1
|
Keren-Rotem T, Main DC, Barocas A, Donaire-Barroso D, Haddas-Sasson M, Vila C, Shaharabany T, Wolf L, Tolley KA, Geffen E. Genetic and behavioural factors affecting interpopulation colour pattern variation in two congeneric chameleon species. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231554. [PMID: 38234439 PMCID: PMC10792394 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
We conducted a study on interpopulation variation of colour patterns in two congeneric chameleon species, which have an analogous life history. Both species are able to rapidly change colour pattern, and their context-dependent colour patterns often vary across a wide geographical range. Specifically, we tested four hypotheses that can explain the observed interpopulation variation of colour patterns by a series of behavioural field trials where the colour patterns of individuals were recorded and later analysed by a deep neural network algorithm. We used redundancy analysis to relate genetic, spectral and behavioural predictors to interpopulation colour pattern distance. Our results showed that both isolation by distance (IBD) and alternative mating tactics were significant predictors for interpopulation colour pattern variation in Chamaeleo chamaeleon males. By contrast, in Chamaeleo dilepis, the interpopulation colour pattern variation was largely explained by IBD, and evidence for alternative mating tactics was absent. In both chameleon species, the environmental colours showed no evidence of influencing chameleon interpopulation colour pattern variation, regardless of sex or behavioural context. This contrasting finding suggests that interpopulation context-dependent colour pattern variations in each species are maintained under a different set of selective pressures or circumstances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tammy Keren-Rotem
- Ecology Department, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Devon C. Main
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Carles Vila
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Tal Shaharabany
- The Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lior Wolf
- School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Krystal A. Tolley
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Batabyal A, Zambre A, Mclaren T, Rankin KJ, Somaweera R, Stuart‐Fox D, Thaker M. The extent of rapid colour change in male agamid lizards is unrelated to overall sexual dichromatism. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10293. [PMID: 37435020 PMCID: PMC10329938 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Dynamic colour change is widespread in ectothermic animals, but has primarily been studied in the context of background matching. For most species, we lack quantitative data on the extent of colour change across different contexts. It is also unclear whether and how colour change varies across body regions, and how overall sexual dichromatism relates to the extent of individual colour change. In this study, we obtained reflectance measures in response to different stimuli for males and females of six species of agamid lizards (Agamidae, sister family to Chameleonidae) comprising three closely related species pairs. We computed the colour volume in a lizard-vision colour space occupied by males and females of each species and estimated overall sexual dichromatism based on the area of non-overlapping male and female colour volumes. As expected, males had larger colour volumes than females, but the extent of colour change in males differed between species and between body regions. Notably, species that were most sexually dichromatic were not necessarily those in which males showed the greatest individual colour change. Our results indicate that the extent of colour change is independent of the degree of sexual dichromatism and demonstrate that colour change on different body regions can vary substantially even between pairs of closely related species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physical and Natural SciencesFLAME UniversityPuneIndia
- Centre for Ecological SciencesIndian Institute of ScienceBengaluruIndia
| | - Amod Zambre
- Centre for Ecological SciencesIndian Institute of ScienceBengaluruIndia
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesotaUSA
| | - Tess Mclaren
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Katrina J. Rankin
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Ruchira Somaweera
- Stantec AustraliaPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Devi Stuart‐Fox
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Maria Thaker
- Centre for Ecological SciencesIndian Institute of ScienceBengaluruIndia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Miller CH, Hillock MF, Yang J, Carlson-Clarke B, Haxhillari K, Lee AY, Warden MR, Sheehan MJ. Dynamic changes to signal allocation rules in response to variable social environments in house mice. Commun Biol 2023; 6:297. [PMID: 36941412 PMCID: PMC10027867 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04672-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Urine marking is central to mouse social behavior. Males use depletable and costly urine marks in intrasexual competition and mate attraction. We investigate how males alter signaling decisions across variable social landscapes using thermal imaging to capture spatiotemporal marking data. Thermal recording reveals fine-scale adjustments in urinary motor patterns in response to competition and social odors. Males demonstrate striking winner-loser effects in scent mark allocation effort and timing. Competitive experience primes temporal features of marking and modulates responses to scent familiarity. Males adjust signaling effort, mark latency, and marking rhythm, depending on the scent identities in the environment. Notably, recent contest outcome affects how males respond to familiar and unfamiliar urine. Winners increase marking effort toward unfamiliar relative to familiar male scents, whereas losers reduce marking effort to unfamiliar but increase to familiar rival scents. All males adjust their scent mark timing after a contest regardless of fight outcome, and deposit marks in more rapid bursts during marking bouts. In contrast to this dynamism, initial signal investment predicts aspects of scent marking days later, revealing the possibility of alternative marking strategies among competitive males. These data show that mice flexibly update their signaling decisions in response to changing social landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin H Miller
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Matthew F Hillock
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jay Yang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Klaudio Haxhillari
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Annie Y Lee
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Melissa R Warden
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Miller CH, Haxhillari K, Hillock MF, Reichard TM, Sheehan MJ. Scent mark signal investment predicts fight dynamics in house mice. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222489. [PMID: 36787797 PMCID: PMC9928526 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2489] [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: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Signals mediate competitive interactions by allowing rival assessment, yet are often energetically expensive to produce. One of the key mechanisms maintaining signal reliability is social costs. While the social costs of over-signalling are well known, the social costs of under-signalling are underexplored, particularly for dynamic signals. In this study, we investigate a dynamic and olfactory-mediated signalling system that is ubiquitous among mammals: scent marking. Male house mice territorially scent mark their environment with metabolically costly urine marks. Competitive male mice are thought to deposit abundant scent marks in the environment. However, we recently identified a cohort of low-marking males that win fights. We hypothesized that there may be social costs imposed on individuals who under-invest in signalling. Here we find that scent mark investment predicts fight dynamics. Winning males that produce fewer scent marks prior to a fight engage in more intense fights that take longer to resolve. This effect appears to be driven by an unwillingness among losers to acquiesce to weakly signalling winners. We, therefore, find evidence for rival assessment of scent marks as well as social costs to under-signalling. This supports existing hypotheses for the importance of social punishment in maintaining optimal signalling equilibria. Our results further highlight the possibility of diverse signalling strategies in house mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin H. Miller
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Klaudio Haxhillari
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Matthew F. Hillock
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tess M. Reichard
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
The Cocksure Conundrum: How Evolution Created a Gendered Currency of Corporate Overconfidence. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-022-00197-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractBiological differences between men and women mandate that women’s obligatory investment in reproduction is significantly greater than that of men. As a result, women have evolved to be the “choosier” of the two sexes and men have evolved to compete for female choice. To the degree that overconfidence is an effective tool for attracting mates and driving away competitors, greater competition among men suggests that they should express more overconfidence than women. Thus, sexual selection may be the primary reason why overconfidence is typically more pronounced in men than it is in women. Sexual selection may also be a distal, causal factor in what we describe as a cult of overconfidence pervading modern organizations and institutions. Whereas overconfidence was once regulated and constrained by features of ancestral life, levels of social mobility and accountability in contemporary society and modern organizations make it increasingly difficult to keep this gendered bias in check.
Collapse
|
6
|
Alfakih A, Watt PJ, Nadeau NJ. The physiological cost of colour change: evidence, implications and mitigations. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275479. [PMID: 35593398 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.210401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals benefit from phenotypic plasticity in changing environments, but this can come at a cost. Colour change, used for camouflage, communication, thermoregulation and UV protection, represents one of the most common plastic traits in nature and is categorised as morphological or physiological depending on the mechanism and speed of the change. Colour change has been assumed to carry physiological costs, but current knowledge has not advanced beyond this basic assumption. The costs of changing colour will shape the evolution of colour change in animals, yet no coherent research has been conducted in this area, leaving a gap in our understanding. Therefore, in this Review, we examine the direct and indirect evidence of the physiological cost of colour change from the cellular to the population level, in animals that utilise chromatophores in colour change. Our Review concludes that the physiological costs result from either one or a combination of the processes of (i) production, (ii) translocation and (iii) maintenance of pigments within the colour-containing cells (chromatophores). In addition, both types of colour change (morphological and physiological) pose costs as they require energy for hormone production and neural signalling. Moreover, our Review upholds the hypothesis that, if repetitively used, rapid colour change (i.e. seconds-minutes) is more costly than slow colour change (days-weeks) given that rapidly colour-changing animals show mitigations, such as avoiding colour change when possible. We discuss the potential implications of this cost on colour change, behaviour and evolution of colour-changing animals, generating testable hypotheses and emphasising the need for future work to address this gap.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ateah Alfakih
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Albaha University, Almakhwah 65553, Saudi Arabia.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Penelope J Watt
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Nicola J Nadeau
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Do male panther chameleons use different aspects of color change to settle disputes? Naturwissenschaften 2022; 109:13. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01784-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
8
|
Caro SP, Pierre L, Bergès M, Bakker R, Doutrelant C, Bonadonna F. Mutual mate preferences and assortative mating in relation to a carotenoid-based color trait in blue tits. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Choosing an appropriate sexual partner is a critical decision for many animal species. However, many mechanisms involved in mate choice are still poorly understood. Do both males and females choose their sexual partners, do both sexes use the same criteria for choosing, and do their own phenotype influence the choices they make, are questions that need further investigation. Over two successive experiments conducted in captivity with hand-reared blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), we manipulated the color of the chest plumage, a secondary sexual trait that reflects an individual’s condition, to create two different color morphs (one pale and one colored). We then tested whether both sexes express a preference, whether they are attracted to the same morphs, and if the subjects’ own chest color influences the preference they show. Our data reveal that both sexes are choosy, with females tending to be slightly choosier than males. We also show that both sexes preferentially select individuals with a pale chest plumage over colorful individuals, and this was again more pronounced in females. Finally, paler individuals tend to be selected by birds that are themselves pale, even if this phenotype matching was not very robust. Such a preference for paler individuals is intriguing because mates are predicted to associate with individuals displaying higher, not lower, value of quality signals. It could result from adaptive mechanisms related to avoidance of aggressiveness in a confined environment, avoidance of conflicting sexual signals within individuals, or from cultural mechanisms leading to a preference for individuals that match its own phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Caro
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Léo Pierre
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Matthieu Bergès
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Raldi Bakker
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Science, Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research (WUR), De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Francesco Bonadonna
- Department of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 1919 route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kawamoto A, Le Galliard JF, Badiane A. The role of social costs as a mechanism enforcing the honesty of ultraviolet-reflecting signals in a lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
According to animal signalling theory, social costs incurred by aggressive conspecifics are one mechanism maintaining signal honesty. Although our understanding of signal evolution has much improved for pigment-based colours, the mechanisms maintaining the honesty of structural colour signals, such as ultraviolet (UV), remain elusive. Here, we used the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) to test whether the honesty of UV-reflecting signals displayed on male throats is under social control. To do so, we staged agonistic interactions between non-manipulated focal males and opponents of either larger or smaller body size. We manipulated the UV component of the male throat colour patch to create small cheaters with UV-enhanced throats, large cheaters with UV-reduced throats, and their respective controls. In support of a conventional signal hypothesis, focal males were aggressive towards large cheaters and became submissive when these large cheaters retaliated, and were less submissive against small cheaters. However, that focal males were not more aggressive towards small cheaters contradicts our initial predictions. We confirm that male UV reflectance and bite force were good predictors of contest outcomes in control conditions. Overall, we provide partial evidence suggesting that social costs enforce UV signal honesty in common lizards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kawamoto
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
- Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Département de biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, UMS 3194, 11 Chemin de Busseau, 77140 Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Arnaud Badiane
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
John L, Rick IP, Vitt S, Thünken T. Body coloration as a dynamic signal during intrasexual communication in a cichlid fish. BMC ZOOL 2021; 6:9. [PMID: 37170176 PMCID: PMC10127425 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-021-00075-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Intrasexual competition over access to resources can lead to aggression between individuals. Because overt aggression, i.e. fights, can be costly for contestants, the communication of aggressive motivation prior to engagement in a physical fight is often mediated by conventional signals. Animals of various taxa, including fishes, display visual signals such as body coloration that can dynamically be adjusted depending on the individual’s motivation. Male individuals of the West African cichlid Pelvicachromis taeniatus express a yellow body coloration displayed during courtship but also in an intrasexual competition context.
Results
Within-individual variation in male yellow body coloration, as quantified with standardized digital photography and representation in a CIELab color space, was examined in a mating context by exposing males to a female and in a competitive intrasexual context, i.e. in a dyadic contest. Additionally, spectrometric reflectance measurements were taken to obtain color representations in a physiological color space based on spectral sensitivities of our model species. Exposure to females did not significantly affect male color expression. However, analysis of body coloration revealed a change in within-individual color intensity and colored area after interaction with a male competitor. In dominant males, extension of coloration was positively correlated with restrained aggression, i.e. displays, which in turn explained dominance established between the two contestants.
Conclusion
Body coloration in male P. taeniatus is a dynamic signal that is used in concert with display behavior in communication during intrasexual competition.
Collapse
|
11
|
Physiological costs and age constraints of a sexual ornament: an experimental study in a wild bird. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Sexual ornaments are often considered honest signals of quality because potential costs or constraints prevent their display by low-quality individuals. Testing for potential physiological costs of ornaments is difficult, as this requires experimentally forcing individuals to produce and display elaborate ornaments. We use this approach to test whether a sexually selected trait is physiologically costly to male superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus). Male fairy-wrens molt from brown to blue breeding plumage at different times of the year, and females strongly prefer the few males that are blue early, during winter. We used short-acting testosterone implants to stimulate males to produce “early-blue” plumage and assessed costs during and after molt using a panel of physiological indices. Testosterone-implanted, T-males molted in winter and produced blue plumage 6 weeks before control-implanted, C-males. T-males molted while in lower body condition, tended to have lower fat reserves, and were more likely to be parasitized by lice. However, we detected no negative effects on immune function, blood parasites, exposure to stressors, or survival. Juvenile males never naturally display early-blue plumage, but we found no evidence for increased costs paid by juvenile T-males. Instead, juvenile T-males molted later than adult T-males, suggesting that age presents an absolute constraint on ornament exaggeration that cannot be fully overcome by testosterone treatment. Together, these small costs and large, age-related constraints may enforce signal honesty, and explain female preference for early-blue males.
Collapse
|
12
|
Dollion AY, Herrel A, Marquis O, Leroux-Coyau M, Meylan S. The colour of success: does female mate choice rely on male colour change in the chameleon Furcifer pardalis? J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb224550. [PMID: 32843362 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.224550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Colour change is involved in various functions ranging from thermo- and hydroregulation to camouflage and communication. The role of colour change in communication has received increased attention over the past few decades, yet has been studied predominantly in the context of intrasexual competition. Here, we investigate the role of colour change in mate choice in an animal that can change its colour, the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). We conducted behavioural experiments and colour analysis to investigate whether colour changes, including in the UV range, are involved in mate choice. This study presents evidence of female mate choice for specific aspects of colour change in courting males, both in the visible (i.e. human visible range: 400-700 nm) and the UV range. Females chose males exhibiting more saturation changes regardless of the body region and spectral range. In addition, females chose males showing fewer brightness changes at the level of the lateral line and males showing lower hue changes at the level of the bands and the interbands, in the visible range. At UV wavelengths, selected males showed more brightness changes and higher maximum brightness. These results suggest that male colour change is important in female mate choice in the panther chameleon.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Y Dollion
- Université de Paris, 75006 Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement-Paris, iEES-Paris, 75252 Paris, France
- Département Adaptations du vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptations du vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Olivier Marquis
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Parc Zoologique de Paris, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Leroux-Coyau
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement-Paris, iEES-Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement-Paris, iEES-Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
|
14
|
Self-deception in nonhuman animals: weak crayfish escalated aggression as if they were strong. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Humans routinely deceive themselves when communicating to others, but no one knows whether other animals do the same. We ask whether dishonest signaling between crayfish meets a condition required for self-deception: dishonest individuals and honest individuals escalate aggression according to their signals of strength rather than actual strength. Using game theory, we predicted how an animal’s knowledge of its strength should affect its decision to escalate aggression. At the evolutionary equilibrium, an animal that knows its strength should escalate aggression according to its strength, relative to the expected strength of its opponent. By contrast, an animal that knows only its size should escalate aggression according to its size, relative to the size of its opponent. We tested these predictions by staging encounters between male crayfish (Cherax dispar) of known sizes and strengths. Consistent with a model of self-deception, crayfish escalated aggression based on the sizes of their claws relative to those of their opponents, despite the fact that size poorly predicts strength. Males who were weak for their size escalated disputes less often, but their aggression far exceeded the level predicted by a model of self-awareness, suggesting these crayfish were largely ignorant of their deception. Animals that fail to recognize their own dishonest signals may win disputes with stronger opponents without engaging in costly combat. Our game-theoretical approach can be used to identify potential cases of self-deception in nonhuman animals, enabling comparative studies of this behavior.
Collapse
|
15
|
The relative importance of body size and UV coloration in influencing male-male competition in a lacertid lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2710-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
16
|
Culbert BM, Balshine S. Visual threat signals influence social interactions in a cooperatively breeding fish. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
|
17
|
Leitão AV, Hall ML, Delhey K, Mulder RA. Female and male plumage colour signals aggression in a dichromatic tropical songbird. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
|
18
|
Franklin AM, Donatelli CM, Culligan CR, Tytell ED. Meral-Spot Reflectance Signals Weapon Performance in the Mantis Shrimp Neogonodactylus oerstedii (Stomatopoda). THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2019; 236:43-54. [PMID: 30707606 DOI: 10.1086/700836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
During animal contests over resources, opponents often signal their fighting ability in an attempt to avoid escalating to physical attack. A reliable signal is beneficial to receivers because it allows them to avoid injuries from engaging in contests they are unlikely to win. However, a signaler could benefit from deceiving an opponent by signaling greater fighting ability or greater aggressive intent than the signaler possesses. Therefore, the reliability of agonistic signals has long intrigued researchers. We investigated whether a colored patch, the meral spot, signals weapon performance in the stomatopod Neogonodactylus oerstedii. During fights over possession of refuges, stomatopods can injure or even kill opponents with their ultrafast strike. We found that darker meral spots correlate with higher strike impulse, which reflects the total force integrated over time. Furthermore, we demonstrate that stomatopods that strike more often with both appendages have darker meral spots and that the first hit in a two-appendage strike has a greater mean strike impulse than that of a single-appendage strike. This indicates that stomatopods with darker meral spots tend to invest more energy in each strike. Our results provide evidence that stomatopods use total reflectance as an honest signal of weapon performance or aggressive intent. This improves our understanding of the evolution of agonistic signals.
Collapse
|
19
|
Weissman YA, Demartsev V, Ilany A, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Shnitzer I, Geffen E, Koren L. Acoustic stability in hyrax snorts: vocal tightrope-walkers or wrathful verbal assailants? Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yishai A Weissman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Vlad Demartsev
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA, USA
- Department of Zoology, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Einat Bar-Ziv
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
| | - Inbar Shnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Chaine AS, Shizuka D, Block TA, Zhang L, Lyon BE. Manipulating badges of status only fools strangers. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1477-1485. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321); Evolutionary Ecology Group; 2 route du, CNRS 09200 Moulis France
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse; Toulouse School of Economics; 21 allée de Brienne 31015 Toulouse France
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; NE 68588 USA
| | - Theadora A. Block
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Lynn Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Bruce E. Lyon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Ligon RA, McGraw KJ. A chorus of color: hierarchical and graded information content of rapid color change signals in chameleons. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Russell A Ligon
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Morales J, Velando A. Coloration of chicks modulates costly interactions among family members. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Morales
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Velando
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Campus As Lagoas – Marcosende, Vigo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Stritih N, Žunič Kosi A. Olfactory signaling of aggressive intent in male-male contests of cave crickets (Troglophilus neglectus; Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187512. [PMID: 29112984 PMCID: PMC5675388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal contests, communicating aggressive motivation is most often mediated by visual or acoustic signals, while chemical signals are not expected to serve such a function since they are less able to be modulated by the sender during the changing behavioral context. We describe a rare example of ephemeral olfactory signals in terrestrial animals, signals that are emitted via protrusive scent glands in male cave crickets Troglophilus neglectus (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) to reflect the state of the signaler's aggression. We correlate the intensity of behaviorally expressed aggression of the individuals in dyadic contests with the frequency and extent of their gland tissue protrusion, the latter serving as an indication of the amount of released odor. We detected large amounts of odor release during brief gland protrusions, and the absence of its release during gland retraction. Males protruded the glands during and after encountering a rival, with the degree of protrusion increasing with the intensity of the signalers' aggression. During the encounters, the degree of gland protrusion increased most strongly with the occurrence of the elevated body posture, directly preceding the attack. This degree was significantly higher in encounter winners than in losers displaying such posture, suggesting the highly important role of the released odor for contest resolution. After the encounters, glands were protruded almost exclusively by winners, apparently announcing victory. We tested for the function of the olfactory signals also directly, by preventing gland tissue protrusion in symmetric and asymmetric treatments of the contestants. Treating only the dominant individuals decreased the percentage of encounters they won by over 60%, while treating both contestants elicited a significant increase in the frequency and duration of fights. During contests, the olfactory signals of T. neglectus apparently function as a highly effective threat, which prevents maximal contest escalation and decreases the conflict-related costs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Stritih
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
| | - Alenka Žunič Kosi
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| |
Collapse
|