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Guerra TJ, Braga RF, Camarota F, Neves FS, Fernandes GW. Avian Predators Avoid Attacking Fly-Mimicking Beetles: A Field Experiment on Evasive Mimicry Using Artificial Prey. Am Nat 2024; 204:96-104. [PMID: 38857342 DOI: 10.1086/730263] [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] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
AbstractMany Neotropical beetles present coloration patterns mimicking red-eyed flies, which are presumably evasive mimicry models. However, the role of predators in selecting for evasive mimics in nature remains untested. In a field experiment, we used nontoxic plasticine replicas of a specialized fly-mimicking beetle species, which we placed on the host plants of the beetles. We show that replicas painted with reddish patches simulating the eyes of flesh flies experienced a much lower predation rate than control replicas. We found that beak marks were the most frequent signs of attack on plasticine replicas, underlining the potential selective pressure exerted by birds. Replicas that matched the size of the beetles suffered higher predation than smaller or larger replicas. The predation rate was also higher for beetle replicas exposed during the warm and wet season, when adult beetles occur. Our results support predator-mediated selection of mimic beetles, highlighting that reddish spots resembling flies' eyes comprise an important trait in reducing attack by avian predators.
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Nishida Y, Berg PC, Shakersain B, Hecht K, Takikawa A, Tao R, Kakuta Y, Uragami C, Hashimoto H, Misawa N, Maoka T. Astaxanthin: Past, Present, and Future. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:514. [PMID: 37888449 PMCID: PMC10608541 DOI: 10.3390/md21100514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Astaxanthin (AX), a lipid-soluble pigment belonging to the xanthophyll carotenoids family, has recently garnered significant attention due to its unique physical properties, biochemical attributes, and physiological effects. Originally recognized primarily for its role in imparting the characteristic red-pink color to various organisms, AX is currently experiencing a surge in interest and research. The growing body of literature in this field predominantly focuses on AXs distinctive bioactivities and properties. However, the potential of algae-derived AX as a solution to various global environmental and societal challenges that threaten life on our planet has not received extensive attention. Furthermore, the historical context and the role of AX in nature, as well as its significance in diverse cultures and traditional health practices, have not been comprehensively explored in previous works. This review article embarks on a comprehensive journey through the history leading up to the present, offering insights into the discovery of AX, its chemical and physical attributes, distribution in organisms, and biosynthesis. Additionally, it delves into the intricate realm of health benefits, biofunctional characteristics, and the current market status of AX. By encompassing these multifaceted aspects, this review aims to provide readers with a more profound understanding and a robust foundation for future scientific endeavors directed at addressing societal needs for sustainable nutritional and medicinal solutions. An updated summary of AXs health benefits, its present market status, and potential future applications are also included for a well-rounded perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Nishida
- Fuji Chemical Industries, Co., Ltd., 55 Yokohoonji, Kamiich-machi, Nakaniikawa-gun, Toyama 930-0405, Japan
| | | | - Behnaz Shakersain
- AstaReal AB, Signum, Forumvägen 14, Level 16, 131 53 Nacka, Sweden; (P.C.B.); (B.S.)
| | - Karen Hecht
- AstaReal, Inc., 3 Terri Lane, Unit 12, Burlington, NJ 08016, USA;
| | - Akiko Takikawa
- First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan;
| | - Ruohan Tao
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen-Uegahara, Sanda 669-1330, Japan; (R.T.); (Y.K.); (C.U.); (H.H.)
| | - Yumeka Kakuta
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen-Uegahara, Sanda 669-1330, Japan; (R.T.); (Y.K.); (C.U.); (H.H.)
| | - Chiasa Uragami
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen-Uegahara, Sanda 669-1330, Japan; (R.T.); (Y.K.); (C.U.); (H.H.)
| | - Hideki Hashimoto
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen-Uegahara, Sanda 669-1330, Japan; (R.T.); (Y.K.); (C.U.); (H.H.)
| | - Norihiko Misawa
- Research Institute for Bioresources and Biotechnology, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Suematsu, Nonoichi-shi 921-8836, Japan;
| | - Takashi Maoka
- Research Institute for Production Development, 15 Shimogamo-morimoto-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0805, Japan
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3
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Individual features influence the choice to attack in the southern lapwing Vanellus chilensis, but the opponent type dictates how the interaction goes. Acta Ethol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-023-00416-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
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4
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Burdfield-Steel E, Burdfield C. How to fail in advertising: The potential of marketing theory to predict the community-level selection of defended prey. J Evol Biol 2023. [PMID: 36820741 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14160] [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: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Economics and ecology both present us with a key challenge: scaling up from individual behaviour to community-level effects. As a result, biologists have frequently utilized theories and frameworks from economics in their attempt to better understand animal behaviour. In the study of predator-prey interactions, we face a particularly difficult task-understanding how predator choices and strategies will impact the ecology and evolution not just of individual prey species, but whole communities. However, a similar challenge has been encountered, and largely solved, in Marketing, which has created frameworks that successfully predict human consumer behaviour at the community level. We argue that by applying these frameworks to non-human consumers, we can leverage this predictive power to understand the behaviour of these key ecological actors in shaping the communities they act upon. We here use predator-prey interactions, as a case study, to demonstrate and discuss the potential of marketing and human-consumer theory in helping us bridge the gap from laboratory experiments to complex community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Burdfield-Steel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Burdfield
- Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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5
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Juottonen H, Moghadam NN, Murphy L, Mappes J, Galarza JA. Host's genetic background determines the outcome of reciprocal faecal transplantation on life-history traits and microbiome composition. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:67. [PMID: 36564793 PMCID: PMC9789590 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00210-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microbes play a role in their host's fundamental ecological, chemical, and physiological processes. Host life-history traits from defence to growth are therefore determined not only by the abiotic environment and genotype but also by microbiota composition. However, the relative importance and interactive effects of these factors may vary between organisms. Such connections remain particularly elusive in Lepidoptera, which have been argued to lack a permanent microbiome and have microbiota primarily determined by their diet and environment. We tested the microbiome specificity and its influence on life-history traits of two colour genotypes of the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) that differ in several traits, including growth. All individuals were grown in the laboratory for several generations with standardized conditions. We analyzed the bacterial community of the genotypes before and after a reciprocal frass (i.e., larval faeces) transplantation and followed growth rate, pupal mass, and the production of defensive secretion. RESULTS After transplantation, the fast-growing genotype grew significantly slower compared to the controls, but the slow-growing genotype did not change its growth rate. The frass transplant also increased the volume of defensive secretions in the fast-growing genotype but did not affect pupal mass. Overall, the fast-growing genotype appeared more susceptible to the transplantation than the slow-growing genotype. Microbiome differences between the genotypes strongly suggest genotype-based selective filtering of bacteria from the diet and environment. A novel cluster of insect-associated Erysipelotrichaceae was exclusive to the fast-growing genotype, and specific Enterococcaceae were characteristic to the slow-growing genotype. These Enterococcaceae became more prevalent in the fast-growing genotype after the transplant, which suggests that a slower growth rate is potentially related to their presence. CONCLUSIONS We show that reciprocal frass transplantation can reverse some genotype-specific life-history traits in a lepidopteran host. The results indicate that genotype-specific selective filtering can fine-tune the bacterial community at specific life stages and tissues like the larval frass, even against a background of a highly variable community with stochastic assembly. Altogether, our findings suggest that the host's genotype can influence its susceptibility to being colonized by microbiota, impacting key life-history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heli Juottonen
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Neda N. Moghadam
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Liam Murphy
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland ,grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikki Biocenter 3, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juan A. Galarza
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland ,grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikki Biocenter 3, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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6
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Sculfort O, Maisonneuve L, Elias M, Aubier TG, Llaurens V. Uncovering the effects of Müllerian mimicry on the evolution of conspicuousness in colour patterns. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ombeline Sculfort
- Inst. de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne‐Univ., EPHE, Univ. des Antilles Paris France
- Molécules de Communication et Adaptations des Micro‐organismes (MCAM), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS Paris France
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Univ. de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER Cayenne France
| | - Ludovic Maisonneuve
- Inst. de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne‐Univ., EPHE, Univ. des Antilles Paris France
| | - Marianne Elias
- Inst. de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne‐Univ., EPHE, Univ. des Antilles Paris France
| | | | - Violaine Llaurens
- Inst. de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne‐Univ., EPHE, Univ. des Antilles Paris France
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7
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Nokelainen O, Galarza JA, Kirvesoja J, Suisto K, Mappes J. Genetic colour variation visible for predators and conspecifics is concealed from humans in a polymorphic moth. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:467-478. [PMID: 35239231 PMCID: PMC9314616 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The definition of colour polymorphism is intuitive: genetic variants express discretely coloured phenotypes. This classification is, however, elusive as humans form subjective categories or ignore differences that cannot be seen by human eyes. We demonstrate an example of a ‘cryptic morph’ in a polymorphic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis), a phenomenon that may be common among well‐studied species. We used pedigree data from nearly 20,000 individuals to infer the inheritance of hindwing colouration. The evidence supports a single Mendelian locus with two alleles in males: WW and Wy produce the white and yy the yellow hindwing colour. The inheritance could not be resolved in females as their hindwing colour varies continuously with no clear link with male genotypes. Next, we investigated if the male genotype can be predicted from their phenotype by machine learning algorithms and by human observers. Linear discriminant analysis grouped male genotypes with 97% accuracy, whereas humans could only group the yy genotype. Using vision modelling, we also tested whether the genotypes have differential discriminability to humans, moth conspecifics and their bird predators. The human perception was poor separating the genotypes, but avian and moth vision models with ultraviolet sensitivity could separate white WW and Wy males. We emphasize the importance of objective methodology when studying colour polymorphism. Our findings indicate that by‐eye categorization methods may be problematic, because humans fail to see differences that can be visible for relevant receivers. Ultimately, receivers equipped with different perception than ours may impose selection to morphs hidden from human sight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ossi Nokelainen
- 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, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juan A Galarza
- 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, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jimi Kirvesoja
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Kaisa Suisto
- 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, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
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8
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Lindstedt C, Bagley R, Calhim S, Jones M, Linnen C. The impact of life stage and pigment source on the evolution of novel warning signal traits. Evolution 2022; 76:554-572. [PMID: 35103303 PMCID: PMC9304160 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of how novel warning color traits evolve in natural populations is largely based on studies of reproductive stages and organisms with endogenously produced pigmentation. In these systems, genetic drift is often required for novel alleles to overcome strong purifying selection stemming from frequency‐dependent predation and positive assortative mating. Here, we integrate data from field surveys, predation experiments, population genomics, and phenotypic correlations to explain the origin and maintenance of geographic variation in a diet‐based larval pigmentation trait in the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), a pine‐feeding hymenopteran. Although our experiments confirm that N. lecontei larvae are indeed aposematic—and therefore likely to experience frequency‐dependent predation—our genomic data do not support a historical demographic scenario that would have facilitated the spread of an initially deleterious allele via drift. Additionally, significantly elevated differentiation at a known color locus suggests that geographic variation in larval color is currently maintained by selection. Together, these data suggest that the novel white morph likely spread via selection. However, white body color does not enhance aposematic displays, nor is it correlated with enhanced chemical defense or immune function. Instead, the derived white‐bodied morph is disproportionately abundant on a pine species with a reduced carotenoid content relative to other pine hosts, suggesting that bottom‐up selection via host plants may have driven divergence among populations. Overall, our results suggest that life stage and pigment source can have a substantial impact on the evolution of novel warning signals, highlighting the need to investigate diverse aposematic taxa to develop a comprehensive understanding of color variation in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carita Lindstedt
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Robin Bagley
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA.,Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Lima, Lima, OH, 45804, USA
| | - Sara Calhim
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Mackenzie Jones
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA
| | - Catherine Linnen
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA
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9
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Wilson L, Lonsdale G, Curlis JD, Hunter EA, Cox CL. Predator-based selection and the impact of edge sympatry on components of coral snake mimicry. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-021-10143-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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10
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Winters AE, Lommi J, Kirvesoja J, Nokelainen O, Mappes J. Multimodal Aposematic Defenses Through the Predation Sequence. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.657740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aposematic organisms warn predators of their unprofitability using a combination of defenses, including visual warning signals, startling sounds, noxious odors, or aversive tastes. Using multiple lines of defense can help prey avoid predators by stimulating multiple senses and/or by acting at different stages of predation. We tested the efficacy of three lines of defense (color, smell, taste) during the predation sequence of aposematic wood tiger moths (Arctia plantaginis) using blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) predators. Moths with two hindwing phenotypes (genotypes: WW/Wy = white, yy = yellow) were manipulated to have defense fluid with aversive smell (methoxypyrazines), body tissues with aversive taste (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) or both. In early predation stages, moth color and smell had additive effects on bird approach latency and dropping the prey, with the strongest effect for moths of the white morph with defense fluids. Pyrrolizidine alkaloid sequestration was detrimental in early attack stages, suggesting a trade-off between pyrrolizidine alkaloid sequestration and investment in other defenses. In addition, pyrrolizidine alkaloid taste alone did not deter bird predators. Birds could only effectively discriminate toxic moths from non-toxic moths when neck fluids containing methoxypyrazines were present, at which point they abandoned attack at the consumption stage. As a result, moths of the white morph with an aversive methoxypyrazine smell and moths in the treatment with both chemical defenses had the greatest chance of survival. We suggest that methoxypyrazines act as context setting signals for warning colors and as attention alerting or “go-slow” signals for distasteful toxins, thereby mediating the relationship between warning signal and toxicity. Furthermore, we found that moths that were heterozygous for hindwing coloration had more effective defense fluids compared to other genotypes in terms of delaying approach and reducing the latency to drop the moth, suggesting a genetic link between coloration and defense that could help to explain the color polymorphism. Conclusively, these results indicate that color, smell, and taste constitute a multimodal warning signal that impedes predator attack and improves prey survival. This work highlights the importance of understanding the separate roles of color, smell and taste through the predation sequence and also within-species variation in chemical defenses.
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11
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Zvereva EL, Kozlov MV. Seasonal variations in bird selection pressure on prey colouration. Oecologia 2021; 196:1017-1026. [PMID: 34322748 PMCID: PMC8367932 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04994-9] [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: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The direction and strength of selection for prey colouration by predators vary in space and time and depend on the composition of the predator community. We tested the hypothesis that bird selection pressure on prey colouration changes through the season due to changes in the proportion of naïve juvenile individuals in the bird community, because naïve and educated birds differ in their responses to prey colours. Bird predation on caterpillar-shaped plasticine models in two boreal forest sites increased sevenfold from early summer to mid-summer, and the time of this increase coincides with the fledging of juvenile birds. In early summer, cryptic (black and green) models were attacked at fivefold higher rates compared with conspicuous (red and yellow) models. By contrast, starting from fledging time, cryptic and conspicuous models were attacked at similar rates, hinting at a lower selectivity by naïve juvenile birds compared with educated adult birds. Cryptic models exposed in a group together with conspicuous models were attacked by birds at a threefold lower rate than cryptic models exposed singly, thus supporting the aposematic commensalism hypothesis. However, this effect was not observed in mid- and late summer, presumably due to the lack of avoidance of conspicuous prey by the juvenile birds. We conclude that selection pressure on prey colouration weakens considerably when naïve birds dominate in the community, because the survival advantages of aposematic colouration are temporarily lost for both the conspicuous and their neighbouring cryptic prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena L Zvereva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
| | - Mikhail V Kozlov
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
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12
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Andrade P, Carneiro M. Pterin-based pigmentation in animals. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210221. [PMID: 34403644 PMCID: PMC8370806 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pterins are one of the major sources of bright coloration in animals. They are produced endogenously, participate in vital physiological processes and serve a variety of signalling functions. Despite their ubiquity in nature, pterin-based pigmentation has received little attention when compared to other major pigment classes. Here, we summarize major aspects relating to pterin pigmentation in animals, from its long history of research to recent genomic studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying its evolution. We argue that pterins have intermediate characteristics (endogenously produced, typically bright) between two well-studied pigment types, melanins (endogenously produced, typically cryptic) and carotenoids (dietary uptake, typically bright), providing unique opportunities to address general questions about the biology of coloration, from the mechanisms that determine how different types of pigmentation evolve to discussions on honest signalling hypotheses. Crucial gaps persist in our knowledge on the molecular basis underlying the production and deposition of pterins. We thus highlight the need for functional studies on systems amenable for laboratory manipulation, but also on systems that exhibit natural variation in pterin pigmentation. The wealth of potential model species, coupled with recent technological and analytical advances, make this a promising time to advance research on pterin-based pigmentation in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Andrade
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Miguel Carneiro
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
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13
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Gordon SP, Burdfield-Steel E, Kirvesoja J, Mappes J. Safety in Numbers: How Color Morph Frequency Affects Predation Risk in an Aposematic Moth. Am Nat 2021; 198:128-141. [PMID: 34143722 DOI: 10.1086/714528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPolymorphic warning signals in aposematic systems are enigmatic because predator learning should favor the most common form, creating positive frequency-dependent survival. However, many populations exhibit variation in warning signals. There are various selective mechanisms that can counter positive frequency-dependent selection and lead to temporal or spatial warning signal diversification. Examining these mechanisms and their effects requires first confirming whether the most common morphs are favored at both local and regional scales. Empirical examples of this are uncommon and often include potentially confounding factors, such as a lack of knowledge of predator identity and behavior. We tested how bird behavior influences the survival of three coexisting morphs of the aposematic wood tiger moth Arctia plantaginis offered to a sympatric predator (great tit Parus major) at different frequencies. We found that although positive frequency-dependent selection is present, its strength is affected by predator characteristics and varying prey profitability. These results highlight the need to understand predator foraging in natural communities with variable prey defenses in order to better examine how behavioral interactions shape evolutionary outcomes.
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14
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Rönkä K, Valkonen JK, Nokelainen O, Rojas B, Gordon S, Burdfield‐Steel E, Mappes J. Geographic mosaic of selection by avian predators on hindwing warning colour in a polymorphic aposematic moth. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1654-1663. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katja Rönkä
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Helsinki Institute of Life SciencesUniversity of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Janne K. Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Swanne Gordon
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Department of Biology Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis MO USA
| | - Emily Burdfield‐Steel
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
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15
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Yen EC, McCarthy SA, Galarza JA, Generalovic TN, Pelan S, Nguyen P, Meier JI, Warren IA, Mappes J, Durbin R, Jiggins CD. A haplotype-resolved, de novo genome assembly for the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) through trio binning. Gigascience 2020; 9:giaa088. [PMID: 32808665 PMCID: PMC7433188 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giaa088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diploid genome assembly is typically impeded by heterozygosity because it introduces errors when haplotypes are collapsed into a consensus sequence. Trio binning offers an innovative solution that exploits heterozygosity for assembly. Short, parental reads are used to assign parental origin to long reads from their F1 offspring before assembly, enabling complete haplotype resolution. Trio binning could therefore provide an effective strategy for assembling highly heterozygous genomes, which are traditionally problematic, such as insect genomes. This includes the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis), which is an evolutionary study system for warning colour polymorphism. FINDINGS We produced a high-quality, haplotype-resolved assembly for Arctia plantaginis through trio binning. We sequenced a same-species family (F1 heterozygosity ∼1.9%) and used parental Illumina reads to bin 99.98% of offspring Pacific Biosciences reads by parental origin, before assembling each haplotype separately and scaffolding with 10X linked reads. Both assemblies are contiguous (mean scaffold N50: 8.2 Mb) and complete (mean BUSCO completeness: 97.3%), with annotations and 31 chromosomes identified through karyotyping. We used the assembly to analyse genome-wide population structure and relationships between 40 wild resequenced individuals from 5 populations across Europe, revealing the Georgian population as the most genetically differentiated with the lowest genetic diversity. CONCLUSIONS We present the first invertebrate genome to be assembled via trio binning. This assembly is one of the highest quality genomes available for Lepidoptera, supporting trio binning as a potent strategy for assembling heterozygous genomes. Using our assembly, we provide genomic insights into the geographic population structure of A. plantaginis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenie C Yen
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Shane A McCarthy
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus,
Hinxton, Saffron Walden CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Juan A Galarza
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of
Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tomas N Generalovic
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Sarah Pelan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus,
Hinxton, Saffron Walden CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Petr Nguyen
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of
Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech
Republic
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská
1645/31A, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Joana I Meier
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- St John's College, University of Cambridge, St John's Street,
Cambridge CB2 1TP, UK
| | - Ian A Warren
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of
Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Richard Durbin
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus,
Hinxton, Saffron Walden CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Chris D Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing
Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- St John's College, University of Cambridge, St John's Street,
Cambridge CB2 1TP, UK
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16
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Nielsen ME, Mappes J. Out in the open: behavior's effect on predation risk and thermoregulation by aposematic caterpillars. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:1031-1039. [PMID: 32760178 PMCID: PMC7390994 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Warning coloration should be under strong stabilizing selection but often displays considerable intraspecific variation. Opposing selection on color by predators and temperature is one potential explanation for this seeming paradox. Despite the importance of behavior for both predator avoidance and thermoregulation, its role in mediating selection by predators and temperature on warning coloration has received little attention. Wood tiger moth caterpillars, Arctia plantaginis, have aposematic coloration, an orange patch on the black body. The size of the orange patch varies considerably: individuals with larger patches are safer from predators, but having a small patch is beneficial in cool environments. We investigated microhabitat preference by these caterpillars and how it interacted with their coloration. We expected caterpillar behavior to reflect a balance between spending time exposed to maximize basking and spending time concealed to avoid detection by predators. Instead, we found that caterpillars preferred exposed locations regardless of their coloration. Whether caterpillars were exposed or concealed had a strong effect on both temperature and predation risk, but caterpillars in exposed locations were both much warmer and less likely to be attacked by a bird predator (great tits, Parus major). This shared optimum may explain why we observed so little variation in caterpillar behavior and demonstrates the important effects of behavior on multiple functions of coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Nielsen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9 C, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18b, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9 C, Jyväskylä, Finland
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17
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Wilts BD, Mothander K, Kelber A. Humidity-dependent colour change in the green forester moth, Adscita statices. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190516. [PMID: 31530115 PMCID: PMC6769142 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The colours of insects serve important visual functions in aiding mate recognition, camouflage and warning. The display of insects is usually static, as cuticle coloration does not (or hardly) change during the lifespan of a mature imago form. Here, we describe a case of humidity-dependent, brilliant coloration in the green forester moth, Adscita statices. We show, by employing spectroscopic and ultrastructural methods, that the moth's colour results from the interference of incident light with an unusual hydrophilic melanized-chitin multilayer present in the wing scales. Humidity changes in the environment affect the multilayer properties, causing a significant shift of the green-peaking reflectance in the dry state to a rusty colour when damp, resulting in the strong colour change between day and dusk or dawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bodo D. Wilts
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Karolina Mothander
- Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Almut Kelber
- Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden
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18
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Lindstedt C, Suisto K, Mappes J. Appearance before performance? Nutritional constraints on life-history traits, but not warning signal expression in aposematic moths. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:494-505. [PMID: 31538333 PMCID: PMC7027542 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Trade-offs have been shown to play an important role in the divergence of mating strategies and sexual ornamentation, but their importance in explaining warning signal diversity has received less attention. In aposematic organisms, allocation costs of producing the conspicuous warning signal pigmentation under nutritional stress could potentially trade-off with life-history traits and maintain variation in warning coloration. We studied this with an aposematic herbivore Arctia plantaginis (Arctiidae), whose larvae and adults show extensive variation in aposematic coloration. In larvae, less melanic coloration (i.e. larger orange patterns) produces a more efficient warning signal against predators, whereas high amounts of melanism (smaller orange pattern) enhance thermoregulation, correlate with better immunity and make individuals harder to detect for naïve predators. We conducted a factorial rearing experiment with larvae originating from lines selected for either small or large orange signal size, which were reared on an artificial diet that had either low or high protein content. Protein content of the diet is critical for melanin production. We measured the effects of diet on individual coloration, life-history traits, immune defence and reproductive output. We also compared the responses to dietary conditions between the small and large larval signal genotypes. Protein content of the diet did not affect warning coloration in the larval stage, but larval signal sizes differed significantly among selection lines, confirming that its variation is mainly genetically determined. In adults, signal line or diet did not affect coloration in hindwings, but males' forewings had more melanin on the high than on low protein diet. Contrary to coloration, diet quality had a stronger impact on life-history traits: individuals developed for longer had smaller hindwing sizes in females and lower immune defence on the low protein content diet compared with the high. These costs were higher for more melanic larval signal genotypes in terms of development time and female hindwing size. We conclude that low plasticity in warning signal characteristics makes signal expression robust under varying dietary conditions. Therefore, variation in diet quality is not likely to constrain signal expression, but can have a bigger impact on performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carita Lindstedt
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Kaisa Suisto
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyvaskyla, Finland
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19
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Preißler K, Gippner S, Lüddecke T, Krause ET, Schulz S, Vences M, Steinfartz S. More yellow more toxic? Sex rather than alkaloid content is correlated with yellow coloration in the fire salamander. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Preißler
- Zoological Institute Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
- Institute of Biology, Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - S. Gippner
- Zoological Institute Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
| | - T. Lüddecke
- Zoological Institute Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
- Animal Venomics Research Group Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology Gießen Germany
| | - E. T. Krause
- Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry Friedrich‐Loeffler‐Institut Celle Germany
| | - S. Schulz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
| | - M. Vences
- Zoological Institute Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
| | - S. Steinfartz
- Zoological Institute Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
- Institute of Biology, Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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20
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Multiple modalities in insect warning displays have additive effects against wild avian predators. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2643-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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21
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Doktorovová L, Exnerová A, Hotová Svádová K, Štys P, Adamová-Ježová D, Zverev V, Kozlov MV, Zvereva EL. Differential Bird Responses to Colour Morphs of an Aposematic Leaf Beetle may Affect Variation in Morph Frequencies in Polymorphic Prey Populations. Evol Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-018-9465-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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22
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Burdfield-Steel E, Brain M, Rojas B, Mappes J. The price of safety: food deprivation in early life influences the efficacy of chemical defence in an aposematic moth. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Burdfield-Steel
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Dept of Biological and Environmental Science; PO Box 35 FI-40014 Univ. of Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Morgan Brain
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Dept of Biological and Environmental Science; PO Box 35 FI-40014 Univ. of Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Dept of Biological and Environmental Science; PO Box 35 FI-40014 Univ. of Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Dept of Biological and Environmental Science; PO Box 35 FI-40014 Univ. of Jyväskylä Finland
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23
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Fabricant SA, Burdfield-Steel ER, Umbers K, Lowe EC, Herberstein ME. Warning signal plasticity in hibiscus harlequin bugs. Evol Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-018-9946-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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24
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Phenotype-dependent mate choice and the influence of mixed-morph lineage on the reproductive success of a polymorphic and aposematic moth. Evol Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-018-9944-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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25
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Rojas B, Burdfield-Steel E, De Pasqual C, Gordon S, Hernández L, Mappes J, Nokelainen O, Rönkä K, Lindstedt C. Multimodal Aposematic Signals and Their Emerging Role in Mate Attraction. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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26
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Santostefano F, Galarza JA, Mappes J. Testing the direct and genetic benefit hypotheses of polyandry in the wood tiger moth. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2525-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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27
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Akcali CK, Kikuchi DW, Pfennig DW. Coevolutionary arms races in Batesian mimicry? A test of the chase-away hypothesis. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher K Akcali
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - David W Kikuchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - David W Pfennig
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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28
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Henze MJ, Lind O, Mappes J, Rojas B, Kelber A. An aposematic colour‐polymorphic moth seen through the eyes of conspecifics and predators – Sensitivity and colour discrimination in a tiger moth. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam J. Henze
- Lund Vision GroupDepartment of BiologyLund University Lund Sweden
| | - Olle Lind
- Department of PhilosophyCognitive ScienceLund University Lund Sweden
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological InteractionsUniversity of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Centre of Excellence in Biological InteractionsUniversity of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Almut Kelber
- Lund Vision GroupDepartment of BiologyLund University Lund Sweden
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29
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Kuyucu AC, Sahin MK, Caglar SS. The relation between melanism and thermal biology in a colour polymorphic bush cricket, Isophya rizeensis. J Therm Biol 2018; 71:212-220. [PMID: 29301693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 11/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
According to the thermal melanism hypothesis, darker coloured melanic individuals heat up faster and to higher temperatures than lighter coloured individuals due to lower skin reflectance. Consequently, it is assumed that darker melanic types may be advantageous compared to light coloured types in colder regions. As temperature gradually decreases with elevation and latitude the degree of melanism is expected to increase along these gradients in ectothermic species. Isophya rizeensis, a colour polymorphic bush cricket species endemic to Northeastern Turkey is an interesting case since the degree of melanism decreases with elevation, contrary to the thermal melanism hypothesis. In order to investigate the relation between colouration and thermal biology of this species, body temperatures (Tb) of crickets from different colour morphs, environmental temperatures (Ta), solar radiation and vegetation height were measured to test the relation between these variables and thermoregulation. Field results showed that solar radiation was the most effective factor on temperature excess (Tex), the difference between body and ambient temperature. Additionally, Tex values showed negative correlation with vegetation height. Although Tex values did not differ significantly between colour morphs, paired experiments under sunlight showed that darker morphs heated up faster and attained higher body temperatures than light morphs. We conclude that, since higher Tex values at alpine short swards might also increase the risk of facing deleterious temperatures at high elevations, protection against overheating might be one of the factors responsible for this polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arda Cem Kuyucu
- Hacettepe University, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Mehmet Kursat Sahin
- Hacettepe University, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Selim Sualp Caglar
- Hacettepe University, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara, Turkey
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30
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Rönkä K, De Pasqual C, Mappes J, Gordon S, Rojas B. Colour alone matters: no predator generalization among morphs of an aposematic moth. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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31
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Tan EJ, Reid CAM, Symonds MRE, Jurado-Rivera JA, Elgar MA. The Role of Life-History and Ecology in the Evolution of Color Patterns in Australian Chrysomeline Beetles. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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32
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Olsson P, Lind O, Kelber A. Chromatic and achromatic vision: parameter choice and limitations for reliable model predictions. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Olsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Olle Lind
- Department of Philosophy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Almut Kelber
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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33
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Rojas B, Burdfield-Steel E, Pakkanen H, Suisto K, Maczka M, Schulz S, Mappes J. How to fight multiple enemies: target-specific chemical defences in an aposematic moth. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20171424. [PMID: 28954910 PMCID: PMC5627206 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have evolved different defensive strategies to survive predation, among which chemical defences are particularly widespread and diverse. Here we investigate the function of chemical defence diversity, hypothesizing that such diversity has evolved as a response to multiple enemies. The aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) displays conspicuous hindwing coloration and secretes distinct defensive fluids from its thoracic glands and abdomen. We presented the two defensive fluids from laboratory-reared moths to two biologically relevant predators, birds and ants, and measured their reaction in controlled bioassays (no information on colour was provided). We found that defensive fluids are target-specific: thoracic fluids, and particularly 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which they contain, deterred birds, but caused no aversive response in ants. By contrast, abdominal fluids were particularly deterrent to ants, while birds did not find them repellent. Our study, to our knowledge, is the first to show evidence of a single species producing separate chemical defences targeted to different predator types, highlighting the importance of taking into account complex predator communities in studies on the evolution of prey defence diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana Rojas
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
| | - Emily Burdfield-Steel
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
| | - Hannu Pakkanen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9, Jyväskylä 40500, Finland
| | - Kaisa Suisto
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
| | - Michael Maczka
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefan Schulz
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä 40001, Finland
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34
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Mishra M, Nayak N, Sahoo H. Ultrastructural variation tune wing coloration of a moth Asota caricae Fabricius, 1775. Tissue Cell 2017; 49:648-656. [PMID: 28935358 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Butterflies and moths develop highly ordered coloration in their wing for signal transmission. We have investigated the ultrastructural arrangement of wing coloration of a moth Asota caricae, applying light, optical polarized, and scanning electron microscopy, and spectrophotometry. The forewing of the moth is brown in color with a white spot at the center. The hindwing is golden yellow in color with many black patches in it. The ventral part of the forewing and dorsal hindwing share the similar color pattern. The ventral part of the hindwing has dull coloration in comparison to the dorsal one although the pattern remains same. The spectrometry analysis reveals various patterns of absorbance and reflectance spectra for various colors. The peak observed for various colors remain same although the intensity of peak changes. Bright colors possess highly ordered structures whereas irregular structures are found in dull colored scales. The color variation observed due to dorsal and ventral part of the wing is due to the minute difference observed in terms of ultrastructural arrangement revealed by scanning electron microscope. The color pattern of A. caricae is due to variation of microstructures present within the scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monalisa Mishra
- Neural Developmental Biology Lab, Department of Life Science, NIT Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India.
| | - Nibedita Nayak
- Neural Developmental Biology Lab, Department of Life Science, NIT Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India
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35
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Lindstedt C, Boncoraglio G, Cotter S, Gilbert J, Kilner RM. Aposematism in the burying beetle? Dual function of anal fluid in parental care and chemical defense. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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36
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Bravo C, Mas-Peinado P, Bautista LM, Blanco G, Alonso JC, García-París M. Cantharidin is conserved across phylogeographic lineages and present in both morphs of Iberian Berberomeloe blister beetles (Coleoptera, Meloidae). Zool J Linn Soc 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlw016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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37
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Lindstedt C, Schroderus E, Lindström L, Mappes T, Mappes J. Evolutionary constraints of warning signals: A genetic trade-off between the efficacy of larval and adult warning coloration can maintain variation in signal expression. Evolution 2016; 70:2562-2572. [PMID: 27624666 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2015] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
To predict evolutionary responses of warning signals under selection, we need to determine the inheritance pattern of the signals, and how they are genetically correlated with other traits contributing to fitness. Furthermore, protective coloration often undergoes remarkable changes within an individual's lifecycle, requiring us to quantify the genetic constraints of adaptive coloration across all the relevant life stages. Based on a 12 generation pedigree with > 11,000 individuals of the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis), we show that high primary defense as a larva (large warning signal) results in weaker defenses as adult (less efficient warning color), due to the negative genetic correlation between the efficacy of larval and adult warning coloration. However, production of effective warning coloration as a larva did not incur any life-history costs and was positively genetically correlated with reproductive output. These results provide novel insights into the evolutionary constraints on protective coloration in animals, and explain the maintenance of variation in the signal expression despite the strong directional selection by predators. By analyzing the genetic and environmental effects on warning signal and life-history traits in all relevant life stages, we can accurately determine the mechanisms shaping the evolutionary responses of phenotypic traits under different selection environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Lindstedt
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland. .,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland.
| | - E Schroderus
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - L Lindström
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - T Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - J Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
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Effects of directionality, signal intensity, and short-wavelength components on iridescent warning signal efficacy. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2141-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Chargé R, Wedell N, Lindstedt C, Hämäläinen L, Övermark E, Mappes J. Variation in male fertility in a polymorphic moth, Parasemia plantaginis. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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40
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Honma A, Mappes J, Valkonen JK. Warning coloration can be disruptive: aposematic marginal wing patterning in the wood tiger moth. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:4863-74. [PMID: 26640666 PMCID: PMC4662304 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Warning (aposematic) and cryptic colorations appear to be mutually incompatible because the primary function of the former is to increase detectability, whereas the function of the latter is to decrease it. Disruptive coloration is a type of crypsis in which the color pattern breaks up the outline of the prey, thus hindering its detection. This delusion can work even when the prey's pattern elements are highly contrasting; thus, it is possible for an animal's coloration to combine both warning and disruptive functions. The coloration of the wood tiger moth (Parasemia plantaginis) is such that the moth is conspicuous when it rests on vegetation, but when it feigns death and drops to the grass- and litter-covered ground, it is hard to detect. This death-feigning behavior therefore immediately switches the function of its coloration from signaling to camouflage. We experimentally tested whether the forewing patterning of wood tiger moths could function as disruptive coloration against certain backgrounds. Using actual forewing patterns of wood tiger moths, we crafted artificial paper moths and placed them on a background image resembling a natural litter and grass background. We manipulated the disruptiveness of the wing pattern so that all (marginal pattern) or none (nonmarginal pattern) of the markings extended to the edge of the wing. Paper moths, each with a hidden palatable food item, were offered to great tits (Parus major) in a large aviary where the birds could search for and attack the "moths" according to their detectability. The results showed that prey items with the disruptive marginal pattern were attacked less often than prey without it. However, the disruptive function was apparent only when the prey was brighter than the background. These results suggest that warning coloration and disruptive coloration can work in concert and that the moth, by feigning death, can switch the function of its coloration from warning to disruptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Honma
- University of Jyväskylä Department of Biological and Environmental Science Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions P.O. Box 35 Jyväskylä 40014 Finland ; Department of Ecosystem Studies School of Environmental Science The University of Shiga Prefecture 2500 Hassaka-cho Hikone City Shiga 522-8533 Japan
| | - Johanna Mappes
- University of Jyväskylä Department of Biological and Environmental Science Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions P.O. Box 35 Jyväskylä 40014 Finland
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- University of Jyväskylä Department of Biological and Environmental Science Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions P.O. Box 35 Jyväskylä 40014 Finland
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Gordon SP, Kokko H, Rojas B, Nokelainen O, Mappes J. Colour polymorphism torn apart by opposing positive frequency-dependent selection, yet maintained in space. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:1555-64. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Swanne P. Gordon
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Jyväskylä; yväskylä Finland
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Jyväskylä; yväskylä Finland
| | - Ossi Nokelainen
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Jyväskylä; yväskylä Finland
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Jyväskylä; yväskylä Finland
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42
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Pegram KV, Han HA, Rutowski RL. Warning Signal Efficacy: Assessing the Effects of Color, Iridescence, and Time of Day in the Field. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hanh A. Han
- School of Life Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe AZ USA
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Rojas DP, Stow A, Amézquita A, Simões PI, Lima AP. No predatory bias with respect to colour familiarity for the aposematic Adelphobates galactonotus (Anura: Dendrobatidae). BEHAVIOUR 2015. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Aposematic colouration deters visually oriented predators because conspicuous signals are easier to detect and associate with unpalatability. Consequently, brightly coloured prey that are novel are predicted to be preyed on more than those with bright but typical colours. Here we evaluated whether predatory bias is associated with the colour differences observed at two different localities for a large, conspicuously coloured and poisonous Amazonian frog, Adelphobates galactonotus. At each locality predation experiments were carried out using frog models of two naturally occurring colours of the study species (blue and orange) and a control (brown). We found no evidence that novel colours were more vulnerable to predation than local colours. These results do not therefore support our hypothesis that predatory bias explains the geographic variation of colour in A. galactonotus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Patricia Rojas
- aCoordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, P.O. Box 2223, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Adam Stow
- bDepartment of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adolfo Amézquita
- cDepartment of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Pedro Ivo Simões
- aCoordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, P.O. Box 2223, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
- dLaboratório de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Albertina Pimentel Lima
- aCoordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, P.O. Box 2223, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
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Mappes J, Kokko H, Ojala K, Lindström L. Seasonal changes in predator community switch the direction of selection for prey defences. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5016. [PMID: 25247589 PMCID: PMC4199109 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect communities consist of aposematic species with efficient warning colours against predation, as well as abundant examples of crypsis. To understand such coexistence, we here report results from a field experiment where relative survival of artificial larvae, varying in conspicuousness, was estimated in natural bird communities over an entire season. This takes advantage of natural variation in the proportion of naive predators: naivety peaks when young birds have just fledged. We show that the relative benefit of warning signals and crypsis changes accordingly. When naive birds are rare (early and late in the season), conspicuous warning signals improve survival, but conspicuousness becomes a disadvantage near the fledging time of birds. Such temporal structuring of predator-prey relationships facilitates the coexistence of diverse antipredatory strategies and helps explain two patterns we found in a 688-species community of Lepidoterans: larval warning signals remain rare and occur disproportionately often in seasons when predators are educated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Mappes
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box, 35, Jyväskylä FI- 40014, Finland
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Canberra, Australia
| | - Katja Ojala
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box, 35, Jyväskylä FI- 40014, Finland
| | - Leena Lindström
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Research, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box, 35, Jyväskylä FI- 40014, Finland
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45
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Hegna RH, Mappes J. Influences of geographic differentiation in the forewing warning signal of the wood tiger moth in Alaska. Evol Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-014-9734-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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46
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Wheatcroft D, Price TD. Rates of signal evolution are associated with the nature of interspecific communication. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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47
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Ajuria Ibarra H, Reader T. Female-limited colour polymorphism in the crab spiderSynema globosum(Araneae: Thomisidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Helena Ajuria Ibarra
- School of Life Sciences; University Park; University of Nottingham; Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Tom Reader
- School of Life Sciences; University Park; University of Nottingham; Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
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48
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Fabricant SA, Kemp DJ, Krajíček J, Bosáková Z, Herberstein ME. Mechanisms of color production in a highly variable shield-back stinkbug, Tectocoris diophthalmus [corrected] (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae), and why it matters. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64082. [PMID: 23675520 PMCID: PMC3646777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory suggests that aposematism, specifically the learned avoidance of unprofitable prey via memorable color patterns, should result in selection for pattern uniformity. However, many examples to the contrary are seen in nature. Conversely, honest sexual signals are likely to exhibit greater variation because they reflect underlying variation in mate quality. Here we aim to characterize and quantify the mechanistic causes of color in Tectocoris diopthalmus to shed light on the costs of color production, and thus the potential information content of its color signals. We use Tectocoris diopthalmus because it is a weakly-defended stinkbug, and presents elements that have classically been studied in the context of aposematism (red coloring), and sexual selection (sexual dichromatism and iridescent coloring). Pigment analysis reveals that variation in orange coloration is due to the amount of erythropterin pigment, stored in intracellular granules. This pigment is common in Heteroptera, and as an endogenously produced excretory byproduct is unlikely to reflect mate quality or variation in unprofitability of the bug. Electron microscopy reveals the iridescent patches are caused by an epicuticular multilayer reflector, and the hue and patch size are directly related to the layer widths and extent of coverage of this layering. Furthermore, we identified melanin as an essential component of the multilayer reflector system; therefore, the quality of the iridescent patches may be affected by aspects of rearing environment and immunocompetence. We posit that T. diopthalmus has co-opted the melanic patches of a ‘typical’ red and black aposematic signal, transforming it into a complex and variable iridescent signal that may enhance its capacity to display individual quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Fabricant
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.
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49
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Crothers LR, Cummings ME. Warning signal brightness variation: sexual selection may work under the radar of natural selection in populations of a polytypic poison frog. Am Nat 2013; 181:E116-24. [PMID: 23594556 DOI: 10.1086/670010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Though theory predicts consistency of warning signals in aposematic species to facilitate predator learning, variation in these signals often occurs in nature. The strawberry poison frog Dendrobates pumilio is an exceptionally polytypic (populations are phenotypically distinct) aposematic frog exhibiting variation in warning color and brightness. In the Solarte population, males and females both respond differentially to male brightness variation. Here, we demonstrate through spectrophotometry and visual modeling that aposematic brightness variation within this population is likely visible to two putative predators (crabs, snakes) and conspecifics but not to the presumed major predator (birds). This study thus suggests that signal brightness within D. pumilio populations can be shaped by sexual selection, with limited opportunity for natural selection to influence this trait due to predator sensory constraints. Because signal brightness changes can ultimately lead to changes in hue, our findings at the within-population level can provide insights into understanding this polytypism at across-population scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R Crothers
- Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
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50
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Valdés Á, Ornelas-Gatdula E, Dupont A. Color pattern variation in a shallow-water species of opisthobranch mollusc. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2013; 224:35-46. [PMID: 23493507 DOI: 10.1086/bblv224n1p35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The color pattern of benthic opisthobranch sea slugs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) appears to play an important defensive role, and numerous species seem to have aposematic (warning) colorations. Color pattern is an important trait for opisthobranch identification-this conclusion is based on the assumption that most species have limited color variation. For those species in which color variation is recognized, the reasons for the variation remain unknown. In this paper we study Philinopsis pusa, a benthic putative species of opisthobranch sea slug with a broad range of color pattern. Lighter individuals appear to be camouflaged on the white sand environment in which the animals are typically found, whereas darker individuals appear conspicuously different from their background. Because of its broad color variation, P. pusa has been subdivided into different species. Animals were collected and observed in the Bahamas during a 6-year span. The color pattern of the specimens was subjectively classified into five phenotypic classes. Two mitochondrial genes (16S, CO1) were sequenced from 41 specimens. The association between color pattern, body length, burrowing escaping behavior, and the genetic structure of the population was investigated. We found two genetically distinct groups in the target population but no significant association between color pattern and genetic structure. Additionally, there was no significant association between color pattern and ontogeny or defensive behavior in these organisms. The present paper suggests that general assumptions on the biological and evolutionary role of color in opisthobranchs need to be carefully evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Valdés
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768, USA.
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