1
|
Markl G, Ottmann S, Haasis T, Budach D, Krais S, Köhler HR. Thermobiological effects of temperature-induced color variations in Aglais urticae (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8992. [PMID: 35784029 PMCID: PMC9188032 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Coloration of animals is important for camouflage, for social behavior, or for physiological fitness. This study investigates the color variation in adults of Aglais urticae obtained on subjecting some pre‐imaginal stages to different temperature conditions and their thermobiological consequences. To investigate the evolutionary–ecological interactions of temperature and pigmentation in butterflies, caterpillars, and pupae of the small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), larvae from Central Europe and Scandinavia were reared at temperatures between 7 and 34°C in the laboratory or in the field. After emergence, the intensity of pigmentation of the imagines and their increase in body temperature under defined full‐spectrum light irradiation were quantified by image analysis and thermal imaging. At constant conditions, ambient rearing temperature and pigmentation intensity of imagines were negatively and linearly correlated in Central European butterflies, regardless of whether the pupal stage alone or, additionally, the last period of the larval stage was exposed to these conditions: low temperatures induced darker coloration and high temperatures led to lighter individuals. A thermal pulse of a few days alone at the beginning of pupal dormancy led to a similar, albeit weakened, effect. Caterpillars of the Scandinavian subspecies A. urticae polaris, whose pupal dormancy took place under Central European field conditions, developed into strongly pigmented imagines. The thermobiological relevance of more intense pigmentation was shown by significantly higher absorption of light, and thus stronger increased body temperature after 5 min of defined illumination, but this difference ceased after 15 min. Our results show that phenotypic plasticity in wing coloration is adaptive since temperature‐induced developmental changes provide thermobiological benefit in adult butterflies. We propose that, in subpolar latitudes, darker coloration likely has a selection advantage favoring individuals with reaction norms gradually shifted to stronger pigmented phenotypes, possibly leading to the establishment of a pigmentation cline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Markl
- Department of Geosciences University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Shannon Ottmann
- Animal Physiological Ecology Group Institute of Evolution and Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Tobias Haasis
- Animal Physiological Ecology Group Institute of Evolution and Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Daniela Budach
- Department of Geosciences University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Stefanie Krais
- Animal Physiological Ecology Group Institute of Evolution and Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Heinz-R Köhler
- Animal Physiological Ecology Group Institute of Evolution and Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Binns GE, Hämäläinen L, Kemp DJ, Rowland HM, Umbers KDL, Herberstein ME. Additive genetic variation, but not temperature, influences warning signal expression in Amata nigriceps moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiinae). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9111. [PMID: 35866015 PMCID: PMC9288930 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many aposematic species show variation in their color patterns even though selection by predators is expected to stabilize warning signals toward a common phenotype. Warning signal variability can be explained by trade‐offs with other functions of coloration, such as thermoregulation, that may constrain warning signal expression by favoring darker individuals. Here, we investigated the effect of temperature on warning signal expression in aposematic Amata nigriceps moths that vary in their black and orange wing patterns. We sampled moths from two flight seasons that differed in the environmental temperatures and also reared different families under controlled conditions at three different temperatures. Against our prediction that lower developmental temperatures would reduce the warning signal size of the adult moths, we found no effect of temperature on warning signal expression in either wild or laboratory‐reared moths. Instead, we found sex‐ and population‐level differences in wing patterns. Our rearing experiment indicated that ~70% of the variability in the trait is genetic but understanding what signaling and non‐signaling functions of wing coloration maintain the genetic variation requires further work. Our results emphasize the importance of considering both genetic and plastic components of warning signal expression when studying intraspecific variation in aposematic species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgina E Binns
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| | - Liisa Hämäläinen
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| | - Darrell J Kemp
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Hans Knöll Straße 8,Jena Germany
| | - Kate D L Umbers
- School of Science Western Sydney University Penrith New South Wales Australia.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith New South Wales Australia
| | - Marie E Herberstein
- School of Natural Sciences, 14 Eastern Road Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Goldenberg J, Bisschop K, D'Alba L, Shawkey MD. The link between body size, colouration and thermoregulation and their integration into ecogeographical rules: a critical appraisal in light of climate change. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Goldenberg
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Dept of Biology, Ghent Univ. Ghent Belgium
| | - Karen Bisschop
- Inst. for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Univ. of Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Dept of Biology, KU Leuven KULAK Kortrijk Belgium
| | - Liliana D'Alba
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Dept of Biology, Ghent Univ. Ghent Belgium
| | - Matthew D. Shawkey
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures group, Dept of Biology, Ghent Univ. Ghent Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rogalla S, Nicolaï MPJ, Porchetta S, Glabeke G, Battistella C, D'Alba L, Gianneschi NC, van Beeck J, Shawkey MD. The evolution of darker wings in seabirds in relation to temperature-dependent flight efficiency. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210236. [PMID: 34229457 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Seabirds have evolved numerous adaptations that allow them to thrive under hostile conditions. Many seabirds share similar colour patterns, often with dark wings, suggesting that their coloration might be adaptive. Interestingly, these darker wings become hotter when birds fly under high solar irradiance, and previous studies on aerofoils have provided evidence that aerofoil surface heating can affect the ratio between lift and drag, i.e. flight efficiency. However, whether this effect benefits birds remains unknown. Here, we first used phylogenetic analyses to show that strictly oceanic seabirds with a higher glide performance (optimized by reduced sink rates, i.e. the altitude lost over time) have evolved darker wings, potentially as an additional adaptation to improve flight. Using wind tunnel experiments, we then showed that radiative heating of bird wings indeed improves their flight efficiency. These results illustrate that seabirds may have evolved wing pigmentation in part through selection for flight performance under extreme ocean conditions. We suggest that other bird clades, particularly long-distance migrants, might also benefit from this effect and therefore might show similar evolutionary trajectories. These findings may also serve as a guide for bioinspired innovations in aerospace and aviation, especially in low-speed regimes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svana Rogalla
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of Biology, University of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Michaël P J Nicolaï
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of Biology, University of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Recent Vertebrates, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sara Porchetta
- Department Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
| | - Gertjan Glabeke
- von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
| | - Claudia Battistella
- Departments of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA
| | - Liliana D'Alba
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of Biology, University of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nathan C Gianneschi
- Departments of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA
| | - Jeroen van Beeck
- von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
| | - Matthew D Shawkey
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of Biology, University of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|