1
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Dobson JL, Pike TW, Gonzalez-Rodriguez J, Soulsbury CD. Identifying and locating carotenoids in supra-orbital combs of male black grouse (Lyurus tetrix) using Raman and transmission electron microscopy: A histological study using rehydrated tissue samples. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21652. [PMID: 37990765 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21652] [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: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Colourful signals have long been implicated as indicators of individual quality in animals. Bare-skin signals are an understudied aspect of avian colouration compared with plumage studies, despite displaying rapid changes in size and colour in response to different environmental or physiological stressors. Even fewer studies have focused on the underlying histology of these structures and the importance this plays in the resulting skin colour. Using the Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), we identified the underlying structure of individual dermal spikes, which make up the red supra-orbital comb (a known integumentary signal of male quality), and highlight visual structural differences between combs of different sizes. In addition, we used Raman spectroscopy to indicate the presence of carotenoids within the tissue, something that had previously only been inferred through characteristic reflectance patterns. An increased understanding of the structural basis of colour of featherless parts of the skin opens up exciting new avenues for interpreting the information content of integumentary signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Dobson
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Brayford Pool, UK
| | - Thomas W Pike
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Brayford Pool, UK
| | - Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez
- Joseph Banks Laboratories, School of Chemistry, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Brayford Pool, UK
| | - Carl D Soulsbury
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Brayford Pool, UK
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2
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Schlippe Justicia L, Fouilloux CA, Rojas B. Poison frog social behaviour under global change: potential impacts and future challenges. Acta Ethol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-022-00400-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe current and cascading effects of global change challenges the interactions both between animal individuals (i.e. social and sexual behaviour) and the environment they inhabit. Amphibians are an ecologically diverse class with a wide range of social and sexual behaviours, making them a compelling model to understand the potential adaptations of animals faced with the effects of human-induced rapid environmental changes (HIREC). Poison frogs (Dendrobatoidea) are a particularly interesting system, as they display diverse social behaviours that are shaped by conspecific and environmental interactions, thus offering a tractable system to investigate how closely related species may respond to the impacts of HIREC. Here, we discuss the potential impacts of global change on poison frog behaviour, and the future challenges this group may face in response to such change. We pay special attention to parental care and territoriality, which are emblematic of this clade, and consider how different species may flexibly respond and adapt to increasingly frequent and diverse anthropogenic stress. More specifically, we hypothesise that some parents may increase care (i.e. clutch attendance and distance travelled for tadpole transport) in HIREC scenarios and that species with more generalist oviposition and tadpole deposition behaviours may fare more positively than their less flexible counterparts; we predict that the latter may either face increased competition for resources limited by HIREC or will be forced to adapt and expand their natural preferences. Likewise, we hypothesise that human-driven habitat alteration will disrupt the acoustic and visual communication systems due to increased noise pollution and/or changes in the surrounding light environment. We highlight the need for more empirical research combining behavioural ecology and conservation to better predict species’ vulnerability to global change and efficiently focus conservation efforts.
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3
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Binns GE, Hämäläinen L, Kemp DJ, Rowland HM, Umbers KDL, Herberstein ME. Additive genetic variation, but not temperature, influences warning signal expression in Amata nigriceps moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiinae). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9111. [PMID: 35866015 PMCID: PMC9288930 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many aposematic species show variation in their color patterns even though selection by predators is expected to stabilize warning signals toward a common phenotype. Warning signal variability can be explained by trade‐offs with other functions of coloration, such as thermoregulation, that may constrain warning signal expression by favoring darker individuals. Here, we investigated the effect of temperature on warning signal expression in aposematic Amata nigriceps moths that vary in their black and orange wing patterns. We sampled moths from two flight seasons that differed in the environmental temperatures and also reared different families under controlled conditions at three different temperatures. Against our prediction that lower developmental temperatures would reduce the warning signal size of the adult moths, we found no effect of temperature on warning signal expression in either wild or laboratory‐reared moths. Instead, we found sex‐ and population‐level differences in wing patterns. Our rearing experiment indicated that ~70% of the variability in the trait is genetic but understanding what signaling and non‐signaling functions of wing coloration maintain the genetic variation requires further work. Our results emphasize the importance of considering both genetic and plastic components of warning signal expression when studying intraspecific variation in aposematic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina E Binns
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| | - Liisa Hämäläinen
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| | - Darrell J Kemp
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Hans Knöll Straße 8,Jena Germany
| | - Kate D L Umbers
- School of Science Western Sydney University Penrith New South Wales Australia.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith New South Wales Australia
| | - Marie E Herberstein
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
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4
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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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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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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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7
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Yeager J, Barnett JB. Ultraviolet components offer minimal contrast enhancement to an aposematic signal. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:13576-13582. [PMID: 33391663 PMCID: PMC7771128 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Aposematic and sexual signals are often characterized by bright, highly contrasting colors. Many species can see colors beyond the human visible spectrum, and ultraviolet (UV) reflection has been found to play an important role in communication and sexual selection. However, the role of UV in aposematic signals is poorly explored. Poison frogs frequently produce high-contrast signals that have been linked to both aposematism and intraspecific communication. Yet despite considerable efforts studying interspecific and intraspecific diversity in color, poison frogs are not known to perceive UV, and UV reflection of the integument has not been described. We report UV-reflective spots in a population of Oophaga sylvatica and quantify the effect of UV on visual contrast with models of avian vision. We found that the frogs are highly contrasting, but UV had a minimal effect on signal saliency. These data highlight the importance of considering UV reflectance within aposematic signals, but that UV should not necessarily be regarded as an independent signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Yeager
- Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y SaludUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
| | - James B. Barnett
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & BehaviourMcMaster UniversityHamiltonONCanada
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8
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Yang Y, Richards-Zawacki CL. Male–male contest limits the expression of assortative mate preferences in a polymorphic poison frog. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Codivergence of sexual traits and mate preferences can lead to assortative mating and subsequently reproductive isolation. However, mate choice rarely operates without intrasexual competition, and the effects of the latter on speciation are often overlooked. Maintaining trait polymorphisms despite gene flow and limiting assortative female preferences for less-competitive male phenotypes are two important roles that male–male competition may play in the speciation process. Both roles rely on the assumption that male–male competition limits the expression of divergent female preferences. We tested this assumption in the highly color-polymorphic strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio). Females prefer males of the local color, suggesting that reproductive isolation may be evolving among color morphs. However, this inference does not account for male–male competition, which is also color-mediated. We housed females with two differently colored males, and compared reproductive patterns when the more attractive male was the territory holder versus when he was the nonterritorial male. Females mated primarily with the territory winner, regardless of coloration, suggesting that when a choice must be made between the two, male territoriality overrides female preferences for male coloration. Our results highlight the importance of considering the combined effects of mate choice and intrasexual competition in shaping phenotypic divergence and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusan Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Corinne L Richards-Zawacki
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Tupper, Balboa, Ancon, Panama, Republic of Panama
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9
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Yang Y, Prémel V, Richards‐Zawacki CL. Prior residence effect determines success of male–male territorial competition in a color polymorphic poison frog. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yusan Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
| | | | - Corinne L. Richards‐Zawacki
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa, Ancon Panamá
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10
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Wiens JJ, Tuschhoff E. Songs versus colours versus horns: what explains the diversity of sexually selected traits? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:847-864. [PMID: 32092241 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Revised: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Papers on sexual selection often highlight the incredible diversity of sexually selected traits across animals. Yet, few studies have tried to explain why this diversity evolved. Animals use many different types of traits to attract mates and outcompete rivals, including colours, songs, and horns, but it remains unclear why, for example, some taxa have songs, others have colours, and others horns. Here, we first conduct a systematic survey of the basic diversity and distribution of different types of sexually selected signals and weapons across the animal Tree of Life. Based on this survey, we describe seven major patterns in trait diversity and distributions. We then discuss 10 unanswered questions raised by these patterns, and how they might be addressed. One major pattern is that most types of sexually selected signals and weapons are apparently absent from most animal phyla (88%), in contrast to the conventional wisdom that a diversity of sexually selected traits is present across animals. Furthermore, most trait diversity is clustered in Arthropoda and Chordata, but only within certain clades. Within these clades, many different types of traits have evolved, and many types appear to have evolved repeatedly. By contrast, other major arthropod and chordate clades appear to lack all or most trait types, and similar patterns are repeated at smaller phylogenetic scales (e.g. within insects). Although most research on sexual selection focuses on female choice, we find similar numbers of traits (among sampled species) are involved in male contests (44%) and female choice (55%). Overall, these patterns are largely unexplained and unexplored, as are many other fundamental questions about the evolution of these traits. We suggest that understanding the diversity of sexually selected traits may require a shift towards macroevolutionary studies at relatively deep timescales (e.g. tens to hundreds of millions of years ago).
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Wiens
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, U.S.A
| | - E Tuschhoff
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, U.S.A
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11
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Morandini L, Ramallo MR, Scaia MF, Höcht C, Somoza GM, Pandolfi M. Dietary L-tryptophan modulates agonistic behavior and brain serotonin in male dyadic contests of a cichlid fish. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:867-880. [PMID: 31691094 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01373-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Although some studies have investigated the effects of dietary L-tryptophan on agonistic behavior, research on adult fish specimens is still lacking. Moreover, submissive behaviors have been generally overlooked. We focused on agonistic behavior between males of the cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus, in dyadic encounters held in a novel context after being fed or not with an L-tryptophan enriched diet (TRP) for 2 weeks. We arranged three different dyads: control/control (control conditions: not TRP enriched), control/TRP, and TRP/TRP. We also registered the response of the brain serotonergic system in four brain regions. TRP/TRP dyads showed higher latencies to first attack, lower overall aggression, and lower proportions of bites and passive copings (submissive display) compared to control/control. TRP dominant males performed fewer bites with respect to controls, and subordinate males opposed to TRP males showed fewer passive copings. Higher serotonergic activities were found in subordinates' optic tectum and in the telencephalon and preoptic area/hypothalamus of TRP males. Altogether, results point out that dietary L-tryptophan reduced males' motivation to attack and dominant aggression, which consequently influenced subordinate agonistic repertory. In addition, males within TRP/TRP dyads showed a switch in their behavioral agonistic repertory. These behavioral outcomes were probably due to modifications at brain serotonergic functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Morandini
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, FCEN, UBA e IBBEA, CONICET-UBA, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón 2, Piso 4°, Lab. 26, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M R Ramallo
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, FCEN, UBA e IBBEA, CONICET-UBA, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón 2, Piso 4°, Lab. 26, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M F Scaia
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, FCEN, UBA e IBBEA, CONICET-UBA, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón 2, Piso 4°, Lab. 26, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C Höcht
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - G M Somoza
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Av. Intendente Marino Km 8.2 (B 7130IWA), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M Pandolfi
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, FCEN, UBA e IBBEA, CONICET-UBA, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón 2, Piso 4°, Lab. 26, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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12
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Rojas B, Pašukonis A. From habitat use to social behavior: natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7648. [PMID: 31576237 PMCID: PMC6753930 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Descriptive studies of natural history have always been a source of knowledge on which experimental work and scientific progress rely. Poison frogs are a well-studied group of small Neotropical frogs with diverse parental behaviors, distinct calls, and bright colors that warn predators about their toxicity; and a showcase of advances in fundamental biology through natural history observations. The dyeing poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius, is emblematic of the Guianas region, widespread in the pet trade, and increasingly popular in research. This species shows several unusual behaviors, such as the lack of advertisement calls and the aggregation around tree-fall gaps, which remain poorly described and understood. Here, we summarize our observations from a natural population of D. tinctorius in French Guiana collected over various field trips between 2009 and 2017; our aim is to provide groundwork for future fundamental and applied research spanning parental care, animal dispersal, disease spread, habitat use in relation to color patterns, and intra-specific communication, to name a few. We report sex differences in habitat use and the striking invasion of tree-fall gaps; describe their courtship and aggressive behaviors; document egg development and tadpole transport; and discuss how the knowledge generated by this study could set the grounds for further research on the behavior, ecology, and conservation of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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13
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Walker M, Humphries S. 3D Printing: Applications in evolution and ecology. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4289-4301. [PMID: 31016005 PMCID: PMC6468079 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In the commercial and medical sectors, 3D printing is delivering on its promise to enable a revolution. However, in the fields of Ecology and Evolution we are only on the brink of embracing the advantages that 3D printing can offer. Here we discuss examples where the process has enabled researchers to develop new techniques, work with novel species, and to enhance the impact of outreach activities. Our aim is to showcase the potential that 3D printing offers in terms of improved experimental techniques, greater flexibility, reduced costs and promoting open science, while also discussing its limitations. By taking a general overview of studies using the technique from fields across the broad range of Ecology and Evolution, we show the flexibility of 3D printing technology and aim to inspire the next generation of discoveries.
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14
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Mitchem LD, Stanis S, Sutton NM, Turner Z, Fuller RC. The pervasive effects of lighting environments on sensory drive in bluefin killifish: an investigation into male/male competition, female choice, and predation. Curr Zool 2018; 64:499-512. [PMID: 30108631 PMCID: PMC6084612 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory drive predicts that the conditions under which signaling takes place have large effects on signals, sensory systems, and behavior. The coupling of an ecological genetics approach with sensory drive has been fruitful. An ecological genetics approach compares populations that experience different environments and asks whether population differences are adaptive and are the result of genetic and/or environmental variation. The multi-faceted effects of signaling environments are well-exemplified by the bluefin killifish. In this system, males with blue anal fins are abundant in tannin-stained swamps that lack UV/blue light but are absent in clear springs where UV/blue light is abundant. Past work indicates that lighting environments shape genetic and environmental variation in color patterns, visual systems, and behavior. Less is known about the selective forces creating the across population correlations between UV/blue light and the abundance of blue males. Here, we present three new experiments that investigate the roles of lighting environments on male competition, female mate choice, and predation. We found strong effects of lighting environments on male competition where blue males were more likely to emerge as dominant in tea-stained water than in clear water. Our preliminary study on predation indicated that blue males may be less susceptible to predation in tea-stained water than in clear water. However, there was little evidence for female preferences favoring blue males. The resulting pattern is one where the effects of lighting environments on genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity match the direction of selection and favor the expression of blue males in swamps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa D Mitchem
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Shannon Stanis
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Nicholas M Sutton
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Zachary Turner
- Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Rebecca C Fuller
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
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15
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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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16
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Yang Y, Dugas MB, Sudekum HJ, Murphy SN, Richards-Zawacki CL. Male-male aggression is unlikely to stabilize a poison frog polymorphism. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:457-468. [PMID: 29345026 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic polymorphism is common in animals, and the maintenance of multiple phenotypes in a population requires forces that act against homogenizing drift and selection. Male-male competition can contribute to the stability of a polymorphism when males compete primarily with males of the same phenotype. In and around a contact zone between red and blue lineages of the poison frog Oophaga pumilio, we used simulated territorial intrusions to test the nonexclusive predictions that males would direct more aggression towards males of (i) their own phenotype and/or (ii) the phenotype that is most common in their population. Males in the monomorphic red and blue populations that flank the contact zone were more aggressive towards simulated intruders that matched the local coloration. However, males in the two polymorphic populations biased aggression towards neither their own colour nor the colour most common in their population. In sympatry, the rarer colour morph gains no advantage via reduced male-male aggression from territorial males in these O. pumilio populations, and so male aggression seems unlikely to stabilize colour polymorphism on its own. More broadly, these results suggest that the potential for divergent male aggression biases to maintain phenotypic diversity depends on the mechanism(s) that generate the biases and the degree to which these mechanisms persist in sympatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - M B Dugas
- Watershed Studies Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | - H J Sudekum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - S N Murphy
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, República de Panamá
| | - C L Richards-Zawacki
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, República de Panamá
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17
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Tinghitella RM, Lackey ACR, Martin M, Dijkstra PD, Drury JP, Heathcote R, Keagy J, Scordato ESC, Tyers AM. On the role of male competition in speciation: a review and research agenda. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alycia C R Lackey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | - Michael Martin
- Department of Biology, Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA, USA
| | - Peter D Dijkstra
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
| | - Jonathan P Drury
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert Heathcote
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Elizabeth S C Scordato
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Alexandra M Tyers
- Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor, Gwynedd,, Wales, UK
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18
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Dreher CE, Rodríguez A, Cummings ME, Pröhl H. Mating status correlates with dorsal brightness in some but not all poison frog populations. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:10503-10512. [PMID: 29299233 PMCID: PMC5743646 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual signals are important for intraspecific communication and mate selection, but their evolution may be driven by both natural and sexual selection, and stochastic processes. Strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) show strong color divergence among populations, but coloration also varies among individuals of the same population. The importance of coloration for female mate choice has been studied intensely, and sexual selection seems to affect color divergence in strawberry poison frogs. However, the effect of coloration on mating success under field conditions has received very little attention. Furthermore, few studies examined how phenotypic variation among individuals of the same color morph affects mate selection under natural conditions. We measured the spectral reflectance of courting and noncourting individuals and their background substrates in three geographically separated populations. In one population (Sarapiquí, Costa Rica), we found that naturally occurring courting pairs of males and females had significantly brighter dorsal coloration than individual males and females not engaged in courtship interactions. Our field observations suggest that, in the wild, females prefer brighter males while the reason for the higher courtship activity of brighter females remains unclear. Overall our results imply that brightness differences among individuals of the same color morph may actually affect reproductive success in some populations of strawberry poison frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna E Dreher
- Institute of Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Hannover Germany
| | - Ariel Rodríguez
- Institute of Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Hannover Germany
| | - Molly E Cummings
- Section of Integrative Biology University of Texas Austin TX USA
| | - Heike Pröhl
- Institute of Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Hannover Germany
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19
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Franklin AM, Applegate MB, Lewis SM, Omenetto FG. Stomatopods detect and assess achromatic cues in contests. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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20
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Schulte LM, Mayer M. Poison frog tadpoles seek parental transportation to escape their cannibalistic siblings. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L. M. Schulte
- Department of Biogeography Trier University Trier Germany
| | - M. Mayer
- Department of Biogeography Trier University Trier Germany
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21
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Grunst AS, Grunst ML, Rathbun NA, Hubbard JK, Safran RJ, Gonser RA, Tuttle EM. Disruptive selection on plumage coloration across genetically determined morphs. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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22
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Warning signal properties covary with toxicity but not testosterone or aggregate carotenoids in a poison frog. Evol Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-016-9830-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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23
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Cline MH, Hatt JL, Conroy MJ, Cooper RJ. Experimental evidence for a phenotypic trait as an age-dependent intrasexual social signal between familiar individuals. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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24
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Bee M, Reichert M, Tumulty J. Assessment and Recognition of Rivals in Anuran Contests. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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25
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Coloration in the polymorphic frog Oophaga pumilio associates with level of aggressiveness in intraspecific and interspecific behavioral interactions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-2027-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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