1
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Cuff JP, Evans DM, Vaughan IP, Wilder SM, Tercel MPTG, Windsor FM. Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:974-988. [PMID: 38946110 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Nutrients can shape ecological interactions but remain poorly integrated into ecological networks. Concepts such as nutrient-specific foraging nevertheless have the potential to expose the mechanisms structuring complex ecological systems. Nutrients also present an opportunity to predict dynamic processes, such as interaction rewiring and extinction cascades, and increase the accuracy of network analyses. Here, we propose the concept of nutritional networks. By integrating nutritional data into ecological networks, we envisage significant advances to our understanding of ecological processes from individual to ecosystem scales. We show that networks can be constructed with nutritional data to illuminate how nutrients structure ecological interactions in natural systems through an empirical example. Throughout, we identify fundamental ecological hypotheses that can be explored in a nutritional network context, alongside methods for resolving those networks. Nutrients influence the structure and complexity of ecological networks through mechanistic processes and concepts including nutritional niche differentiation, functional responses, landscape diversity, ecological invasions and ecosystem robustness. Future research on ecological networks should consider nutrients when investigating the drivers of network structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan P Cuff
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Darren M Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ian P Vaughan
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Shawn M Wilder
- Department of Integrative Biology, 501 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Maximillian P T G Tercel
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey
| | - Fredric M Windsor
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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2
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Yu H, Deng X, Xiao F, Shi H. Hainan four-eyed turtles actively select suitable stones to masquerade according to their own morphology. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11693. [PMID: 38952662 PMCID: PMC11216812 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Masquerade is a form of camouflage in which animals use their body size, shape, and coloration to resemble inanimate objects in their environment to deceive predators. However, there is a lack of experimental evidence to show that animals actively choose objects that match these body parameters. To explore how the Hainan four-eyed turtle, Sacalia insulensis, masquerades using suitable stones, we used indoor video surveillance technology to study the preferences of juvenile S. insulensis for stones of different sizes, shapes, and colors. The results indicated that under normal conditions, during the day, juvenile S. insulensis preferred larger oval or round stones, while at night, they preferred oval stones that were closer to their own size, with no significant preference for stone color during either time. When disturbed (by a researcher swinging their arm back and forth above the experimental setup every hour to mimic a predator), the turtles showed a preference for brown stones that were closer to their size and oval in shape. These findings suggest that juvenile S. insulensis prefer stones that resemble their carapace size and shape to masquerade when undisturbed, and that this preference is reinforced when they masquerade to reduce the risk of predation. The preference for stones that resemble their carapace color is significant only when there is a disturbance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence that vertebrates can selectively choose objects that resemble their own morphology for masquerading to reduce predation risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmin Yu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Xinyi Deng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
- Haikou No.1 Middle SchoolHaikouChina
| | - Fanrong Xiao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Haitao Shi
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
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3
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Tan M, Zhang S, Stevens M, Li D, Tan EJ. Antipredator defences in motion: animals reduce predation risks by concealing or misleading motion signals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:778-796. [PMID: 38174819 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Motion is a crucial part of the natural world, yet our understanding of how animals avoid predation whilst moving remains rather limited. Although several theories have been proposed for how antipredator defence may be facilitated during motion, there is often a lack of supporting empirical evidence, or conflicting findings. Furthermore, many studies have shown that motion often 'breaks' camouflage, as sudden movement can be detected even before an individual is recognised. Whilst some static camouflage strategies may conceal moving animals to a certain extent, more emphasis should be given to other modes of camouflage and related defences in the context of motion (e.g. flicker fusion camouflage, active motion camouflage, motion dazzle, and protean motion). Furthermore, when motion is involved, defence strategies are not necessarily limited to concealment. An animal can also rely on motion to mislead predators with regards to its trajectory, location, size, colour pattern, or even identity. In this review, we discuss the various underlying antipredator strategies and the mechanisms through which they may be linked to motion, conceptualising existing empirical and theoretical studies from two perspectives - concealing and misleading effects. We also highlight gaps in our understanding of these antipredator strategies, and suggest possible methodologies for experimental designs/test subjects (i.e. prey and/or predators) and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Shichang Zhang
- Centre for Behavioural Ecology & Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, Hubei, China
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Daiqin Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
- Centre for Behavioural Ecology & Evolution, State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, Hubei, China
| | - Eunice J Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, 16 College Avenue West, Singapore, 138527, Singapore
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4
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Briolat ES, Hancock GRA, Troscianko J. Adapting genetic algorithms for artificial evolution of visual patterns under selection from wild predators. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295106. [PMID: 38753609 PMCID: PMC11098352 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Camouflage is a widespread and well-studied anti-predator strategy, yet identifying which patterns provide optimal protection in any given scenario remains challenging. Besides the virtually limitless combinations of colours and patterns available to prey, selection for camouflage strategies will depend on complex interactions between prey appearance, background properties and predator traits, across repeated encounters between co-evolving predators and prey. Experiments in artificial evolution, pairing psychophysics detection tasks with genetic algorithms, offer a promising way to tackle this complexity, but sophisticated genetic algorithms have so far been restricted to screen-based experiments. Here, we present methods to test the evolution of colour patterns on physical prey items, under selection from wild predators in the field. Our techniques expand on a recently-developed open-access pattern generation and genetic algorithm framework, modified to operate alongside artificial predation experiments. In this system, predators freely interact with prey, and the order of attack determines the survival and reproduction of prey patterns into future generations. We demonstrate the feasibility of these methods with a case study, in which free-flying birds feed on artificial prey deployed in semi-natural conditions, against backgrounds differing in three-dimensional complexity. Wild predators reliably participated in this experiment, foraging for 11 to 16 generations of artificial prey and encountering a total of 1,296 evolved prey items. Changes in prey pattern across generations indicated improvements in several metrics of similarity to the background, and greater edge disruption, although effect sizes were relatively small. Computer-based replicates of these trials, with human volunteers, highlighted the importance of starting population parameters for subsequent evolution, a key consideration when applying these methods. Ultimately, these methods provide pathways for integrating complex genetic algorithms into more naturalistic predation trials. Customisable open-access tools should facilitate application of these tools to investigate a wide range of visual pattern types in more ecologically-relevant contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle S. Briolat
- Faculty of Environment, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - George R. A. Hancock
- Faculty of Environment, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jolyon Troscianko
- Faculty of Environment, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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5
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van den Berg CP, Condon ND, Conradsen C, White TE, Cheney KL. Automated workflows using Quantitative Colour Pattern Analysis (QCPA): a guide to batch processing and downstream data analysis. Evol Ecol 2024; 38:387-397. [PMID: 38946730 PMCID: PMC11208187 DOI: 10.1007/s10682-024-10291-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Animal and plant colouration presents a striking dimension of phenotypic variation, the study of which has driven general advances in ecology, evolution, and animal behaviour. Quantitative Colour Pattern Analysis (QCPA) is a dynamic framework for analysing colour patterns through the eyes of non-human observers. However, its extensive array of user-defined image processing and analysis tools means image analysis is often time-consuming. This hinders the full use of analytical power provided by QCPA and its application to large datasets. Here, we offer a robust and comprehensive batch script, allowing users to automate many QCPA workflows. We also provide a complimentary set of useful R scripts for downstream data extraction and analysis. The presented batch processing extension will empower users to further utilise the analytical power of QCPA and facilitate the development of customised semi-automated workflows. Such quantitatively scaled workflows are crucial for exploring colour pattern spaces and developing ever-richer frameworks for analysing organismal colouration accounting for visual perception in animals other than humans. These advances will, in turn, facilitate testing hypotheses on the function and evolution of vision and signals at quantitative and qualitative scales, which are otherwise computationally unfeasible. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10682-024-10291-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric P. van den Berg
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Nicholas D. Condon
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Cara Conradsen
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Thomas E. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050 Australia
| | - Karen L. Cheney
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia
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6
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Kikuchi DW, Allen WL, Arbuckle K, Aubier TG, Briolat ES, Burdfield-Steel ER, Cheney KL, Daňková K, Elias M, Hämäläinen L, Herberstein ME, Hossie TJ, Joron M, Kunte K, Leavell BC, Lindstedt C, Lorioux-Chevalier U, McClure M, McLellan CF, Medina I, Nawge V, Páez E, Pal A, Pekár S, Penacchio O, Raška J, Reader T, Rojas B, Rönkä KH, Rößler DC, Rowe C, Rowland HM, Roy A, Schaal KA, Sherratt TN, Skelhorn J, Smart HR, Stankowich T, Stefan AM, Summers K, Taylor CH, Thorogood R, Umbers K, Winters AE, Yeager J, Exnerová A. The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:975-991. [PMID: 37363877 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Prey seldom rely on a single type of antipredator defence, often using multiple defences to avoid predation. In many cases, selection in different contexts may favour the evolution of multiple defences in a prey. However, a prey may use multiple defences to protect itself during a single predator encounter. Such "defence portfolios" that defend prey against a single instance of predation are distributed across and within successive stages of the predation sequence (encounter, detection, identification, approach (attack), subjugation and consumption). We contend that at present, our understanding of defence portfolio evolution is incomplete, and seen from the fragmentary perspective of specific sensory systems (e.g., visual) or specific types of defences (especially aposematism). In this review, we aim to build a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing the evolution of multiple prey defences, beginning with hypotheses for the evolution of multiple defences in general, and defence portfolios in particular. We then examine idealized models of resource trade-offs and functional interactions between traits, along with evidence supporting them. We find that defence portfolios are constrained by resource allocation to other aspects of life history, as well as functional incompatibilities between different defences. We also find that selection is likely to favour combinations of defences that have synergistic effects on predator behaviour and prey survival. Next, we examine specific aspects of prey ecology, genetics and development, and predator cognition that modify the predictions of current hypotheses or introduce competing hypotheses. We outline schema for gathering data on the distribution of prey defences across species and geography, determining how multiple defences are produced, and testing the proximate mechanisms by which multiple prey defences impact predator behaviour. Adopting these approaches will strengthen our understanding of multiple defensive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Kikuchi
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- Evolutionary Biology, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Kevin Arbuckle
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Thomas G Aubier
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, UMR 5174, CNRS/IRD, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Emily R Burdfield-Steel
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karen L Cheney
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Klára Daňková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marianne Elias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
| | - Liisa Hämäläinen
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marie E Herberstein
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Thomas J Hossie
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mathieu Joron
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Krushnamegh Kunte
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Brian C Leavell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Carita Lindstedt
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ugo Lorioux-Chevalier
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | - Melanie McClure
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | | | - Iliana Medina
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Viraj Nawge
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Erika Páez
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Arka Pal
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Olivier Penacchio
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- Computer Vision Center, Computer Science Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jan Raška
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tom Reader
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Katja H Rönkä
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Programme in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Daniela C Rößler
- Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Candy Rowe
- Institute of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Arlety Roy
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | - Kaitlin A Schaal
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - John Skelhorn
- Institute of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Hannah R Smart
- Hawkesbury Institute of the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ted Stankowich
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Amanda M Stefan
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kyle Summers
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Rose Thorogood
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Programme in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kate Umbers
- Hawkesbury Institute of the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Science Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anne E Winters
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Justin Yeager
- Grupo de Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Alice Exnerová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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7
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Heathcote RJP, Whiteside MA, Beardsworth CE, Van Horik JO, Laker PR, Toledo S, Orchan Y, Nathan R, Madden JR. Spatial memory predicts home range size and predation risk in pheasants. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:461-471. [PMID: 36690732 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01950-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Most animals confine their activities to a discrete home range, long assumed to reflect the fitness benefits of obtaining spatial knowledge about the landscape. However, few empirical studies have linked spatial memory to home range development or determined how selection operates on spatial memory via the latter's role in mediating space use. We assayed the cognitive ability of juvenile pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) reared under identical conditions before releasing them into the wild. Then, we used high-throughput tracking to record their movements as they developed their home ranges, and determined the location, timing and cause of mortality events. Individuals with greater spatial reference memory developed larger home ranges. Mortality risk from predators was highest at the periphery of an individual's home range in areas where they had less experience and opportunity to obtain spatial information. Predation risk was lower in individuals with greater spatial memory and larger core home ranges, suggesting selection may operate on spatial memory by increasing the ability to learn about predation risk across the landscape. Our results reveal that spatial memory, determined from abstract cognitive assays, shapes home range development and variation, and suggests predation risk selects for spatial memory via experience-dependent spatial variation in mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J P Heathcote
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Mark A Whiteside
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Christine E Beardsworth
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Den Burg, the Netherlands.,School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jayden O Van Horik
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,University of Exeter Clinical Trials Unit, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Philippa R Laker
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Sivan Toledo
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Yotam Orchan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Joah R Madden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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8
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Lo Pinto M, Guarino S, Agrò A. Evidence of Seasonal Variation in Body Color in Adults of the Parasitoid Cirrospilus pictus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Sicily, Italy. INSECTS 2023; 14:90. [PMID: 36662018 PMCID: PMC9864248 DOI: 10.3390/insects14010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As part of the studies on the morphological color variation of insects, a case study on the seasonal body color variation of Cirrospilus pictus (Nees) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Eulophinae) parasitoid of leafminers is reported. Observations were made from January 2000 to December 2003 in north-western Sicily (Italy), in relation to sex, body regions of adults and seasonal periods. Wasps parasitizing Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) were collected from organic citrus orchards (Citrus limon L., var. "Femminello zagara bianca" and "Femminello comune"). Adults were grouped in classes: yellow males, black males, yellow females, yellow-black females and black females. The results highlighted a phenotypic pigmentation variation in the head, thorax, gaster and legs of individuals influenced by the season of sampling. Adults were yellow-green in summer months, whereas individuals with dark pigmentation were found in autumn and winter months. A correlation between color patterns and seasonal temperatures was found for both females and males. This work provides a contribution to the description of the intraspecific variability of this species, improving its identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirella Lo Pinto
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Salvatore Guarino
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Corso Calatafimi 414, 90129 Palermo, Italy
| | - Alfonso Agrò
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 5, 90128 Palermo, Italy
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9
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de Alcantara Viana JV, Vieira C, Duarte RC, Romero GQ. Predator responses to prey camouflage strategies: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220980. [PMID: 36100020 PMCID: PMC9470275 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although numerous studies about camouflage have been conducted in the last few decades, there is still a significant gap in our knowledge about the magnitude of protective value of different camouflage strategies in prey detection and survival. Furthermore, the functional significance of several camouflage strategies remains controversial. Here we carried out a comprehensive meta-analysis including comparisons of different camouflage strategies as well as predator and prey types, considering two response variables: mean predator search time (ST) (63 studies) and predator attack rate (AR) of camouflaged prey (28 studies). Overall, camouflage increased the predator ST by 62.56% and decreased the AR of prey by 27.34%. Masquerade was the camouflage strategy that most increased predator ST (295.43%). Background matching and disruptive coloration did not differ from each other. Motion camouflage did not increase ST but decreases AR on prey. We found no evidence that eyespot increases ST and decreases AR by predators. The different types of predators did not differ from each other, but caterpillars were the type of prey that most influenced the magnitude of camouflage's effect. We highlight the potential evolutionary mechanisms that led camouflage to be a highly effective anti-predatory adaptation, as well as potential discrepancies or redundancies among strategies, predator and prey types.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Vitor de Alcantara Viana
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Biologia, Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Camila Vieira
- Departamento de Ciências Básicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), campus de Pirassununga, CEP 13635-900 Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rafael Campos Duarte
- Universidade Federal do ABC, CEP 09606-045 São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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10
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Bertolesi GE, Debnath N, Atkinson-Leadbeater K, Niedzwiecka A, McFarlane S. Distinct type II opsins in the eye decode light properties for background adaptation and behavioural background preference. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6659-6676. [PMID: 34592025 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Crypsis increases survival by reducing predator detection. Xenopus laevis tadpoles decode light properties from the substrate to induce two responses: a cryptic coloration response where dorsal skin pigmentation is adjusted to the colour of the substrate (background adaptation) and a behavioural crypsis where organisms move to align with a specific colour surface (background preference). Both processes require organisms to detect reflected light from the substrate. We explored the relationship between background adaptation and preference and the light properties able to trigger both responses. We also analysed which retinal photosensor (type II opsin) is involved. Our results showed that these two processes are segregated mechanistically, as there is no correlation between the preference for a specific background with the level of skin pigmentation, and different dorsal retina-localized type II opsins appear to underlie the two crypsis modes. Indeed, inhibition of melanopsin affects background adaptation but not background preference. Instead, we propose pinopsin is the photosensor involved in background preference. pinopsin mRNA is co-expressed with mRNA for the sws1 cone photopigment in dorsally located photoreceptors. Importantly, the developmental onset of pinopsin expression aligns with the emergence of the preference for a white background, but after the background adaptation phenotype appears. Furthermore, white background preference of tadpoles is associated with increased pinopsin expression, a feature that is lost in premetamorphic froglets along with a preference for a white background. Thus, our data show a mechanistic dissociation between background adaptation and background preference, and we suggest melanopsin and pinopsin, respectively, initiate the two responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel E Bertolesi
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nilakshi Debnath
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Anna Niedzwiecka
- Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sarah McFarlane
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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11
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Nixon KJA, Parzer HF. Mimicry: just wing it. Wing shape comparison between a mimicking swallowtail and its toxic model. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Female eastern tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) are well-known wing coloration mimics of the toxic pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor). Given that forewing shape is an important component of butterfly flight behaviour found in unpalatable species, we hypothesized that the mimicking females also mimic the forewing shape of their poisonous model. Thus, we predicted that mimicking eastern tiger swallowtails have a more similar wing shape to their model compared with their non-mimicking conspecific morphs. In order to test this, we compared the forewing of the model with mimicking and non-mimicking eastern tiger swallowtail morphs using a standard geometric morphometrics approach. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found significant differences of forewing shape between the two species, with no overlap, regardless of the morph. However, mimicking and non-mimicking female eastern tiger swallowtails were significantly different from each other in wing shape. This indicates that either pleiotropic effects, possibly owing to wing coloration mimicry, or selection for different flight patterns in mimics informed the evolution of forewings in this species. Additionally, we found sexual dimorphism in forewing shape within each species, which supports research indicating that both sexual selection and sex-specific natural selection are important drivers in wing shape evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra J A Nixon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ, USA
| | - Harald F Parzer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ, USA
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12
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Troscianko J, Nokelainen O, Skelhorn J, Stevens M. Variable crab camouflage patterns defeat search image formation. Commun Biol 2021; 4:287. [PMID: 33674781 PMCID: PMC7935895 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01817-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding what maintains the broad spectrum of variation in animal phenotypes and how this influences survival is a key question in biology. Frequency dependent selection - where predators temporarily focus on one morph at the expense of others by forming a "search image" - can help explain this phenomenon. However, past work has never tested real prey colour patterns, and rarely considered the role of different types of camouflage. Using a novel citizen science computer experiment that presented crab "prey" to humans against natural backgrounds in specific sequences, we were able to test a range of key hypotheses concerning the interactions between predator learning, camouflage and morph. As predicted, switching between morphs did hinder detection, and this effect was most pronounced when crabs had "disruptive" markings that were more effective at destroying the body outline. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for variability in natural colour patterns hindering search image formation in predators, and as such presents a mechanism that facilitates phenotypic diversity in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, TR10 9FE, Penryn, UK.
| | - Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - John Skelhorn
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, NE2 4HH, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, TR10 9FE, Penryn, UK
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13
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Nokelainen O, Sreelatha LB, Brito JC, Campos JC, Scott-Samuel NE, Valkonen JK, Boratyński Z. Camouflage in arid environments: the case of Sahara-Sahel desert rodents. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; e-mail:
| | - Lekshmi B. Sreelatha
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; e-mail:
| | - José Carlos Brito
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; e-mail:
| | - João C. Campos
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; e-mail:
| | | | - Janne K. Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; e-mail:
| | - Zbyszek Boratyński
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; e-mail:
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14
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Szopa-Comley AW, Donald WG, Ioannou CC. Predator personality and prey detection: inter-individual variation in responses to cryptic and conspicuous prey. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02854-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Limited attention constrains predators from engaging in cognitively demanding tasks such as searching for cryptic prey at the same time as remaining vigilant towards threats. Since finite attention can result in negative correlations between foraging and vigilance, the tendency of individual predators to focus attention on searching for cryptic prey may be correlated with other behavioural traits which reflect risk-reward trade-offs, such as consistent inter-individual variation in boldness (a personality trait describing risk-taking, defined in this study as the time taken to leave a refuge). We investigated the importance of personality in prey detection by comparing inter-individual variation in the response of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to conspicuous and cryptic prey. Fish were slower to attack cryptic prey than conspicuous prey, consistent with cryptic prey being harder to detect. Despite the greater challenge involved in detecting cryptic prey, inter-individual variation in the time taken to detect prey was similar in the cryptic and conspicuous prey treatments, and was uncorrelated with boldness, which was repeatable between individuals. We also observed a positive association between the rate of attack on conspicuous prey and whether individual fish attacked cryptic prey in other trials. Our findings suggest that boldness is not related to prey detection or attention in this context. Instead, consistent differences in motivation once exploration has begun between individual predators may explain inter-individual variation in the time taken to attack both prey cryptic and conspicuous prey.
Significance statement
Using an experimental approach to manipulate the conspicuousness of prey, we show that individual fish consistently differ in their rates of attacking prey. This demonstrates that fish show “personality variation” in predatory behaviour, but these inter-individual differences were not related to the boldness of each fish (their tendency to engage in risky behaviours).
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15
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Galloway JAM, Green SD, Stevens M, Kelley LA. Finding a signal hidden among noise: how can predators overcome camouflage strategies? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190478. [PMID: 32420842 PMCID: PMC7331011 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Substantial progress has been made in the past 15 years regarding how prey use a variety of visual camouflage types to exploit both predator visual processing and cognition, including background matching, disruptive coloration, countershading and masquerade. By contrast, much less attention has been paid to how predators might overcome these defences. Such strategies include the evolution of more acute senses, the co-opting of other senses not targeted by camouflage, changes in cognition such as forming search images, and using behaviours that change the relationship between the cryptic individual and the environment or disturb prey and cause movement. Here, we evaluate the methods through which visual camouflage prevents detection and recognition, and discuss if and how predators might evolve, develop or learn counter-adaptations to overcome these. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A M Galloway
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Samuel D Green
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Laura A Kelley
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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16
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Caves EM, Nowicki S, Johnsen S. Von Uexküll Revisited: Addressing Human Biases in the Study of Animal Perception. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 59:1451-1462. [PMID: 31127268 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
More than 100 years ago, the biologist Jakob von Uexküll suggested that, because sensory systems are diverse, animals likely inhabit different sensory worlds (umwelten) than we do. Since von Uexküll, work across sensory modalities has confirmed that animals sometimes perceive sensory information that humans cannot, and it is now well-established that one must account for this fact when studying an animal's behavior. We are less adept, however, at recognizing cases in which non-human animals may not detect or perceive stimuli the same way we do, which is our focus here. In particular, we discuss three ways in which our own perception can result in misinformed hypotheses about the function of various stimuli. In particular, we may (1) make untested assumptions about how sensory information is perceived, based on how we perceive or measure it, (2) attribute undue significance to stimuli that we perceive as complex or striking, and (3) assume that animals divide the sensory world in the same way that we as scientists do. We discuss each of these biases and provide examples of cases where animals cannot perceive or are not attending to stimuli in the same way that we do, and how this may lead us to mistaken assumptions. Because what an animal perceives affects its behavior, we argue that these biases are especially important for researchers in sensory ecology, cognition, and animal behavior and communication to consider. We suggest that studying animal umwelten requires integrative approaches that combine knowledge of sensory physiology with behavioral assays.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sönke Johnsen
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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17
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Suzuki TK, Tomita S, Sezutsu H. Multicomponent structures in camouflage and mimicry in butterfly wing patterns. J Morphol 2020; 280:149-166. [PMID: 30556951 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how morphological structures are built is essential for appreciating the morphological complexity and divergence of organisms. One representative case of morphological structures is the camouflage and mimicry of butterfly wing patterns. Some previous studies have questioned whether camouflage and mimicry are truly structures, considering that they rely on coloration. Nevertheless, our recent study revealed that the leaf pattern of Kallima inachus butterfly wings evolved through the combination of changes in several pigment components in a block-wise manner; it remains unclear whether such block-wise structures are common in other cases of camouflage and mimicry in butterflies and how they come about. Previous studies focused solely on a set of homologous components, termed the nymphalid ground plan. In the present study, we extended the scope of the description of components by including not only the nymphalid ground plan but also other common components (i.e., ripple patterns, dependent patterns, and color fields). This extension allowed us to analyze the combinatorial building logic of structures and examine multicomponent structures of camouflage and mimicry in butterfly wing patterns. We investigated various patterns of camouflage and mimicry (e.g., masquerade, crypsis, Müllerian mimicry, Batesian mimicry) in nine species and decomposed them into an assembly of multiple components. These structural component analyses suggested that camouflage and mimicry in butterfly wing patterns are built up by combining multiple types of components. We also investigated associations between components and the kinds of camouflage and mimicry. Several components are statistically more often used to produce specific types of camouflage or mimicry. Thus, our work provides empirical evidence that camouflage and mimicry patterns of butterfly wings are mosaic structures, opening up a new avenue of studying camouflage, and mimicry from a structural perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao K Suzuki
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shuichiro Tomita
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki, Japan
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18
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Jiang T, Szwedo J, Wang B. A unique camouflaged mimarachnid planthopper from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13112. [PMID: 31511621 PMCID: PMC6739471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49414-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is a major driving force for the evolution of functional forms. Avoidance of visual predators has resulted in different kinds of anti-predator defences, such as: camouflage, crypsis, disruptive coloration, and masquerade or mimesis. Camouflage is one of the forms involving shape, colouration, structure and behaviour when the visual pattern and orientation of an animal can determine whether it lives or dies. Inferring the behaviour and function of an ancient organism from its fossilised remains is a difficult task, but in many cases it closely resembles that of its descendants on uniformitarian grounds. Here we report and discuss examples of morphological and behavioural traits involving camouflage named recently as a flatoidinisation syndrome, shown by the inclusion of a planthopper in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. We found a new genus and species of an extinct Cretaceous planthopper family Mimarachnidae showing peculiar complex morphological adaptations to camouflage it on tree bark. Due to convergence, it resembles an unrelated tropiduchid planthopper from Eocene Baltic amber and also a modern representatives of the planthopper family Flatidae. Flattening of the body, the horizontal position of the tegmina at repose, tegmina with an undulating margin and elevated, wavy longitudinal veins, together with colouration and more sedentary behavioral traits enable these different insects to avoid predators. Our discovery reveals flatoidinisation syndrome in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber which may provide insights into the processes of natural selection and evolution in this ancient forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Jiang
- China University of Geosciences (Beijing), No. 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian district, Beijing, 100083, China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology and Museum of Amber Inclusions, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, 59, Wita Stwosza St., PL80-308, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- I. C. Cuthill
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
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20
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Renoult JP, Mendelson TC. Processing bias: extending sensory drive to include efficacy and efficiency in information processing. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190165. [PMID: 30940061 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication signals often comprise an array of colours, lines, spots, notes or odours that are arranged in complex patterns, melodies or blends. Receiver perception is assumed to influence preference and thus the evolution of signal design, but evolutionary biologists still struggle to understand how perception, preference and signal design are mechanistically linked. In parallel, the field of empirical aesthetics aims to understand why people like some designs more than others. The model of processing bias discussed here is rooted in empirical aesthetics, which posits that preferences are influenced by the emotional system as it monitors the dynamics of information processing and that attractive signals have effective designs that maximize information transmission, efficient designs that allow information processing at low metabolic cost, or both. We refer to the causal link between preference and the emotionally rewarding experience of effective and efficient information processing as the processing bias, and we apply it to the evolutionary model of sensory drive. A sensory drive model that incorporates processing bias hypothesizes a causal chain of relationships between the environment, perception, pleasure, preference and ultimately the evolution of signal design, both simple and complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien P Renoult
- 1 Centre of Evolutionary and Functional Ecology (CEFE UMR5175), CNRS-University of Montpellier-University Paul-Valery Montpellier-EPHE) , 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier , France
| | - Tamra C Mendelson
- 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County , 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 , USA
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21
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Bertolesi GE, Zhang JZ, McFarlane S. Plasticity for colour adaptation in vertebrates explained by the evolution of the genes pomc, pmch and pmchl. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2019; 32:510-527. [PMID: 30791235 PMCID: PMC7167667 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Different camouflages work best with some background matching colour. Our understanding of the evolution of skin colour is based mainly on the genetics of pigmentation ("background matching"), with little known about the evolution of the neuroendocrine systems that facilitate "background adaptation" through colour phenotypic plasticity. To address the latter, we studied the evolution in vertebrates of three genes, pomc, pmch and pmchl, that code for α-MSH and two melanin-concentrating hormones (MCH and MCHL). These hormones induce either dispersion/aggregation or the synthesis of pigments. We find that α-MSH is highly conserved during evolution, as is its role in dispersing/synthesizing pigments. Also conserved is the three-exon pmch gene that encodes MCH, which participates in feeding behaviours. In contrast, pmchl (known previously as pmch), is a teleost-specific intron-less gene. Our data indicate that in zebrafish, pmchl-expressing neurons extend axons to the pituitary, supportive of an MCHL hormonal role, whereas zebrafish and Xenopus pmch+ neurons send axons dorsally in the brain. The evolution of these genes and acquisition of hormonal status for MCHL explain different mechanisms used by vertebrates to background-adapt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel E Bertolesi
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - John Zhijia Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sarah McFarlane
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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22
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Mora R, Hanson PE. Widespread Occurrence of Black-Orange-Black Color Pattern in Hymenoptera. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2019; 19:13. [PMID: 30851035 PMCID: PMC6409494 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iez021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Certain color patterns in insects show convergent evolution reflecting potentially important biological functions, for example, aposematism and mimicry. This phenomenon has been most frequently documented in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, but has been less well investigated in Hymenoptera. It has long been recognized that many hymenopterans, especially scelionids (Platygastridae), show a recurring pattern of black head, orange/red mesosoma, and black metasoma (BOB coloration). However, the taxonomic distribution of this striking color pattern has never been documented across the entire order. The main objective of our research was to provide a preliminary tabulation of this color pattern in Hymenoptera, through examination of museum specimens and relevant literature. We included 11 variations of the typical BOB color pattern but did not include all possible variations. These color patterns were found in species belonging to 23 families of Hymenoptera, and was most frequently observed in scelionids, evaniids, and mutillids, but was relatively infrequent in Cynipoids, Diaprioids, Chalcidoids, and Apoids. The widespread occurrence of this color pattern in Hymenoptera strongly suggests convergent evolution and a potentially important function. The BOB color pattern was found in species from all biogeographic regions and within a species it was usually present in both sexes (with a few notable exceptions). In better studied tropical regions, such as Costa Rica, this color pattern was more common in species occurring at lower elevations (below 2,000 m). The biology of the tabulated taxa encompasses both ecto- and endoparasitoids, idiobionts and koinobionts, from a diversity of hosts, as well as phytophagous sawflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Mora
- Universidad de Costa Rica, Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular, Ciudad de la Investigación Postal, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, SJ, Costa Rica
- Universidad de Costa Rica, Escuela de Biología, Apartado Postal, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, SJ, Costa Rica
| | - P E Hanson
- Universidad de Costa Rica, Escuela de Biología, Apartado Postal, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, SJ, Costa Rica
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23
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Amodio P, Boeckle M, Schnell AK, Ostojíc L, Fiorito G, Clayton NS. Grow Smart and Die Young: Why Did Cephalopods Evolve Intelligence? Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 34:45-56. [PMID: 30446408 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Intelligence in large-brained vertebrates might have evolved through independent, yet similar processes based on comparable socioecological pressures and slow life histories. This convergent evolutionary route, however, cannot explain why cephalopods developed large brains and flexible behavioural repertoires: cephalopods have fast life histories and live in simple social environments. Here, we suggest that the loss of the external shell in cephalopods (i) caused a dramatic increase in predatory pressure, which in turn prevented the emergence of slow life histories, and (ii) allowed the exploitation of novel challenging niches, thus favouring the emergence of intelligence. By highlighting convergent and divergent aspects between cephalopods and large-brained vertebrates we illustrate how the evolution of intelligence might not be constrained to a single evolutionary route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Amodio
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Markus Boeckle
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Ljerka Ostojíc
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Graziano Fiorito
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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24
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Yamazaki K. The Picture of Dorian Gray: shell corrosion allows freshwater and brackish-water gastropods to masquerade as empty shells. J NAT HIST 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1537408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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25
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Nityananda V, Read JCA. Stereopsis in animals: evolution, function and mechanisms. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:2502-2512. [PMID: 28724702 PMCID: PMC5536890 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Stereopsis is the computation of depth information from views acquired simultaneously from different points in space. For many years, stereopsis was thought to be confined to primates and other mammals with front-facing eyes. However, stereopsis has now been demonstrated in many other animals, including lateral-eyed prey mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates. The diversity of animals known to have stereo vision allows us to begin to investigate ideas about its evolution and the underlying selective pressures in different animals. It also further prompts the question of whether all animals have evolved essentially the same algorithms to implement stereopsis. If so, this must be the best way to do stereo vision, and should be implemented by engineers in machine stereopsis. Conversely, if animals have evolved a range of stereo algorithms in response to different pressures, that could inspire novel forms of machine stereopsis appropriate for distinct environments, tasks or constraints. As a first step towards addressing these ideas, we here review our current knowledge of stereo vision in animals, with a view towards outlining common principles about the evolution, function and mechanisms of stereo vision across the animal kingdom. We conclude by outlining avenues for future work, including research into possible new mechanisms of stereo vision, with implications for machine vision and the role of stereopsis in the evolution of camouflage. Summary: Stereopsis has evolved independently in different animals. We review the various functions it serves and the variety of mechanisms that could underlie stereopsis in different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Nityananda
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Institute for Advanced Study, Wallotstraße 19, Berlin 14193, Germany .,Newcastle University, Institute of Neuroscience, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Jenny C A Read
- Newcastle University, Institute of Neuroscience, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
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Troscianko J, Skelhorn J, Stevens M. Camouflage strategies interfere differently with observer search images. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181386. [PMID: 30185636 PMCID: PMC6158535 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous animals rely on camouflage for defence. Substantial past work has identified the presence of multiple strategies for concealment, and tested the mechanisms underpinning how they work. These include background matching, D-RUP coloration to destroy target edges, and distractive markings that may divert attention from key target features. Despite considerable progress, work has focused on how camouflage types prevent initial detection by naive observers. However, predators will often encounter multiple targets over time, providing the opportunity to learn or focus attention through search images. At present, we know almost nothing about how camouflage types facilitate or hinder predator performance over repeated encounters. Here, we use experiments with human subjects searching for targets on touch screens with different camouflage strategies, and control the experience that subjects have with target types. We show that different camouflage strategies affect how subjects improve in detecting targets with repeated encounters, and how performance in detection of one camouflage type depends on experience of other strategies. In particular, disruptive coloration is effective at preventing improvements in camouflage breaking during search image formation, and experience with one camouflage type (distraction) can decrease the ability of subjects to switch to and from search images for new camouflage types (disruption). Our study is, to our knowledge, the first to show how the success of camouflage strategies depends on how they prevent initial and successive detection, and on predator experience of other strategies. This has implications for the evolution of prey phenotypes, how we assess the efficacy of defences, and predator-prey dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - John Skelhorn
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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Holmes GG, Delferrière E, Rowe C, Troscianko J, Skelhorn J. Testing the feasibility of the startle-first route to deimatism. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10737. [PMID: 30013124 PMCID: PMC6048153 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28565-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Many prey species perform deimatic displays that are thought to scare or startle would-be predators, or elicit other reflexive responses that lead to attacks being delayed or abandoned. The form of these displays differs among species, but often includes prey revealing previously-hidden conspicuous visual components. The evolutionary route(s) to deimatism are poorly understood, but it has recently been suggested that the behavioural component of the displays evolves first followed by a conspicuous visual component. This is known as the “startle-first hypothesis”. Here we use an experimental system in which naïve domestic chicks forage for artificial deimatic prey to test the two key predictions of this hypothesis: (1) that movement can deter predators in the absence of conspicuously coloured display components; and, (2) that the combination of movement and conspicuously coloured display components is more effective than movement alone. We show that both these predictions hold, but only when the movement is fast. We thus provide evidence for the feasibility of ‘the startle-first hypothesis’ of the evolution of deimatism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace G Holmes
- Centre for Behaviour & Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| | - Emeline Delferrière
- Centre for Behaviour & Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Candy Rowe
- Centre for Behaviour & Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - John Skelhorn
- Centre for Behaviour & Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Ren J, Gunten ND, Konstantinov AS, Vencl FV, Ge S, Hu DL. Chewing Holes for Camouflage. Zoolog Sci 2018; 35:199-207. [PMID: 29882497 DOI: 10.2108/zs170136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Camouflaged objects are harder to detect if the background itself is more heterogeneous, and search becomes increasingly inefficient when the scene contains multiple items resembling the target. Some adult leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with highly specialized habits make holes on host plant leaves while feeding. We propose that leaf beetles camouflage themselves with their feeding holes. The presence of holes makes predators' visual search harder, thus giving beetles more time to escape from the leaf surface either by jumping (Galerucinae: Alticini) or rolling (rest of Chrysomelidae). Based on behavioral observations and analysis of 25 photographs of feeding leaf beetles (15 species), we demonstrate that adult leaf beetles camouflage themselves by creating holes of uniform size, approximately half of the beetle body size. Observation of the feeding behavior and anatomy of a typical hole-feeding beetle (Altica cirsicola) showed that the foregut volume and head-prothorax mobility of beetles are the two major factors that constrain the hole size. A computer-simulated visual search test showed that the greater the number of holes, and the more each hole approached beetle body size, the longer it took humans (as models) to locate a beetle on a leaf. This study reports a newly discovered kind of camouflage, hole-feeding camouflage, in leaf beetles, which makes visual detection or recognition more difficult by changing the environmental background. This type of camouflage may open up a range of new possibilities for studies in animal cognition analysis and evolution of anti-predation defenses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ren
- 1 Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Natasha de Gunten
- 2 Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Alexander S Konstantinov
- 3 Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, c/o Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC 20013, USA
| | - Fredric V Vencl
- 4 Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Siqin Ge
- 1 Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - David L Hu
- 2 Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia 30332, USA.,5 School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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Baños-Villalba A, Quevedo DP, Edelaar P. Positioning behavior according to individual color variation improves camouflage in novel habitats. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Baños-Villalba
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, University Pablo de Olavide Ctra, Utrera, Sevilla, Spain
| | - David P Quevedo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, University Pablo de Olavide Ctra, Utrera, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Pim Edelaar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, University Pablo de Olavide Ctra, Utrera, Sevilla, Spain
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Panetta D, Buresch K, Hanlon RT. Dynamic masquerade with morphing three-dimensional skin in cuttlefish. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2017.0070. [PMID: 28356412 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Masquerade is a defence tactic in which a prey resembles an inedible or inanimate object thus causing predators to misclassify it. Most masquerade colour patterns are static although some species adopt postures or behaviours to enhance the effect. Dynamic masquerade in which the colour pattern can be changed is rare. Here we report a two-step sensory process that enables an additional novel capability known only in cuttlefish and octopus: morphing three-dimensional physical skin texture that further enhances the optical illusions created by coloured skin patterns. Our experimental design incorporated sequential sensory processes: addition of a three-dimensional rock to the testing arena, which attracted the cuttlefish to settle next to it; then visual processing by the cuttlefish of physical textures on the rock to guide expression of the skin papillae, which can range from fully relaxed (smooth skin) to fully expressed (bumpy skin). When a uniformly white smooth rock was presented, cuttlefish moved to the rock and deployed a uniform body pattern with mostly smooth skin. When a rock with small-scale fragments of contrasting shells was presented, the cuttlefish deployed mottled body patterns with strong papillae expression. These robust and reversible responses indicate a sophisticated visual sensorimotor system for dynamic masquerade.
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Lindtke D, Lucek K, Soria-Carrasco V, Villoutreix R, Farkas TE, Riesch R, Dennis SR, Gompert Z, Nosil P. Long-term balancing selection on chromosomal variants associated with crypsis in a stick insect. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:6189-6205. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Lindtke
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
| | - Kay Lucek
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
- Department of Environmental Sciences; University of Basel; Basel Switzerland
| | | | - Romain Villoutreix
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
| | - Timothy E. Farkas
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs CT USA
| | - Rüdiger Riesch
- School of Biological Sciences; Royal Holloway; University of London; Egham UK
| | - Stuart R. Dennis
- Department of Aquatic Ecology; Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Dübendorf Switzerland
| | - Zach Gompert
- Department of Biology; Utah State University; Logan UT USA
| | - Patrik Nosil
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
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Cuthill IC, Allen WL, Arbuckle K, Caspers B, Chaplin G, Hauber ME, Hill GE, Jablonski NG, Jiggins CD, Kelber A, Mappes J, Marshall J, Merrill R, Osorio D, Prum R, Roberts NW, Roulin A, Rowland HM, Sherratt TN, Skelhorn J, Speed MP, Stevens M, Stoddard MC, Stuart-Fox D, Talas L, Tibbetts E, Caro T. The biology of color. Science 2017; 357:357/6350/eaan0221. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aan0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 353] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Darmaillacq AS, Mezrai N, O'Brien CE, Dickel L. Visual Ecology and the Development of Visually Guided Behavior in the Cuttlefish. Front Physiol 2017; 8:402. [PMID: 28659822 PMCID: PMC5469150 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cuttlefish are highly visual animals, a fact reflected in the large size of their eyes and visual-processing centers of their brain. Adults detect their prey visually, navigate using visual cues such as landmarks or the e-vector of polarized light and display intense visual patterns during mating and agonistic encounters. Although much is known about the visual system in adult cuttlefish, few studies have investigated its development and that of visually-guided behavior in juveniles. This review summarizes the results of studies of visual development in embryos and young juveniles. The visual system is the last to develop, as in vertebrates, and is functional before hatching. Indeed, embryonic exposure to prey, shelters or complex background alters postembryonic behavior. Visual acuity and lateralization, and polarization sensitivity improve throughout the first months after hatching. The production of body patterning in juveniles is not the simple stimulus-response process commonly presented in the literature. Rather, it likely requires the complex integration of visual information, and is subject to inter-individual differences. Though the focus of this review is vision in cuttlefish, it is important to note that other senses, particularly sensitivity to vibration and to waterborne chemical signals, also play a role in behavior. Considering the multimodal sensory dimensions of natural stimuli and their integration and processing by individuals offer new exciting avenues of future inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Université de Caen-Université de Rennes 1, Normandie Université, Université de Caen Normandie, Team NECCCaen, France
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Uy FMK, Ravichandran S, Patel KS, Aresty J, Aresty PP, Audett RM, Chen K, Epple L, Jeffries SF, Serein GN, Tullis-Joyce P, Uy JAC. Active background choice facilitates crypsis in a tropical crab. Biotropica 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Floria M. K. Uy
- Department of Biology; University of Miami; Coral Gables FL 33146 USA
| | | | - Krisha S. Patel
- Department of Biology; University of Miami; Coral Gables FL 33146 USA
| | | | | | - Raymond M. Audett
- Department of Biology; University of Miami; Coral Gables FL 33146 USA
| | - Kelvin Chen
- Department of Biology; Amherst College; Amherst MA 01002 USA
| | - Lauren Epple
- Department of Biology; University of Miami; Coral Gables FL 33146 USA
| | | | - Gilbert N. Serein
- Department of Biology; University of Miami; Coral Gables FL 33146 USA
| | | | - J. Albert C. Uy
- Department of Biology; University of Miami; Coral Gables FL 33146 USA
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Josef N, Berenshtein I, Rousseau M, Scata G, Fiorito G, Shashar N. Size Matters: Observed and Modeled Camouflage Response of European Cuttlefish ( Sepia officinalis) to Different Substrate Patch Sizes during Movement. Front Physiol 2017; 7:671. [PMID: 28144221 PMCID: PMC5239790 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Camouflage is common throughout the phylogenetic tree and is largely used to minimize detection by predator or prey. Cephalopods, and in particular Sepia officinalis cuttlefish, are common models for camouflage studies. Predator avoidance behavior is particularly important in this group of soft-bodied animals that lack significant physical defenses. While previous studies have suggested that immobile cephalopods selectively camouflage to objects in their immediate surroundings, the camouflage characteristics of cuttlefish during movement are largely unknown. In a heterogenic environment, the visual background and substrate feature changes quickly as the animal swim across it, wherein substrate patch is a distinctive and high contrast patch of substrate in the animal's trajectory. In the current study, we examine the effect of substrate patch size on cuttlefish camouflage, and specifically the minimal size of an object for eliciting intensity matching response while moving. Our results indicated that substrate patch size has a positive effect on animal's reflectance change, and that the threshold patch size resulting in camouflage response falls between 10 and 19 cm (width). These observations suggest that the animal's length (7.2–12.3 cm mantle length in our case) serves as a possible threshold filter below which objects are considered irrelevant for camouflage, reducing the frequency of reflectance changes—which may lead to detection. Accordingly, we have constructed a computational model capturing the main features of the observed camouflaging behavior, provided for cephalopod camouflage during movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Josef
- Mote Marine Laboratory, Directorate of Marine Biology and ConservationSarasota, FL, USA; Institute for Human and Machine CognitionPensacola, FL, USA
| | - Igal Berenshtein
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer Sheva, Israel; H. Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory, Interuniversity Institute for Marine SciencesEilat, Israel
| | - Meghan Rousseau
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer Sheva, Israel; H. Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory, Interuniversity Institute for Marine SciencesEilat, Israel
| | - Gabriella Scata
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva, Israel
| | | | - Nadav Shashar
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva, Israel
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Abstract
Nokelainen and Stevens introduce strategies of concealment among animals and plants.
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