S, Fouilloux CA, Parker DJ, O’Connell LA, Knowles LS, Hughes M, Fewings A, Morgan R, Rojas B, Comeault AA. Genome Assembly of the Dyeing Poison Frog Provides Insights into the Dynamics of Transposable Element and Genome-Size Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae109. [PMID: 38753031 PMCID: PMC11152451 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Genome size varies greatly across the tree of life and transposable elements are an important contributor to this variation. Among vertebrates, amphibians display the greatest variation in genome size, making them ideal models to explore the causes and consequences of genome size variation. However, high-quality genome assemblies for amphibians have, until recently, been rare. Here, we generate a high-quality genome assembly for the dyeing poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius. We compare this assembly to publicly available frog genomes and find evidence for both large-scale conserved synteny and widespread rearrangements between frog lineages. Comparing conserved orthologs annotated in these genomes revealed a strong correlation between genome size and gene size. To explore the cause of gene-size variation, we quantified the location of transposable elements relative to gene features and find that the accumulation of transposable elements in introns has played an important role in the evolution of gene size in D. tinctorius, while estimates of insertion times suggest that many insertion events are recent and species-specific. Finally, we carry out population-scale mobile-element sequencing and show that the diversity and abundance of transposable elements in poison frog genomes can complicate genotyping from repetitive element sequence anchors. Our results show that transposable elements have clearly played an important role in the evolution of large genome size in D. tinctorius. Future studies are needed to fully understand the dynamics of transposable element evolution and to optimize primer or bait design for cost-effective population-level genotyping in species with large, repetitive genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Dittrich
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franz Hoelzl
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steve Smith
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chloe A Fouilloux
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Darren J Parker
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | | | - Lucy S Knowles
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Margaret Hughes
- Centre for Genomic Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ade Fewings
- Supercomputing Wales, Digital Services, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Rhys Morgan
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Aaron A Comeault
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
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3
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Twomey E, Melo-Sampaio P, Schulte LM, Bossuyt F, Brown JL, Castroviejo-Fisher S. Multiple Routes to Color Convergence in a Radiation of Neotropical Poison Frogs. Syst Biol 2023; 72:1247-1261. [PMID: 37561391 PMCID: PMC10924724 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad051] [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: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Convergent evolution is defined as the independent evolution of similar phenotypes in different lineages. Its existence underscores the importance of external selection pressures in evolutionary history, revealing how functionally similar adaptations can evolve in response to persistent ecological challenges through a diversity of evolutionary routes. However, many examples of convergence, particularly among closely related species, involve parallel changes in the same genes or developmental pathways, raising the possibility that homology at deeper mechanistic levels is an important facilitator of phenotypic convergence. Using the genus Ranitomeya, a young, color-diverse radiation of Neotropical poison frogs, we set out to 1) provide a phylogenetic framework for this group, 2) leverage this framework to determine if color phenotypes are convergent, and 3) to characterize the underlying coloration mechanisms to test whether color convergence occurred through the same or different physical mechanisms. We generated a phylogeny for Ranitomeya using ultraconserved elements and investigated the physical mechanisms underlying bright coloration, focusing on skin pigments. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we identified several instances of color convergence, involving several gains and losses of carotenoid and pterin pigments. We also found a compelling example of nonparallel convergence, where, in one lineage, red coloration evolved through the red pterin pigment drosopterin, and in another lineage through red ketocarotenoids. Additionally, in another lineage, "reddish" coloration evolved predominantly through structural color mechanisms. Our study demonstrates that, even within a radiation of closely related species, convergent evolution can occur through both parallel and nonparallel mechanisms, challenging the assumption that similar phenotypes among close relatives evolve through the same mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Twomey
- Department of Wildlife/Zoo Animal Biology and Systematics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany
| | - Paulo Melo-Sampaio
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, R. Gen. Herculano Gomes 41, Rio de Janeiro 20941-360, Brazil
| | - Lisa M Schulte
- Department of Wildlife/Zoo Animal Biology and Systematics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany
| | - Franky Bossuyt
- Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Jason L Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, 125 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
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4
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Wan YC, Navarrete Méndez MJ, O'Connell LA, Uricchio LH, Roland AB, Maan ME, Ron SR, Betancourth-Cundar M, Pie MR, Howell KA, Richards-Zawacki CL, Cummings ME, Cannatella DC, Santos JC, Tarvin RD. Selection on Visual Opsin Genes in Diurnal Neotropical Frogs and Loss of the SWS2 Opsin in Poison Frogs. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad206. [PMID: 37791477 PMCID: PMC10548314 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad206] [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] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphibians are ideal for studying visual system evolution because their biphasic (aquatic and terrestrial) life history and ecological diversity expose them to a broad range of visual conditions. Here, we evaluate signatures of selection on visual opsin genes across Neotropical anurans and focus on three diurnal clades that are well-known for the concurrence of conspicuous colors and chemical defense (i.e., aposematism): poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), Harlequin toads (Bufonidae: Atelopus), and pumpkin toadlets (Brachycephalidae: Brachycephalus). We found evidence of positive selection on 44 amino acid sites in LWS, SWS1, SWS2, and RH1 opsin genes, of which one in LWS and two in RH1 have been previously identified as spectral tuning sites in other vertebrates. Given that anurans have mostly nocturnal habits, the patterns of selection revealed new sites that might be important in spectral tuning for frogs, potentially for adaptation to diurnal habits and for color-based intraspecific communication. Furthermore, we provide evidence that SWS2, normally expressed in rod cells in frogs and some salamanders, has likely been lost in the ancestor of Dendrobatidae, suggesting that under low-light levels, dendrobatids have inferior wavelength discrimination compared to other frogs. This loss might follow the origin of diurnal activity in dendrobatids and could have implications for their behavior. Our analyses show that assessments of opsin diversification in across taxa could expand our understanding of the role of sensory system evolution in ecological adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Chen Wan
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - María José Navarrete Méndez
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Lawrence H Uricchio
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Alexandre-Benoit Roland
- FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI), UMR5169 CNRS, Toulouse University, Toulouse, France
| | - Martine E Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Santiago R Ron
- Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Marcio R Pie
- Department of Zoology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
- Biology Department, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
| | - Kimberly A Howell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Molly E Cummings
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - David C Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Biodiversity Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Juan C Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. John's University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca D Tarvin
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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5
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Scaramangas A, Broom M, Ruxton GD, Rouviere A. Evolutionarily stable levels of aposematic defence in prey populations. Theor Popul Biol 2023; 153:15-36. [PMID: 37044181 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2023.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of aposematism (the conspicuous signalling of a defence for the deterrence of predators) has advanced notably since its first observation in the late nineteenth century. Indeed, it extends the scope of a well-established game-theoretical model of this very same process both from the analytical standpoint (by considering regimes of varying background mortality and colony size) and from the practical standpoint (by assessing its efficacy and limitations in predicting the evolution of prey traits in finite simulated populations). The nature of the manuscript at hand is more mathematical and its aim is two-fold: first, to determine the relationship between evolutionarily stable levels of defence and signal strength under various regimes of background mortality and colony size. Second, to compare these predictions with simulations of finite prey populations that are subject to random local mutation. We compare the roles of absolute resident fitness, mutant fitness and stochasticity in the evolution of prey traits and discuss the importance of population size in the above.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Scaramangas
- School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, City, University of London, EC1V, 0HB London, UK.
| | - Mark Broom
- School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, City, University of London, EC1V, 0HB London, UK
| | - Graeme D Ruxton
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, KY16 9TH, St Andrews, UK
| | - Anna Rouviere
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, KY16 9TH, St Andrews, UK
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6
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Kang X, Yang M, Cui X, Wang H, Kang L. Spatially differential regulation of ATF2 phosphorylation contributes to warning coloration of gregarious locusts. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi5168. [PMID: 37611100 PMCID: PMC10446495 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi5168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Warning coloration are common defense strategies used by animals to deter predators. Pestilential gregarious locusts exhibit a notable black-brown pattern as a form of warning coloration. However, the mechanisms regulating this distinctive pattern remain largely unknown. Here, we revealed that the black and brown integuments of locusts are governed by varying amounts of β-carotene and β-carotene-binding protein (βCBP) complexes. βCBP expression is regulated by the bZIP transcription factor activation transcription factor 2 (ATF2), which is activated by protein kinase C alpha in response to crowding. Specifically, ATF2 is phosphorylated at Ser327 and translocates to the nucleus, where it binds to the βCBP promoter and stimulates overexpression. Differential phosphorylation of ATF2 leads to the divergent black and brown coloration in gregarious locusts. The accumulation of red pigments vital for creating the brown sternum depends on βCBP overexpression. The spatial variation in ATF2 phosphorylation enables locusts to rapidly adapt to changing environment for aposematism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinle Kang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Meiling Yang
- College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Xiaoshuang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Huimin Wang
- College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Le Kang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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7
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Lorioux-Chevalier U, Tuanama Valles M, Gallusser S, Mori Pezo R, Chouteau M. Unexpected colour pattern variation in mimetic frogs: implication for the diversification of warning signals in the genus Ranitomeya. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230354. [PMID: 37293365 PMCID: PMC10245201 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Predation is expected to promote uniformity in the warning coloration 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 signal. 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.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mario Tuanama Valles
- Instituto de Investigación Biológica de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Stephanie Gallusser
- Instituto de Investigación Biológica de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Ronald Mori Pezo
- Instituto de Investigación Biológica de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Mathieu Chouteau
- LEEISA, UAR 3456, Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
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8
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Heyworth HC, Pokharel P, Blount JD, Mitchell C, Petschenka G, Rowland HM. Antioxidant availability trades off with warning signals and toxin sequestration in the large milkweed bug ( Oncopeltus fasciatus). Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9971. [PMID: 37038513 PMCID: PMC10082154 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9971] [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: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In some aposematic species the conspicuousness of an individual's warning signal and the concentration of its chemical defense are positively correlated. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, including resource allocation trade-offs where the same limiting resource is needed to produce both the warning signal and chemical defense. Here, the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus: Heteroptera, Lygaeinae) was used to test whether allocation of antioxidants, that can impart color, trade against their availability to prevent self-damage caused by toxin sequestration. We investigated if (i) the sequestration of cardenolides is associated with costs in the form of changes in oxidative state; and (ii) oxidative state can affect the capacity of individuals to produce warning signals. We reared milkweed bugs on artificial diets with increasing quantities of cardenolides and examined how this affected signal quality (brightness and chroma) across different instars. We then related the expression of warning colors to the quantity of sequestered cardenolides and indicators of oxidative state-oxidative lipid damage (malondialdehyde), and two antioxidants: total superoxide dismutase and total glutathione. Bugs that sequestered more cardenolides had significantly lower levels of the antioxidant glutathione, and bugs with less total glutathione had less luminant orange warning signals and reduced chroma of their black patches compared to bugs with more glutathione. Bugs that sequestered more cardenolides also had reduced red-green chroma of their black patches that was unrelated to oxidative state. Our results give tentative support for a physiological cost of sequestration in milkweed bugs and a mechanistic link between antioxidant availability, sequestration, and warning signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Cecilia Heyworth
- Predators and Toxic Prey Research GroupMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyJenaGermany
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Prayan Pokharel
- Department of Applied Entomology, Institute of PhytomedicineUniversity of HohenheimStuttgartGermany
| | - Jonathan D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Christopher Mitchell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Georg Petschenka
- Department of Applied Entomology, Institute of PhytomedicineUniversity of HohenheimStuttgartGermany
| | - Hannah M. Rowland
- Predators and Toxic Prey Research GroupMax Planck Institute for Chemical EcologyJenaGermany
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9
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Sexual dimorphism in dynamic body color in the green anole lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03308-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Animals capable of rapid (i.e., physiological) body color change may use color to respond quickly to changing social or physical environments. Because males and females often differ in their environments, the sexes may use changes in body color differently, reflecting sexual dimorphism in ecological, behavioral, or morphological traits. Green anole lizards, Anolis carolinensis, frequently switch their dorsal body color between bright green and dark brown, a change that requires only seconds, but little is known regarding sexual dimorphism in their color change. We tested three hypotheses for the function of body color (thermoregulation, camouflage via background-matching, and social communication) to determine the ecological role(s) of physiological color change in anoles. First, we examined instantaneous body color to determine relationships between body color and body temperature, substrate color and type, and whether these varied between the sexes. Next, we examined the association between color change and behavioral displays. Altogether, we found that males were more likely to be green than females, and larger lizards were more often green than smaller ones, but there was no evidence that anole body color was associated with body temperature or background color during the summer breeding season. Instead, our results show that although the sexes change their color at approximately the same rates, males changed color more frequently during social displays, while females remained green when displaying. In sum, social communication appears to be the primary function of anole color change, although the functions of body color may differ in the nonbreeding season.
Significance statement
Many animals can change their body color in response to their environments, and in many species, males and females experience different environments. In this study, we examined whether the sexes of green anole lizards use the ability to rapidly change their body color between green and brown for different functions. We found that, when a lizard was first sighted, its body color did not appear to match its background color in either sex (suggesting that color change does not contribute to avoidance of detection by potential predators), and body color was not associated with temperature for either sex (i.e., color was unlikely to influence body temperature). Yet, males changed color more often when performing social displays to other lizards, while females remained green during social displays. Thus, rapid color change plays an important role in social communication in both sexes, highlighting how males and females may use the same behavior to convey different messages.
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10
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Lawrence JP, Rojas B, Blanchette A, Saporito RA, Mappes J, Fouquet A, Noonan BP. Linking Predator Responses to Alkaloid Variability in Poison Frogs. J Chem Ecol 2023; 49:195-204. [PMID: 36854928 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01412-7] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Many chemically-defended/aposematic species rely on diet for sequestering the toxins with which they defend themselves. This dietary acquisition can lead to variable chemical defenses across space, as the community composition of chemical sources is likely to vary across the range of (an aposematic) species. We characterized the alkaloid content of two populations of the Dyeing Poison Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) in northeastern French Guiana. Additionally, we conducted unpalatability experiments with naive predators, Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), using whole-skin secretion cocktails to assess how a model predator would respond to the defense of individuals from each population. While there was some overlap between the two D. tinctorius populations in terms of alkaloid content, our analysis revealed that these two populations are markedly distinct in terms of overall alkaloid profiles. Predator responses to skin secretions differed between the populations. We identified 15 candidate alkaloids (including three previously undescribed) in seven classes that are correlated with predator response in one frog population. We describe alkaloid profile differences between populations for D. tinctorius and provide a novel method for assessing unpalatability of skin secretions and identifying which toxins may contribute to the predator response. In one population, our results suggest 15 alkaloids that are implicated in predator aversive response. This method is the first step in identifying the causal link between alkaloids and behavioral responses of predators, and thus makes sense of how varying alkaloid combinations are capable of eliciting consistent behavioral responses, and eventually driving evolutionary change in aposematic characters (or characteristics).
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Lawrence
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA. .,Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48825, USA.
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Annelise Blanchette
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, 44118, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Ralph A Saporito
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, 44118, USA
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antoine Fouquet
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062, Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Brice P Noonan
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA
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11
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Robinson ML, Weber MG, Freedman MG, Jordan E, Ashlock SR, Yonenaga J, Strauss SY. Macroevolution of protective coloration across caterpillars reflects relationships with host plants. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222293. [PMID: 36651051 PMCID: PMC9845978 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A critical function of animal coloration is avoiding attack, either by warning predators or reducing detectability. Evolution of these divergent strategies may depend on prey palatability and apparency to predators: conspicuous coloration may be favoured if species are distasteful, or habitats make hiding difficult; by contrast, camouflage may be effective if prey lack defences or environments are visually complex. For insect herbivores, host plants provide both chemical defence and the background against which they are detected or obscured; thus, plant traits may be key to coloration in these foundational terrestrial organisms. We use 1808 species of larval Lepidoptera to explore macroevolution of protective coloration strategy. We find that colour and pattern evolve jointly in caterpillars, similar to an array of species across the animal kingdom, while individual elements of coloration evolve closely with diet ecology. Consistent with key tenets of plant defence and plant-herbivore coevolutionary theory, conspicuous colours are associated with herbaceous host plants-thought to be defended by toxins-while camouflage colours and patterns are associated with woody plants and grasses. Contrary to theory, dietary specialization is not associated with conspicuous coloration. Our results add valuable insights into the evolutionary forces shaping colour and pattern in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moria L. Robinson
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, USA
| | - Marjorie G. Weber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Micah G. Freedman
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Evan Jordan
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sarah R. Ashlock
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jenna Yonenaga
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sharon Y. Strauss
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, 14193, Germany,Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
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12
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Ottocento C, Winters AE, Rojas B, Mappes J, Burdfield‐Steel E. Not just the sum of its parts: Geographic variation and nonadditive effects of pyrazines in the chemical defence of an aposematic moth. J Evol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ottocento
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Anne E. Winters
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- College Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus University of Exeter Penryn UK
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Emily Burdfield‐Steel
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
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13
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Emberts Z, Wiens JJ. Why are animals conspicuously colored? Evolution of sexual versus warning signals in land vertebrates. Evolution 2022; 76:2879-2892. [PMID: 36221224 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14636] [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: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Conspicuous colors (e.g., red, yellow, blue) have evolved numerous times across animals. But the function of this coloration can differ radically among species. Many species use this coloration as a sexual signal to conspecifics, whereas others use it as a warning signal to predators. Why do different species evolve conspicuous coloration in association with one function as opposed to the other? We address this question in terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods) using phylogenetic approaches, and test whether day-night activities of species help determine these patterns. Using phylogenetic logistic regression, we found that conspicuous, sexually dimorphic coloration is significantly associated with diurnal lineages (e.g., many birds and lizards). By contrast, the evolution of warning signals was significantly associated with large-scale clades that were ancestrally nocturnal (e.g., snakes, amphibians), regardless of the current diel activity of species. Overall, we show that the evolution of conspicuous coloration as warning signals or sexual signals is influenced by the ecology of species, both recently and in the ancient past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Emberts
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078
| | - John J Wiens
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721
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14
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Roberts SM, Stuart‐Fox D, Medina I. The evolution of conspicuousness in frogs: When to signal toxicity? J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1455-1464. [PMID: 36129907 PMCID: PMC9825868 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Many organisms use conspicuous colour patterns to advertise their toxicity or unpalatability, a strategy known as aposematism. Despite the recognized benefits of this anti-predator tactic, not all chemically defended species exhibit warning coloration. Here, we use a comparative approach to investigate which factors predict the evolution of conspicuousness in frogs, a group in which conspicuous coloration and toxicity have evolved multiple times. We extracted colour information from dorsal and ventral photos of 594 frog species for which chemical defence information was available. Our results show that chemically defended and diurnal species have higher internal chromatic contrast, both ventrally and dorsally, than chemically undefended and/or nocturnal species. Among species that are chemically defended, conspicuous coloration is more likely to occur if species are diurnal. Our results also suggest that the evolution of conspicuous colour is more likely to occur in chemically defended prey with smaller body size. We discuss potential explanations for this association and suggest that prey profitability (related to body size) could be an important force driving the macroevolution of warning signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Devi Stuart‐Fox
- School of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Iliana Medina
- School of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
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15
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Peignier M, Bégué L, Gieseke A, Petri D, Ringler M, Ringler E. Mate choice in a promiscuous poison frog. Ethology 2022; 128:693-703. [PMID: 36632092 PMCID: PMC9826338 DOI: 10.1111/eth.13331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
In many animal species, members of one sex, most often females, exhibit a strong preference for mating partners with particular traits or resources. However, when females sequentially mate with multiple partners, strategies underlying female choice are not very well understood. Particularly, little is known if under such sequential polyandry females mate truly randomly, or if they actively try to spread mating events across multiple partners. In the present study, we used the highly promiscuous poison frog Allobates femoralis to investigate whether promiscuity could result from a preference for novel mates. Furthermore, we examined the importance of call characteristics for mate choice. We conducted mate choice experiments in a laboratory setup, by presenting females with recent mating partners or novel males. We recorded call characteristics of both males and the time females spent close to each male. In our trials, females preferred previous mating partners over novel males and also males with shorter advertisement calls. Results from previous studies on A. femoralis suggest that females in our trials recognized previous partners based on individual call characteristics. While mating decisions in the wild and in the laboratory might differ, our study provides first evidence for female mate choice in a poison frog with sequential polyandry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélissa Peignier
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland,Messerli Research InstituteUniversity of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Lauriane Bégué
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria,Department of Biology and EcologyUniversity of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Alina Gieseke
- Messerli Research InstituteUniversity of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Diana Petri
- Messerli Research InstituteUniversity of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Max Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria,Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria,Institute of Electronic Music and AcousticsUniversity of Music and Performing Arts GrazGrazAustria
| | - Eva Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland,Messerli Research InstituteUniversity of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
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16
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Stuckert AMM, Summers K. Investigating signal modalities of aposematism in a poison frog. J Evol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. M. Stuckert
- Department of Biology East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina USA
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry University of Houston Houston Texas USA
| | - Kyle Summers
- Department of Biology East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina USA
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17
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Scaramangas A, Broom M. Aposematic signalling in prey-predator systems: determining evolutionary stability when prey populations consist of a single species. J Math Biol 2022; 85:13. [PMID: 35870017 PMCID: PMC9308619 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-022-01762-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Aposematism is the signalling of a defence for the deterrence of predators. We presently focus on aposematic organisms that exhibit chemical defences, which are usually signalled by some type of brightly coloured skin pigmentation (as is the case with poison frog species of the Dendrobatidae family), although our treatment is likely transferable to other forms of secondary defence. This setup is not only a natural one to consider but also opens up the possibility for rich mathematical modelling: the strength of aposematic traits (signalling and defence) can be unambiguously realised using variables that are continuously quantifiable, independent from one another and which together define a two-dimensional strategy space wherein the aposematic behaviour of any one organism can be represented by a single point. We presently develop an extensive mathematical model in which we explore the joint co-evolution of aposematic traits within the context of evolutionary stability. Even though empirical and model-based studies are conflicting regarding how aposematic traits are related to one another in nature, the majority of works allude to a positive correlation. We presently suggest that both positively and negatively correlated combinations of traits can achieve evolutionarily stable outcomes and further, that for a given level of signal strength there can be more than one optimal level of defence. Our findings are novel and pertinent to a sizeable body of physical evidence, which we discuss.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Broom
- City University of London, London, EC1V 0HB, UK
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18
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Yuan ML, Jung C, Bell RC, Nelson JL. Aposematic patterns shift continuously throughout the life of poison frogs. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. L. Yuan
- Center for Population Biology University of California Davis CA USA
- Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California Davis CA USA
| | - C. Jung
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management University of California Berkeley CA USA
| | - R. C. Bell
- Department of Herpetology California Academy of Sciences San Francisco CA USA
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19
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Mizuno A, Soma M. Star finches Neochmia ruficauda have a visual preference for white dot patterns: a possible case of trypophilia. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1271-1279. [PMID: 35294684 PMCID: PMC9617841 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01609-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many animals have polka dot patterns on their body surface, some of which are known to have signalling functions; however, their evolutionary origins remain unclear. Dot patterns can trigger a fear response (trypophobia) in humans and are known to function as aposematic signals in non-human animals, suggesting that dots may deserve attention for biological reasons. Interestingly in many birds, plumage dot patterns serve for social/sexual signalling. To understand their evolution, we have focused on the sensory bias hypothesis, which predicts the role of pre-existing sensory preference driven by natural selection in shaping signal design. Our previous phylogenetic comparative study supported the hypothesis and showed that diet-driven visual preference promoted the evolution of plumage patterns, as there was an evolutionary correlation between termite-eating (white roundish gregarious prey) and the presence of plumage dot patterns in species of the family Estrildidae. This suggests that these species possess an intrinsic preference for dots. To test this, we compared the responses of an Estrildid species with dot plumage pattern (star finch Neochmia ruficauda) towards simultaneously presented monochrome-printed white dot vs white stripe patterns under both food-deprived and -supplied conditions. Overall, star finches preferred dots to stripes. They showed foraging-like behaviours almost only toward dots when hungry and gazed at dots frequently even when food was available, suggesting both hunger-related and hunger-neutral dot preferences. These results are rather surprising, given how strongly the subjects were attracted to abstract dot patterns without organic structure, but provided good support for the sensory bias hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayumi Mizuno
- Biosystems Science Course, The Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan.
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20
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Yeager J, Barnett JB. Continuous Variation in an Aposematic Pattern Affects Background Contrast, but Is Not Associated With Differences in Microhabitat Use. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.803996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in aposematic signals was once predicted to be rare, yet in recent years it has become increasingly well documented. Despite increases in the frequency with which polytypism and polymorphism have been suggested to occur, population-wide variance is rarely quantified. We comprehensively sampled a subpopulation of the poison frog Oophaga sylvatica, a species which is polytypic across its distribution and also shows considerable within-population polymorphism. On one hand, color pattern polymorphism could be the result of multifarious selection acting to balance different signaling functions and leading to the evolution of discrete sub-morphs which occupy different fitness peaks. Alternatively, variance could simply be due to relaxed selection, where variation would be predicted to be continuous. We used visual modeling of conspecific and heterospecific observers to quantify the extent of within population phenotypic variation and assess whether this variation produced distinct signals. We found that, despite considerable color pattern variation, variance could not be partitioned into distinct groups, but rather all viewers would be likely to perceive variation as continuous. Similarly, we found no evidence that frog color pattern contrast was either enhanced or diminished in the frogs’ chosen microhabitats compared to alternative patches in which conspecifics were observed. Within population phenotypic variance therefore does not seem to be indicative of strong selection toward multiple signaling strategies, but rather pattern divergence has likely arisen due to weak purifying selection, or neutral processes, on a signal that is highly salient to both conspecifics and predators.
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21
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Reed AA, Lattanzio MS. Deterring predator pursuit and attracting potential mates? The conspicuous melanized tail display of the zebra-tailed lizard. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.2024268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail A. Reed
- Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA 23606, USA
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22
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Berardo C, Geritz S. Coevolution of the reckless prey and the patient predator. J Theor Biol 2021; 530:110873. [PMID: 34425133 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The war of attrition in game theory is a model of a stand-off situation between two opponents where the winner is determined by its persistence. We model a stand-off between a predator and a prey when the prey is hiding and the predator is waiting for the prey to come out from its refuge, or when the two are locked in a situation of mutual threat of injury or even death. The stand-off is resolved when the predator gives up or when the prey tries to escape. Instead of using the asymmetric war of attrition, we embed the stand-off as an integral part of the predator-prey model of Rosenzweig and MacArthur derived from first principles. We apply this model to study the coevolution of the giving-up rates of the prey and the predator, using the adaptive dynamics approach. We find that the long term evolutionary process leads to three qualitatively different scenarios: the predator gives up immediately, while the prey never gives up; the predator never gives up, while the prey adopts any giving-up rate greater than or equal to a given positive threshold value; the predator goes extinct. We observe that some results are the same as for the asymmetric war of attrition, but others are quite different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Berardo
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Stefan Geritz
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
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23
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Davis SN, Clarke JA. Estimating the distribution of carotenoid coloration in skin and integumentary structures of birds and extinct dinosaurs. Evolution 2021; 76:42-57. [PMID: 34719783 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoids are pigments responsible for most bright yellow, red, and orange hues in birds. Their distribution has been investigated in avian plumage, but the evolution of their expression in skin and other integumentary structures has not been approached in detail. Here, we investigate the expression of carotenoid-consistent coloration across tissue types in all extant, nonpasserine species (n = 4022) and archelosaur outgroups in a phylogenetic framework. We collect dietary data for a subset of birds and investigate how dietary carotenoid intake may relate to carotenoid expression in various tissues. We find that carotenoid-consistent expression in skin or nonplumage keratin has a 50% probability of being present in the most recent common ancestor of Archosauria. Skin expression has a similar probability at the base of the avian crown clade, but plumage expression is unambiguously absent in that ancestor and shows hundreds of independent gains within nonpasserine neognaths, consistent with previous studies. Although our data do not support a strict sequence of tissue expression in nonpasserine birds, we find support that expression of carotenoid-consistent color in nonplumage integument structures might evolve in a correlated manner and feathers are rarely the only region of expression. Taxa with diets high in carotenoid content also show expression in more body regions and tissue types. Our results may inform targeted assays for carotenoids in tissues other than feathers, and expectations of these pigments in nonavian dinosaurs. In extinct groups, bare-skin regions and the rhamphotheca, especially in species with diets rich in plants, may express these pigments, which are not expected in feathers or feather homologues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Davis
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Julia A Clarke
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712.,Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712
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24
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Nokelainen O, de Moraes Rezende F, Valkonen JK, Mappes J. Context-dependent coloration of prey and predator decision making in contrasting light environments. Behav Ecol 2021; 33:77-86. [PMID: 35197807 PMCID: PMC8857938 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
A big question in behavioral ecology is what drives diversity of color signals. One possible explanation is that environmental conditions, such as light environment, may alter visual signaling of prey, which could affect predator decision-making. Here, we tested the context-dependent predator selection on prey coloration. In the first experiment, we tested detectability of artificial visual stimuli to blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by manipulating stimulus luminance and chromatic context of the background. We expected the presence of the chromatic context to facilitate faster target detection. As expected, blue tits found targets on chromatic yellow background faster than on achromatic grey background whereas in the latter, targets were found with smaller contrast differences to the background. In the second experiment, we tested the effect of two light environments on the survival of aposematic, color polymorphic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis). As luminance contrast should be more detectable than chromatic contrast in low light intensities, we expected birds, if they find the moths aversive, to avoid the white morph which is more conspicuous than the yellow morph in low light (and vice versa in bright light). Alternatively, birds may attack first moths that are more detectable. We found birds to attack yellow moths first in low light conditions, whereas white moths were attacked first more frequently in bright light conditions. Our results show that light environments affect predator foraging decisions, which may facilitate context-dependent selection on visual signals and diversity of prey phenotypes in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Francisko de Moraes Rezende
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikki Biocenter 3, Helsinki, Finland
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25
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Valenta K, Bornbusch SL, Jacques Y, Nevo O. In the eye of the beholder: Is color classification consistent among human observers? Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13875-13883. [PMID: 34707824 PMCID: PMC8525178 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorful displays have evolved in multiple plant and animal species as signals to mutualists, antagonists, competitors, mates, and other potential receivers. Studies of color have long relied on subjective classifications of color by human observers. However, humans have a limited ability to perceive color compared to other animals, and human biological, cultural, and environmental variables can influence color perception. Here, we test the consistency of human color classification using fruit color as a model system. We used reflectance data of 67 tropical fruits and surveyed 786 participants to assess the degree to which (a) participants of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds agree on color classification of fruits; and (b) human classification to a discrete set of commonly used colors (e.g., red, blue, green) corresponds to natural clusters based on light reflectance measures processed through visual systems of other animals. We find that individual humans tend to agree on the colors they attribute to fruits across language groups. However, these colors do not correspond to clearly discernible clusters in di- or tetrachromatic visual systems. These results indicate that subjective color categorizations tend to be consistent among observers and can be used for large synthetic studies, but also that they do not fully reflect natural categories that are relevant to animal observers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Valenta
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFLUSA
| | | | | | - Omer Nevo
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University JenaJenaGermany
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26
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Yeager J, Barnett JB. The influence of ultraviolet reflectance differs between conspicuous aposematic signals in neotropical butterflies and poison frogs. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13633-13640. [PMID: 34707805 PMCID: PMC8525173 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Warning signals are often characterized by highly contrasting, distinctive, and memorable colors. Greater chromatic (hue) and achromatic (brightness) contrast have both been found to contribute to greater signal efficacy, making longwave colored signals (e.g., red and yellow), that are perceived by both chromatic and achromatic visual pathways, particularly common. Conversely, shortwave colors (e.g., blue and ultraviolet) do not contribute to luminance perception yet are also commonly found in warning signals. Our understanding of the role of UV in aposematic signals is currently incomplete as UV perception is not universal, and evidence for its utility is at best mixed. We used visual modeling to quantify how UV affects signal contrast in aposematic heliconiian butterflies and poison frogs both of which reflect UV wavelengths, occupy similar habitats, and share similar classes of predators. Previous work on butterflies has found that UV reflectance does not affect predation risk but is involved in mate choice. As the butterflies, but not the frogs, have UV-sensitive vision, the function of UV reflectance in poison frogs is currently unknown. We found that despite showing up strongly in UV photographs, UV reflectance only appreciably affected visual contrast in the butterflies. As such, these results support the notion that although UV reflectance is associated with intraspecific communication in butterflies, it appears to be nonfunctional in frogs. Consequently, our data highlight that we should be careful when assigning a selection-based benefit to the presence of UV reflectance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Yeager
- Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y Salud Universidad de Las Américas Quito Ecuador
| | - James B Barnett
- Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour McMaster University Hamilton ON Canada
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27
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Carvajal-Castro JD, Vargas-Salinas F, Casas-Cardona S, Rojas B, Santos JC. Aposematism facilitates the diversification of parental care strategies in poison frogs. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19047. [PMID: 34561489 PMCID: PMC8463664 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97206-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many organisms have evolved adaptations to increase the odds of survival of their offspring. Parental care has evolved several times in animals including ectotherms. In amphibians, ~ 10% of species exhibit parental care. Among these, poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are well-known for their extensive care, which includes egg guarding, larval transport, and specialized tadpole provisioning with trophic eggs. At least one third of dendrobatids displaying aposematism by exhibiting warning coloration that informs potential predators about the presence of defensive skin toxins. Aposematism has a central role in poison frog diversification, including diet specialization, and visual and acoustic communication; and it is thought to have impacted their reproductive biology as well. We tested the latter association using multivariate phylogenetic methods at the family level. Our results show complex relationships between aposematism and certain aspects of the reproductive biology in dendrobatids. In particular, aposematic species tend to use more specialized tadpole-deposition sites, such as phytotelmata, and ferry fewer tadpoles than non-aposematic species. We propose that aposematism may have facilitated the diversification of microhabitat use in dendrobatids in the context of reproduction. Furthermore, the use of resource-limited tadpole-deposition environments may have evolved in tandem with an optimal reproductive strategy characterized by few offspring, biparental care, and female provisioning of food in the form of unfertilized eggs. We also found that in phytotelm-breeders, the rate of transition from cryptic to aposematic phenotype is 17 to 19 times higher than vice versa. Therefore, we infer that the aposematism in dendrobatids might serve as an umbrella trait for the evolution and maintenance of their complex offspring-caring activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D. Carvajal-Castro
- grid.264091.80000 0001 1954 7928Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s University, Jamaica-Queens, NY USA ,grid.441861.e0000 0001 0690 6629Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Fernando Vargas-Salinas
- grid.441861.e0000 0001 0690 6629Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Santiago Casas-Cardona
- grid.441861.e0000 0001 0690 6629Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland ,grid.6583.80000 0000 9686 6466Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Juan C. Santos
- grid.264091.80000 0001 1954 7928Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s University, Jamaica-Queens, NY USA
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Blackburn DC, Nielsen SV, Ghose SL, Burger M, Gonwouo LN, Greenbaum E, Gvoždík V, Hirschfeld M, Kouete MT, Kusamba C, Lawson D, McLaughlin PJ, Zassi-Boulou AG, Rödel MO. Phylogeny of African Long-Fingered Frogs (Arthroleptidae: Cardioglossa) Reveals Recent Allopatric Divergences in Coloration. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2020165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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29
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Tan EJ, Elgar MA. Motion: enhancing signals and concealing cues. Biol Open 2021; 10:271863. [PMID: 34414408 PMCID: PMC8411570 DOI: 10.1242/bio.058762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal colour patterns remain a lively focus of evolutionary and behavioural ecology, despite the considerable conceptual and technical developments over the last four decades. Nevertheless, our current understanding of the function and efficacy of animal colour patterns remains largely shaped by a focus on stationary animals, typically in a static background. Yet, this rarely reflects the natural world: most animals are mobile in their search for food and mates, and their surrounding environment is usually dynamic. Thus, visual signalling involves not only animal colour patterns, but also the patterns of animal motion and behaviour, often in the context of a potentially dynamic background. While motion can reveal information about the signaller by attracting attention or revealing signaller attributes, motion can also be a means of concealing cues, by reducing the likelihood of detection (motion camouflage, motion masquerade and flicker-fusion effect) or the likelihood of capture following detection (motion dazzle and confusion effect). The interaction between the colour patterns of the animal and its local environment is further affected by the behaviour of the individual. Our review details how motion is intricately linked to signalling and suggests some avenues for future research. This Review has an associated Future Leader to Watch interview with the first author. Summary: While motion can reveal information about the signaller, motion can also be a means of concealing cues by reducing the likelihood of detection or the likelihood of capture following detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunice J Tan
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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30
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Chai L, Yin C, Kamau PM, Luo L, Yang S, Lu X, Zheng D, Wang Y. Toward an understanding of tree frog (Hyla japonica) for predator deterrence. Amino Acids 2021; 53:1405-1413. [PMID: 34245370 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-021-03037-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Gene-encoded peptides with distinct potent bioactivities enable several animals to take advantage of fierce interspecific interaction, as seen in the skin secretion of amphibians. Unlike, most amphibian species that frequently switches terrestrial-aquatic habitats and hides easily from terrestrial predators, tree frogs of small body size are considered as the vulnerable prey in the arboreal habitat. Here, we show the structural and functional diversity of peptide families based on the skin transcriptome of Hyla japonica, which has evolved to be wrapped as an efficient chemical toolkit for defensive use in arboreal habitat. Generally, the presence of antimicrobial peptide and proteinase inhibitor families reveals the functional consistency of Hyla japonica skin compared to other amphibian species. Furthermore, we found that Anntoxin-like neurotoxins with high expression levels are species-specific in tree frogs. Interestingly, derivatives in the Anntoxin-like family exhibit multiple evolutionary traits in modifying the copy number, folding type, and three-dimensional architecture, which are considered essential for targeting the ion channels of terrestrial predators. Together, our study not only reveals the peptide diversity in the skin secretion of H. japonica, but also draws insights into the predator-deterring strategy for coping with arboreal habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longhui Chai
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Chuanlin Yin
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Peter Muiruri Kamau
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650223, Yunnan, China
| | - Lei Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650223, Yunnan, China
| | - Shilong Yang
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Xiancui Lu
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Dong Zheng
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.
| | - Yunfei Wang
- College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.
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31
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Barnett JB, Varela BJ, Jennings BJ, Lesbarrères D, Pruitt JN, Green DM. Habitat disturbance alters color contrast and the detectability of cryptic and aposematic frogs. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animals use color both to conceal and signal their presence, with patterns that match the background, disrupt shape recognition, or highlight features important for communication. The forms that these color patterns take are responses to the visual systems that observe them and the environments within which they are viewed. Increasingly, however, these environments are being affected by human activity. We studied how pattern characteristics and habitat change may affect the detectability of three frog color patterns from the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama: Beige-Striped Brown Allobates talamancae and two spotted morphs of Oophaga pumilio, Black-Spotted Green and Black-Spotted Red. To assess detectability, we used visual modeling of conspecifics and potential predators, along with a computer-based detection experiment with human participants. Although we found no evidence for disruptive camouflage, we did find clear evidence that A. talamancae stripes are inherently more cryptic than O. pumilio spots regardless of color. We found no evidence that color pattern polytypism in O. pumilio is related to differences in the forest floor between natural sites. We did, however, find strong evidence that human disturbance affects the visual environment and modifies absolute and rank order frog detectability. Human-induced environmental change reduces the effectiveness of camouflage in A. talamancae, reduces detectability of Black-Spotted Green O. pumilio, and increases chromatic contrast, but not detectability, in Black-Spotted Red O. pumilio. Insofar as predators may learn about prey defenses and make foraging decisions based on relative prey availability and suitability, such changes may have wider implications for predator–prey dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Barnett
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Ben J Jennings
- The College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UK
| | | | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - David M Green
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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32
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White TE, Umbers KDL. Meta-analytic evidence for quantitative honesty in aposematic signals. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210679. [PMID: 33906408 PMCID: PMC8080005 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The combined use of noxious chemical defences and conspicuous warning colours is a ubiquitous anti-predator strategy. That such signals advertise the presence of defences is inherent to their function, but their predicted potential for quantitative honesty-the positive scaling of signal salience with the strength of protection-is the subject of enduring debate. Here, we systematically synthesized the available evidence to test this prediction using meta-analysis. We found evidence for a positive correlation between warning colour expression and the extent of chemical defences across taxa. Notably, this relationship held at all scales; among individuals, populations and species, though substantial between-study heterogeneity remains unexplained. Consideration of the design of signals revealed that all visual features, from colour to contrast, were equally informative of the extent of prey defence. Our results affirm a central prediction of honesty-based models of signal function and narrow the scope of possible mechanisms shaping the evolution of aposematism. They suggest diverse pathways to the encoding and exchange of information, while highlighting the need for deeper knowledge of the ecology of chemical defences to enrich our understanding of this widespread anti-predator adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2106, Australia
| | - Kate D. L. Umbers
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
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33
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Varnon CA, Vallely N, Beheler C, Coffin C. The disturbance leg-lift response (DLR): an undescribed behavior in bumble bees. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10997. [PMID: 33828912 PMCID: PMC8005288 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Bumble bees, primarily Bombus impatiens and B. terrestris, are becoming increasingly popular organisms in behavioral ecology and comparative psychology research. Despite growing use in foraging and appetitive conditioning experiments, little attention has been given to innate antipredator responses and their ability to be altered by experience. In this paper, we discuss a primarily undescribed behavior, the disturbance leg-lift response (DLR). When exposed to a presumably threatening stimulus, bumble bees often react by lifting one or multiple legs. We investigated DLR across two experiments. Methods In our first experiment, we investigated the function of DLR as a prerequisite to later conditioning research. We recorded the occurrence and sequence of DLR, biting and stinging in response to an approaching object that was either presented inside a small, clear apparatus containing a bee, or presented directly outside of the subject’s apparatus. In our second experiment, we investigated if DLR could be altered by learning and experience in a similar manner to many other well-known bee behaviors. We specifically investigated habituation learning by repeatedly presenting a mild visual stimulus to samples of captive and wild bees. Results The results of our first experiment show that DLR and other defensive behaviors occur as a looming object approaches, and that the response is greater when proximity to the object is lower. More importantly, we found that DLR usually occurs first, rarely precedes biting, and often precedes stinging. This suggests that DLR may function as a warning signal that a sting will occur. In our second experiment, we found that DLR can be altered as a function of habituation learning in both captive and wild bees, though the captive sample initially responded more. This suggests that DLR may be a suitable response for many other conditioning experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Varnon
- Department of Psychology, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
| | - Noelle Vallely
- Department of Psychology, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
| | - Charlie Beheler
- Department of Psychology, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
| | - Claudia Coffin
- Department of Psychology, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
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34
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Silvasti SA, Valkonen JK, Nokelainen O. Behavioural thresholds of blue tit colour vision and the effect of background chromatic complexity. Vision Res 2021; 182:46-57. [PMID: 33596523 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2020.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Vision is a vital attribute to foraging, navigation, mate selection and social signalling in animals, which often have a very different colour perception in comparison to humans. For understanding how animal colour perception works, vision models provide the smallest colour difference that animals of a given species are assumed to detect. To determine the just-noticeable-difference, or JND, vision models use Weber fractions that set discrimination thresholds of a stimulus compared to its background. However, although vision models are widely used, they rely on assumptions of Weber fractions since the exact fractions are unknown for most species. Here, we test; i) which Weber fractions in long-, middle- and shortwave (i.e. L, M, S) colour channels best describe the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) colour discrimination, ii) how changes in hue of saturated colours and iii) chromatic background noise impair search behaviour in blue tits. We show that the behaviourally verified Weber fractions on achromatic backgrounds were L: 0.05, M: 0.03 and S: 0.03, indicating a high colour sensitivity. In contrast, on saturated chromatic backgrounds, the correct Weber fractions were considerably higher for L: 0.20, M: 0.17 and S: 0.15, indicating a less detailed colour perception. Chromatic complexity of backgrounds affected the longwave channel, while middle- and shortwave channels were mostly unaffected. We caution that using a vision model whereby colour discrimination is determined in achromatic viewing conditions, as they often are, can lead to misleading interpretations of biological interactions in natural - colourful - environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanni A Silvasti
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
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35
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Posso-Terranova A, Andrés J. Skin transcriptional profiles in Oophaga poison frogs. Genet Mol Biol 2020; 43:e20190401. [PMID: 33211057 PMCID: PMC7678260 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2019-0401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Aposematic organisms advertise their defensive toxins to predators using a variety of warning
signals, including bright coloration. While most Neotropical poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) rely on
crypsis to avoid predators, Oophaga poison frogs from South America advertise their
chemical defenses, a complex mix of diet-derived alkaloids, by using conspicuous hues. The present
study aimed to characterize the skin transcriptomic profiles of South American
Oophaga poison frogs. Our analyses showed very similar transcriptomic profiles for
these closely related species in terms of functional annotation and relative abundance of gene
ontology terms expressed. Analyses of expression profiles of Oophaga and available
skin transcriptomes of cryptic anurans allowed us to propose initial hypotheses for the active
sequestration of alkaloid-based chemical defenses and to highlight some genes that may be
potentially involved in resistance mechanisms to avoid self-intoxication and skin coloration. In
doing so, we provide an important molecular resource for the study of warning signals that will
facilitate the assembly and annotation of future poison frog genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Posso-Terranova
- University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biology, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.,Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Palmira, Palmira, Colombia
| | - José Andrés
- University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biology, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.,Cornell University, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Ithaca, NY, USA
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36
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Goedert D, Clement D, Calsbeek R. Evolutionary trade‐offs may interact with physiological constraints to maintain color variation. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Debora Goedert
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover03755 New Hampshire USA
- Ministry of Education of Brazil CAPES Foundation Brasília DF95616Brazil
| | - Dale Clement
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover03755 New Hampshire USA
| | - Ryan Calsbeek
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover03755 New Hampshire USA
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37
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Conspecific and Predator Perception of the Red Oophaga pumilio Morph from the Central Caribbean of Costa Rica. J HERPETOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1670/19-110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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38
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DE Meester G, Šunje E, Prinsen E, Verbruggen E, VAN Damme R. Toxin variation among salamander populations: discussing potential causes and future directions. Integr Zool 2020; 16:336-353. [PMID: 32965720 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Amphibians produce defensive chemicals which provide protection against both predators and infections. Within species, populations can differ considerably in the composition and amount of these chemical defenses. Studying intraspecific variation in toxins and linking it to environmental variables may help us to identify the selective drivers of toxin evolution, such as predation pressure and infection risk. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the unique toxins produced by salamanders from the genus Salamandra: the samandarines. Despite this attention, intraspecific variation has largely been ignored within Salamandra-species. The aim of this study was to investigate whether geographic variation in profiles of samandarines exists, by sampling 4 populations of Salamandra atra over its range in the Dinaric Alps. In addition, we preliminary explored whether potential variation could be explained by predation (counting the number of snake species) and infection risk (cultivation and genomic analyses of collected soil samples). Salamanders from the 4 populations differed in toxin composition and in the size of their poison glands, although not in overall toxin quantity. Nor predation nor infection risk could explain this variation, as populations barely differed in these variables. Sampling over a much broader geographic range, using better estimators for predation and infection risk, will contribute to an improved understanding of how environment may shape variation in chemical defenses. Nevertheless, as the 4 populations of S. atra did differ in their toxin profiles, we propose that this species provides an interesting opportunity for further ecological and evolutionary studies on amphibian toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles DE Meester
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Emina Šunje
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina.,Herpetological Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHHU: ATRA, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina
| | - Els Prinsen
- Department of Biology, Impress, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Erik Verbruggen
- Department of Biology, Plant and Ecosystems, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Raoul VAN Damme
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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39
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Heninger R, Watson CM, Cox CL. Relative fitness of decoy coloration is mediated by habitat type. ZOOLOGY 2020; 142:125820. [PMID: 32769003 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions can be important drivers of morphological evolution, and antipredator traits in particular. Further, ecological context can be an important factor shaping the evolution of these traits. However, the role of ecological factors such as habitat structure in altering predator-based selection is not well known for antipredator traits such as decoy coloration. We used a combination of a natural history collection survey and a clay model experiment in open- and closed-canopy habitats to study how ecological context alters the fitness benefit of either red or blue decoy coloration in skinks. We found that the development and ecology of red decoy coloration of mole skinks differed substantially from blue tail coloration of other sympatric skink species. Mole skinks do not reach the body size of sympatric species of skinks and retain decoy coloration throughout development. Both patterns of scarring in museum specimens and attacks on plasticine models suggest that red coloration serves as a decoy, attracting attacks to the autotomous tail. While predation rates were similar across habitats, models with red tails were attacked far less frequently in open habitats than models with blue tails, while attack rates were similar in closed habitats. Our results suggest that red decoy coloration in mole skinks could be an adaptation to relatively open-canopy habitats. Our study has important implications for understanding how habitat structure and predator-based selection can alter the evolutionary dynamics of decoy coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryann Heninger
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA.
| | - Charles M Watson
- Deparment of Biology, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX, USA.
| | - Christian L Cox
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
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40
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Blanco‐Torres A, Duré MI, Bonilla MA, Cagnolo L. Predator–prey interactions in anurans of the tropical dry forests of the Colombian Caribbean: A functional approach. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Argelina Blanco‐Torres
- Grupo de investigación en Biología de Organismos Tropicales Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá Colombia
- Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas Universidad de la Costa Barranquilla Colombia
| | - Marta I. Duré
- Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral CECOAL– CONICET- UNNE Corrientes Argentina
| | - Maria Argenis Bonilla
- Grupo de investigación en Biología de Organismos Tropicales Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá Colombia
| | - Luciano Cagnolo
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal UNC‐CONICET Córdoba Argentina
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41
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Khan MK. Female prereproductive coloration reduces mating harassment in damselflies. Evolution 2020; 74:2293-2303. [PMID: 32573766 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Conspicuous female coloration can evolve through male mate choice or via female-female competition thereby increasing female mating success. However, when mating is not beneficial, such as in pre-reproductive females, selection should favor cryptic rather than conspicuous coloration to avoid male detection and the associated harassment. Nevertheless, conspicuous female coloration occurs in many prereproductive animals, and its evolution remains an enigma. Here, I studied conspicuous female coloration in Agriocnemis femina damselflies, in which the conspicuous red color of the immature females changes to a less conspicuous green approximately a week after their emergence. I measured body size, weight, and egg numbers of the female morphs and found that red females are smaller and lighter and do not carry developed eggs. Finally, I calculated the occurrence frequency and mating frequency of red and green females in several populations over a three-year period. The results demonstrate that red females mated less frequently than green females even when red females were the abundant morph in the populations. I concluded that conspicuous female coloration is likely to function as a warning signal of sexual unprofitability, thereby reducing sexual harassment for females and unprofitable mating for males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Kawsar Khan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, 3114, Bangladesh
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42
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Twomey E, Johnson JD, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Van Bocxlaer I. A ketocarotenoid-based colour polymorphism in the Sira poison frog Ranitomeya sirensis indicates novel gene interactions underlying aposematic signal variation. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:2004-2015. [PMID: 32402099 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The accumulation of red ketocarotenoids is an important component of coloration in many organisms, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In some organisms, ketocarotenoids are sequestered from the diet and can accumulate when enzymes responsible for carotenoid breakdown are disrupted. In other organisms, ketocarotenoids are formed endogenously from dietary precursors via oxidation reactions carried out by carotenoid ketolase enzymes. Here, we study the genetic basis of carotenoid coloration in an amphibian. We demonstrate that a red/yellow polymorphism in the dendrobatid poison frog Ranitomeya sirensis is due to the presence/absence of ketocarotenoids. Using whole-transcriptome sequencing of skins and livers, we found that a transcript encoding a cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP3A80) is expressed 3.4-fold higher in livers of red frogs versus yellow. As CYP3A enzymes are known carotenoid ketolases in other organisms, our results point to CYP3A80 as a strong candidate for a carotenoid ketolase in amphibians. Furthermore, in red frogs, the transcript encoding the carotenoid cleavage enzyme BCO2 is expressed at a low level or as a splice variant lacking key catalytic amino acids. This suggests that BCO2 function may be disrupted in red frogs, providing a mechanism whereby the accumulation of ketocarotenoids and their dietary precursors may be enhanced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Twomey
- Laboratorio de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - James D Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
- Laboratorio de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Burgon JD, Vieites DR, Jacobs A, Weidt SK, Gunter HM, Steinfartz S, Burgess K, Mable BK, Elmer KR. Functional colour genes and signals of selection in colour-polymorphic salamanders. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1284-1299. [PMID: 32159878 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Coloration has been associated with multiple biologically relevant traits that drive adaptation and diversification in many taxa. However, despite the great diversity of colour patterns present in amphibians the underlying molecular basis is largely unknown. Here, we use insight from a highly colour-variable lineage of the European fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra bernardezi) to identify functional associations with striking variation in colour morph and pattern. The three focal colour morphs-ancestral black-yellow striped, fully yellow and fully brown-differed in pattern, visible coloration and cellular composition. From population genomic analyses of up to 4,702 loci, we found no correlations of neutral population genetic structure with colour morph. However, we identified 21 loci with genotype-phenotype associations, several of which relate to known colour genes. Furthermore, we inferred response to selection at up to 142 loci between the colour morphs, again including several that relate to coloration genes. By transcriptomic analysis across all different combinations, we found 196 differentially expressed genes between yellow, brown and black skin, 63 of which are candidate genes involved in animal coloration. The concordance across different statistical approaches and 'omic data sets provide several lines of evidence for loci linked to functional differences between colour morphs, including TYR, CAMK1 and PMEL. We found little association between colour morph and the metabolomic profile of its toxic compounds from the skin secretions. Our research suggests that current ecological and evolutionary hypotheses for the origins and maintenance of these striking colour morphs may need to be revisited.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Burgon
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - David R Vieites
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Arne Jacobs
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Stefan K Weidt
- Glasgow Polyomics, Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Helen M Gunter
- Edinburgh Genomics, King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sebastian Steinfartz
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit Molecular Ecology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Karl Burgess
- Glasgow Polyomics, Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Barbara K Mable
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Kathryn R Elmer
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Rodríguez A, Mundy NI, Ibáñez R, Pröhl H. Being red, blue and green: the genetic basis of coloration differences in the strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio). BMC Genomics 2020; 21:301. [PMID: 32293261 PMCID: PMC7158012 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6719-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal coloration is usually an adaptive attribute, under strong local selection pressures and often diversified among species or populations. The strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) shows an impressive array of color morphs across its distribution in Central America. Here we quantify gene expression and genetic variation to identify candidate genes involved in generating divergence in coloration between populations of red, green and blue O. pumilio from the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama. RESULTS We generated a high quality non-redundant reference transcriptome by mapping the products of genome-guided and de novo transcriptome assemblies onto a re-scaffolded draft genome of O. pumilio. We then measured gene expression in individuals of the three color phenotypes and identified color-associated candidate genes by comparing differential expression results against a list of a priori gene sets for five different functional categories of coloration - pteridine synthesis, carotenoid synthesis, melanin synthesis, iridophore pathways (structural coloration), and chromatophore development. We found 68 candidate coloration loci with significant expression differences among the color phenotypes. Notable upregulated examples include pteridine synthesis genes spr, xdh and pts (in red and green frogs); carotenoid metabolism genes bco2 (in blue frogs), scarb1 (in red frogs), and guanine metabolism gene psat1 (in blue frogs). We detected significantly higher expression of the pteridine synthesis gene set in red and green frogs versus blue frogs. In addition to gene expression differences, we identified 370 outlier SNPs on 162 annotated genes showing signatures of diversifying selection, including eight pigmentation-associated genes. CONCLUSIONS Gene expression in the skin of the three populations of frogs with differing coloration is highly divergent. The strong signal of differential expression in pteridine genes is consistent with a major role of these genes in generating the coloration differences among the three morphs. However, the finding of differentially expressed genes across pathways and functional categories suggests that multiple mechanisms are responsible for the coloration differences, likely involving both pigmentary and structural coloration. In addition to regulatory differences, we found potential evidence of differential selection acting at the protein sequence level in several color-associated loci, which could contribute to the color polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Rodríguez
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine of Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Nicholas I. Mundy
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ England
| | - Roberto Ibáñez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado Postal, 0843-03092 Panamá, República de Panamá
- Sistema Nacional de Investigación, Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Apartado, 0816-02852 Panamá, República de Panamá
| | - Heike Pröhl
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine of Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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45
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Twomey E, Kain M, Claeys M, Summers K, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Van Bocxlaer I. Mechanisms for Color Convergence in a Mimetic Radiation of Poison Frogs. Am Nat 2020; 195:E132-E149. [PMID: 32364784 DOI: 10.1086/708157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In animals, bright colors often evolve to mimic other species when a resemblance is selectively favored. Understanding the proximate mechanisms underlying such color mimicry can give insights into how mimicry evolves-for example, whether color convergence evolves from a shared set of mechanisms or through the evolution of novel color production mechanisms. We studied color production mechanisms in poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), focusing on the mimicry complex of Ranitomeya imitator. Using reflectance spectrometry, skin pigment analysis, electron microscopy, and color modeling, we found that the bright colors of these frogs, both within and outside the mimicry complex, are largely structural and produced by iridophores but that color production depends crucially on interactions with pigments. Color variation and mimicry are regulated predominantly by iridophore platelet thickness and, to a lesser extent, concentration of the red pteridine pigment drosopterin. Compared with each of the four morphs of model species that it resembles, R. imitator displays greater variation in both structural and pigmentary mechanisms, which may have facilitated phenotypic divergence in this species. Analyses of nonmimetic dendrobatids in other genera demonstrate that these mechanisms are widespread within the family and that poison frogs share a complex physiological "color palette" that can produce diverse and highly reflective colors.
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McClure M, Clerc C, Desbois C, Meichanetzoglou A, Cau M, Bastin-Héline L, Bacigalupo J, Houssin C, Pinna C, Nay B, Llaurens V, Berthier S, Andraud C, Gomez D, Elias M. Why has transparency evolved in aposematic butterflies? Insights from the largest radiation of aposematic butterflies, the Ithomiini. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182769. [PMID: 30991931 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Defended species are often conspicuous and this is thought to be an honest signal of defences, i.e. more toxic prey are more conspicuous. Neotropical butterflies of the large Ithomiini tribe numerically dominate communities of chemically defended butterflies and may thus drive the evolution of mimetic warning patterns. Although many species are brightly coloured, most are transparent to some degree. The evolution of transparency from a warning-coloured ancestor is puzzling as it is generally assumed to be involved in concealment. Here, we show that transparent Ithomiini species are indeed less detectable by avian predators (i.e. concealment). Surprisingly, transparent species are not any less unpalatable, and may in fact be more unpalatable than opaque species, the latter spanning a larger range of unpalatability. We put forth various hypotheses to explain the evolution of weak aposematic signals in these butterflies and other cryptic defended prey. Our study is an important step in determining the selective pressures and constraints that regulate the interaction between conspicuousness and unpalatability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie McClure
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Corentin Clerc
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Charlotte Desbois
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Aimilia Meichanetzoglou
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France.,2 Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes (MCAM), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , 75005 Paris , France
| | - Marion Cau
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Lucie Bastin-Héline
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France.,4 Sorbonne Université, INRA, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université Paris Diderot, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris , Paris and Versailles , France
| | - Javier Bacigalupo
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Céline Houssin
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Charline Pinna
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Bastien Nay
- 2 Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes (MCAM), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , 75005 Paris , France.,3 Laboratoire de Synthèse Organique, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris , 91128 Palaiseau , France
| | - Violaine Llaurens
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
| | - Serge Berthier
- 5 Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, UMR 7588, CNRS, Sorbonne Université , 75252 Paris , France
| | - Christine Andraud
- 6 Centre de recherche et Conservation des Collections (CRCC), MNHN , 75005 Paris , France
| | - Doris Gomez
- 7 CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 , EPHE, IRD, Montpellier , France
| | - Marianne Elias
- 1 Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université , EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50 75005 Paris , France
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Rojas D, Lima AP, Momigliano P, Simões PI, Dudaniec RY, de Avila-Pires TCS, Hoogmoed MS, da Cunha Bitar YO, Kaefer IL, Amézquita A, Stow A. The evolution of polymorphism in the warning coloration of the Amazonian poison frog Adelphobates galactonotus. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 124:439-456. [PMID: 31712747 PMCID: PMC7028985 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-019-0281-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
While intraspecific variation in aposematic signals can be selected for by different predatory responses, their evolution is also contingent on other processes shaping genetic variation. We evaluate the relative contributions of selection, geographic isolation, and random genetic drift to the evolution of aposematic color polymorphism in the poison frog Adelphobates galactonotus, distributed throughout eastern Brazilian Amazonia. Dorsal coloration was measured for 111 individuals and genetic data were obtained from 220 individuals at two mitochondrial genes (mtDNA) and 7963 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Four color categories were described (brown, blue, yellow, orange) and our models of frog and bird visual systems indicated that each color was distinguishable for these taxa. Using outlier and correlative analyses we found no compelling genetic evidence for color being under divergent selection. A time-calibrated mtDNA tree suggests that the present distribution of dorsal coloration resulted from processes occurring during the Pleistocene. Separate phylogenies based on SNPs and mtDNA resolved the same well supported clades, each containing different colored populations. Ancestral character state analysis provided some evidence for evolutionary transitions in color type. Genetic structure was more strongly associated with geographic features, than color category, suggesting that the distribution of color is explained by localized processes. Evidence for geographic isolation together with estimates of low effective population size implicates drift as playing a key role in color diversification. Our results highlight the relevance of considering the neutral processes involved with the evolution of traits with important fitness consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Rojas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo 2936, P.O. Box 2223, Manaus, AM, 69011-970, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Instituto de Natureza e Cultura, Rua 1º de Maio 05, Benjamin Constant, AM, 69630-000, Brazil
| | - Albertina P Lima
- Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo 2936, Manaus, AM, 69011-970, Brazil
| | - Paolo Momigliano
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pedro Ivo Simões
- Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo 2936, Manaus, AM, 69011-970, Brazil
- Departamento de Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof Moraes 1235, Recife, 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Rachael Y Dudaniec
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | | | - Marinus S Hoogmoed
- Museu Paraense Emilío Goeldi, Caixa Postal 399, Belém, PA, 66017-970, Brazil
| | - Youszef Oliveira da Cunha Bitar
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia UFPA/Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Igor L Kaefer
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Av. Rodrigo Octávio 6200, Manaus, AM, 69077-000, Brazil
| | - Adolfo Amézquita
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Adam Stow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
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48
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Fight or flight trade-offs and the defensive behaviour of the mountain katydid, Acripeza reticulata. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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49
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Toxicity and Alkaloid Profiling of the Skin of the Golfo Dulcean Poison Frog Phyllobates vittatus (Dendrobatidae). J Chem Ecol 2019; 45:914-925. [PMID: 31802386 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-019-01116-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Frogs in the genus Phyllobates are known for the presence of batrachotoxin, a highly toxic alkaloid, in their skin. Nevertheless, Phyllobates frogs from Costa Rica and Panama (P. lugubris and P. vittatus) are considered non-toxic, as they have been reported to harbor low concentrations of this alkaloid. However, the potential toxicity of Central American Phyllobates has not been assessed experimentally. Our goal was to determine the toxicity of the whole skin of P. vittatus, an endemic species from the Southeastern Pacific region of Costa Rica. We performed median lethal dose (LD50) tests in mice to determine general toxicity, and an irritant assay based on the behavioral responses of mice to subcutaneous injection, to determine differences in irritability, as a measure of toxicity, among three study localities. Using UPLC-ESI-QTOF, we obtained chemical profiles of the methanolic extract of frog skins. Due to the absence of mortality at the studied doses, we were unable to estimate LD50. However, we recorded a list of toxicity symptoms in mice that are consistent with cardiotoxic effects, and found that mice presented more symptoms at higher concentrations of skin extracts during the first hour of the LD50 assays, recovering completely at all doses by the end of the assay. On the other hand, we did not detect differences in irritability among studied localities. Additionally, we putatively identified three toxic alkaloids (Batrachotoxinin A, DHQ 251A and Lehm 275A). This study provides the first experimental data on the toxicity and associated symptoms in mice, as well as the chemical profile of the skin of P. vittatus. We suggest that the skin alkaloids of P. vitattus may confer a chemical defense towards predators.
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50
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Prates I, Paz A, Brown JL, Carnaval AC. Links between prey assemblages and poison frog toxins: A landscape ecology approach to assess how biotic interactions affect species phenotypes. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:14317-14329. [PMID: 31938521 PMCID: PMC6953698 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5867] [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: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological studies of species pairs showed that biotic interactions promote phenotypic change and eco-evolutionary feedbacks. However, it is unclear how phenotypes respond to synergistic interactions with multiple taxa. We investigate whether interactions with multiple prey species explain spatially structured variation in the skin toxins of the neotropical poison frog Oophaga pumilio. Specifically, we assess how dissimilarity (i.e., beta diversity) of alkaloid-bearing arthropod prey assemblages (68 ant species) and evolutionary divergence between frog populations (from a neutral genetic marker) contribute to frog poison dissimilarity (toxin profiles composed of 230 different lipophilic alkaloids sampled from 934 frogs at 46 sites). We find that models that incorporate spatial turnover in the composition of ant assemblages explain part of the frog alkaloid variation, and we infer unique alkaloid combinations across the range of O. pumilio. Moreover, we find that alkaloid variation increases weakly with the evolutionary divergence between frog populations. Our results pose two hypotheses: First, the distribution of only a few prey species may explain most of the geographic variation in poison frog alkaloids; second, different codistributed prey species may be redundant alkaloid sources. The analytical framework proposed here can be extended to other multitrophic systems, coevolutionary mosaics, microbial assemblages, and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Prates
- Department of Vertebrate ZoologyNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian InstitutionWashingtonDCUSA
| | - Andrea Paz
- Department of BiologyCity College of New York, and Graduate CenterCity University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Jason L. Brown
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory & The Center for EcologySouthern Illinois UniversityCarbondaleILUSA
| | - Ana C. Carnaval
- Department of BiologyCity College of New York, and Graduate CenterCity University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
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