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Noble D, Joyner M. The physiology of evolution. J Physiol 2024; 602:2361-2365. [PMID: 38801185 DOI: 10.1113/jp284432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Denis Noble
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael Joyner
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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2
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Schnell AK, Farndale Wright NR, Clayton NS. The Inner Lives of Cephalopods. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1298-1306. [PMID: 37757469 PMCID: PMC10755188 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The minds of cephalopods have captivated scientists for millennia, yet the extent that we can understand their subjective experiences remains contested. In this article, we consider the sum of our scientific progress towards understanding the inner lives of cephalopods. Here, we outline the behavioral responses to specific experimental paradigms that are helping us to reveal their subjective experiences. We consider evidence from three broad research categories, which help to illuminate whether soft-bodied cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, and squid) have an awareness of self, awareness of others, and an awareness of time. Where there are current gaps in the literature, we outline cephalopod behaviors that warrant experimental investigation. We argue that investigations, especially framed through the lens of comparative psychology, have the potential to extend our understanding of the inner lives of this extraordinary class of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nicola S Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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3
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Goiran C, Shine T, Shine R. The banded colour patterns of sea snakes discourage attack by predatory fishes, enabling Batesian mimicry by harmless species. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221759. [PMID: 36382516 PMCID: PMC9667369 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolution of bright 'warning' colours in nontoxic animals often is attributed to mimicry of toxic species, but empirical tests of that hypothesis must overcome the logistical challenge of quantifying differential rates of predation in nature. Populations of a harmless sea snake species (Emydocephalus annulatus) in New Caledonia exhibit colour polymorphism, with around 20% of individuals banded rather than melanic. Stability in that proportion over 20 years has been attributed to Batesian mimicry of deadly snake species by banded morphs of the harmless taxon. This hypothesis requires that banded colours reduce a snake's vulnerability to predation. We tested that idea by pulling flexible snake-shaped models through the water and recording responses by predatory fish. Black and banded lures attracted similar numbers of following fish, but attacks were directed almost exclusively to black lures. Our methods overcome several ambiguities associated with experimental studies on mimicry in terrestrial snakes and support the hypothesis that banded colour patterns reduce a non-venomous marine snake's vulnerability to predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Goiran
- LabEx Corail & ISEA, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, 98851 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia
| | - Terri Shine
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Richard Shine
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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4
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The Colours of Octopus: Using Spectral Data to Measure Octopus Camouflage. Vision (Basel) 2022; 6:vision6040059. [PMID: 36278671 PMCID: PMC9590006 DOI: 10.3390/vision6040059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
No animal can so effectively camouflage in such a wide range of environments as the octopus. Thanks to their highly malleable skin, they are capable of adapting their body patterns to the brightness and texture of their immediate environment, and they often seemingly match the colour of background objects. However, octopuses are colour-blind as their eyes have only one type of visual pigment. Therefore, chromatophores in their skin are likely to respond to changes in brightness, not chromaticity. To determine whether octopuses actually match background colours, we used a SpectraScan® PR-655 spectroradiometer to measure the reflectance spectra of Octopus tetricus skin in captivity. The spectra were compared with those of green algae, brown algae, and sponges—all of these being colourful objects commonly found in the octopus’s natural environment. Even though we show that octopuses change both lightness and chromaticity, allowing them to potentially camouflage in a wide range of backgrounds in an effective manner, the overall octopus colours did not reach the same level of saturation compared to some background objects. Spectra were then modelled under the visual systems of four potential octopus predators: one dichromatic fish (Heller’s barracuda), two trichromatic fish (blue-spotted stingray and two-spotted red snapper), and one tetrachromatic bird (wedge-tailed shearwater). We show that octopuses are able to match certain background colours for some visual systems. How a colour-blind animal is capable of colour-matching is still unknown.
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Selective alarm call mimicry in the sexual display of the male superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae). Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10200-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDespite much research on mimicry, little is known about the ecology of dynamic mimetic signals involving mimicry of multiple species. Some of the most conspicuous examples of phenotypically plastic mimicry are produced by oscine passerines, where vocal production learning enables some species to mimic multiple models and flexibly adjust what they mimic and when. While singing from a perch, male superb lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) accurately imitate multiple songs and calls of over 20 species of bird. However, at key moments within their multimodal displays performed on display arenas on the forest floor, males mimic a small number of mobbing-alarm calls creating the acoustic illusion of a mixed-species mobbing flock (‘D-song’). Using observations from camera footage and a field-based playback experiment, we tested six hypotheses for alarm call model selection within D-song. Mimicked species were remarkably invariant, with 79% of D-song made up of imitations of just three different bird species. Males did not mimic the most common species in their general environment, but neither did they mimic rare species. Instead, males imitated the mobbing-alarm calls of heterospecific birds that foraged on or near the forest floor. Indeed, males primarily mimicked the alarm calls of heterospecific species that foraged alongside lyrebirds and were likely to appear together in experimentally-induced, terrestrial mobbing flocks. These findings support the hypothesis that males mimic a cue of a terrestrial predatory threat to lyrebirds, most likely to exploit the antipredator behaviour of female lyrebirds. Our study illustrates the importance of investigating the drivers of model selection in dynamic multi-model mimicry.
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Abstract
Temporality is one of the criteria that Birch has advanced for areas of cognitive ability that may underlie animal sentience. An ability to integrate and use information across time must be more than simply learning pieces of information and retrieving them. This paper looks at such wider use of information by octopuses across time. It evaluates accumulation of information about one’s place in space, as used across immediate egocentric localization by cuttlefish and medium distance navigation in octopuses. Information about useful items in the environment can be incorporated for future use by octopuses, including for shelter in antipredator situations. Finding prey is not random but can be predicted by environmental cues, especially by cuttlefish about future contingencies. Finally, the paper examines unlimited associative learning and constraints on learning, and the ability of cephalopods to explore and seek out information, even by play, for future use.
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7
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Shine R, Brown GP, Goiran C. Frequency-dependent Batesian mimicry maintains colour polymorphism in a sea snake population. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4680. [PMID: 35304528 PMCID: PMC8933499 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08639-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary theory suggests that polymorphic traits can be maintained within a single population only under specific conditions, such as negative frequency-dependent selection or heterozygote advantage. Non-venomous turtle-headed sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) living in shallow bays near Noumea in New Caledonia exhibit three colour morphs: black, black-and-white banded, and an intermediate (grey-banded) morph that darkens with age. We recorded morph frequencies during 18 consecutive years of surveys, and found that the numbers of recruits (neonates plus immigrants) belonging to each morph increased in years when that morph was unusually rare in the population, and decreased when that morph was unusually common. Thus, morph frequencies are maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. We interpret the situation as Batesian mimicry of highly venomous sea snakes (Aipysurus, Hydrophis, Laticauda) that occur in the same bays, and range in colour from black-and-white banded to grey-banded. Consistent with the idea that mimicry may protect snakes from attack by large fish and sea eagles, behavioural studies have shown that smaller fish species in these bays flee from banded snakes but attack black individuals. As predicted by theory, mimetic (banded) morphs are less common than the cryptically-coloured melanic morph.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Shine
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia. .,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
| | - Gregory P Brown
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Claire Goiran
- LabEx Corail & ISEA, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, 98851, Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia
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8
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Carls-Diamante S. Where Is It Like to Be an Octopus? Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:840022. [PMID: 35401127 PMCID: PMC8988249 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.840022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The cognitive capacities and behavioural repertoire of octopuses have led to speculation that these animals may possess consciousness. However, the nervous system of octopuses is radically different from those typically associated with conscious experience: rather than being centralised and profoundly integrated, the octopus nervous system is distributed into components with considerable functional autonomy from each other. Of particular note is the arm nervous system: when severed, octopus arms still exhibit behaviours that are nearly identical to those exhibited when the animal is intact. Given these factors, there is reason to speculate that if octopuses do possess consciousness, it may be of a form highly dissimilar to familiar models. In particular, it may be that the octopus arm is capable of supporting an idiosyncratic field of consciousness. As such, in addition to the likelihood that there is something it is like to be an octopus, there may also be something it is like to be an octopus arm. This manuscript explores this possibility.
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Barman D, Roy J, Alam S. Modelling hiding behaviour in a predator-prey system by both integer order and fractional order derivatives. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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10
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Sajikumar KK, Jeyabaskaran R, Binesh CP, Mohamed KS. First Record of the Mimic Octopus Thaumoctopus mimicus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from the Arabian Sea: Range Extension and Genotyping. MALACOLOGIA 2020. [DOI: 10.4002/040.063.0111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kurichithara K. Sajikumar
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Post Box No. 1603, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi-682 018, Kerala, India
| | - Rajapandiyan Jeyabaskaran
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Post Box No. 1603, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi-682 018, Kerala, India
| | - Chemmancherry P. Binesh
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Post Box No. 1603, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi-682 018, Kerala, India
| | - Kolliyil S. Mohamed
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Post Box No. 1603, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi-682 018, Kerala, India
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11
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Schnell AK, Amodio P, Boeckle M, Clayton NS. How intelligent is a cephalopod? Lessons from comparative cognition. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:162-178. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Piero Amodio
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Naples Italy
| | - Markus Boeckle
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Department of Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Science Krems an der Donau Austria
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12
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Kikuchi DW, Waldron SJ, Valkonen JK, Dobler S, Mappes J. Biased predation could promote convergence yet maintain diversity within Müllerian mimicry rings of Oreina leaf beetles. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:887-898. [PMID: 32202678 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Müllerian mimicry is a classic example of adaptation, yet Müller's original theory does not account for the diversity often observed in mimicry rings. Here, we aimed to assess how well classical Müllerian mimicry can account for the colour polymorphism found in chemically defended Oreina leaf beetles by using field data and laboratory assays of predator behaviour. We also evaluated the hypothesis that thermoregulation can explain diversity between Oreina mimicry rings. We found that frequencies of each colour morph were positively correlated among species, a critical prediction of Müllerian mimicry. Predators learned to associate colour with chemical defences. Learned avoidance of the green morph of one species protected green morphs of another species. Avoidance of blue morphs was completely generalized to green morphs, but surprisingly, avoidance of green morphs was less generalized to blue morphs. This asymmetrical generalization should favour green morphs: indeed, green morphs persist in blue communities, whereas blue morphs are entirely excluded from green communities. We did not find a correlation between elevation and coloration, rejecting thermoregulation as an explanation for diversity between mimicry rings. Biased predation could explain within-community diversity in warning coloration, providing a solution to a long-standing puzzle. We propose testable hypotheses for why asymmetric generalization occurs, and how predators maintain the predominance of blue morphs in a community, despite asymmetric generalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Kikuchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Samuel J Waldron
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Susanne Dobler
- Molecular Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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13
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Hissing like a snake: bird hisses are similar to snake hisses and prompt similar anxiety behavior in a mammalian model. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2778-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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14
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Carls-Diamante S. Out on a limb? On multiple cognitive systems within the octopus nervous system. PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09515089.2019.1585797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sidney Carls-Diamante
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria
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15
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Scaccabarozzi D, Cozzolino S, Guzzetti L, Galimberti A, Milne L, Dixon KW, Phillips RD. Masquerading as pea plants: behavioural and morphological evidence for mimicry of multiple models in an Australian orchid. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 122:1061-1073. [PMID: 30184161 PMCID: PMC6266105 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Background and Aims While there is increasing recognition of Batesian floral mimicry in plants, there are few confirmed cases where mimicry involves more than one model species. Here, we test for pollination by mimicry in Diuris (Orchidaceae), a genus hypothesized to attract pollinators via mimicry of a range of co-occurring pea plants (Faboideae). Methods Observations of pollinator behaviour were made for Diuris brumalis using arrays of orchid flowers. An analysis of floral traits in the co-flowering community and spectral reflectance measurements were undertaken to test if Di. brumalis and the pea plants showed strong similarity and were likely to be perceived as the same by bees. Pollen removal and fruit-set were recorded at 18 sites over two years to test if fitness of Di. brumalis increased with the abundance of the model species. Key Results Diuris brumalis shares the pollinator species Trichococolletes capillosus and T. leucogenys (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) with co-flowering Faboideae from the genus Daviesia. On Di. brumalis, Trichocolletes exhibited the same stereotyped food-foraging and mate-patrolling behaviour that they exhibit on Daviesia. Diuris and pea plants showed strong morphological similarity compared to the co-flowering plant community, while the spectral reflectance of Diuris was similar to that of Daviesia spp. Fruit-set and pollen removal of Di. brumalis was highest at sites with a greater number of Daviesia flowers. Conclusions Diuris brumalis is pollinated by mimicry of co-occurring congeneric Faboideae species. Evidence for mimicry of multiple models, all of which share pollinator species, suggests that this may represent a guild mimicry system. Interestingly, Di. brumalis belongs to a complex of species with similar floral traits, suggesting that this represents a useful system for investigating speciation in lineages that employ mimicry of food plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Scaccabarozzi
- Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario MSA, Naples, Italy
- Kings Park and Botanic Garden, The Botanic Garden and Parks Authority, West Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Salvatore Cozzolino
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario MSA, Naples, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Guzzetti
- Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, ZooPlantLab, Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Piazza della Scienza, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Galimberti
- Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, ZooPlantLab, Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Piazza della Scienza, Milano, Italy
| | - Lynne Milne
- School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Kingsley W Dixon
- Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Ryan D Phillips
- Kings Park and Botanic Garden, The Botanic Garden and Parks Authority, West Perth, WA, Australia
- Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Vic., Australia
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16
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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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17
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Merchant M, Hale A, Brueggen J, Harbsmeier C, Adams C. Crocodiles Alter Skin Color in Response to Environmental Color Conditions. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6174. [PMID: 29670146 PMCID: PMC5906620 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24579-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many species alter skin color to varying degrees and by different mechanisms. Here, we show that some crocodylians modify skin coloration in response to changing light and environmental conditions. Within the Family, Crocodylidae, all members of the genus Crocodylus lightened substantially when transitioned from dark enclosure to white enclosures, whereas Mecistops and Osteolaemus showed little/no change. The two members of the Family Gavialidae showed an opposite response, lightening under darker conditions, while all member of the Family Alligatoridae showed no changes. Observed color changes were rapid and reversible, occurring within 60–90 minutes. The response is visually-mediated and modulated by serum α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), resulting in redistribution of melanosomes within melanophores. Injection of crocodiles with α-MSH caused the skin to lighten. These results represent a novel description of color change in crocodylians, and have important phylogenetic implications. The data support the inclusion of the Malayan gharial in the Family Gavialidae, and the shift of the African slender-snouted crocodile from the genus Crocodylus to the monophyletic genus Mecistops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Merchant
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA.
| | - Amber Hale
- Department of Biology, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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18
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Bury S, Cichoń M. Resemblance of a model species and its mimic: Reply to Valkonen and Mappes 2014. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2018; 32:484-486. [PMID: 29377332 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 02/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stanisław Bury
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Mariusz Cichoń
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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19
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Di Cosmo A, Maselli V, Polese G. Octopus vulgaris: An Alternative in Evolution. Results Probl Cell Differ 2018; 65:585-598. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-92486-1_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
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20
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How MJ, Norman MD, Finn J, Chung WS, Marshall NJ. Dynamic Skin Patterns in Cephalopods. Front Physiol 2017; 8:393. [PMID: 28674500 PMCID: PMC5474490 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cephalopods are unrivaled in the natural world in their ability to alter their visual appearance. These mollusks have evolved a complex system of dermal units under neural, hormonal, and muscular control to produce an astonishing variety of body patterns. With parallels to the pixels on a television screen, cephalopod chromatophores can be coordinated to produce dramatic, dynamic, and rhythmic displays, defined collectively here as “dynamic patterns.” This study examines the nature, context, and potential functions of dynamic patterns across diverse cephalopod taxa. Examples are presented for 21 species, including 11 previously unreported in the scientific literature. These range from simple flashing or flickering patterns, to highly complex passing wave patterns involving multiple skin fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J How
- Ecology of Vision Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristol, United Kingdom
| | - Mark D Norman
- Marine Sciences, Museum VictoriaMelbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Julian Finn
- Marine Sciences, Museum VictoriaMelbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Wen-Sung Chung
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - N Justin Marshall
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
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21
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Cheney KL, Cortesi F, Nilsson Sköld H. Regulation, constraints and benefits of colour plasticity in a mimicry system. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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22
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Okamoto K, Yasumuro H, Mori A, Ikeda Y. Unique arm-flapping behavior of the pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis: putative mimicry of a hermit crab. J ETHOL 2017; 35:307-311. [PMID: 29225406 PMCID: PMC5711991 DOI: 10.1007/s10164-017-0519-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cephalopods are able to control their arms sophisticatedly and use them for various behaviors, such as camouflage, startling predators and hunting prey. Here, we report a previously undescribed arm-flapping behavior of the pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis, observed in captivity. S. pharaonis raised the first pair of arms and wrinkled the parts near the distal end, where the skin color was darkened. Additionally, S. pharaonis spread the second and third pairs of arms and bent them as if they were jointed, and flapped the distal ends. S. pharaonis showed this behavior in two different situations: after being introduced into a large space, and during hunting. We discuss the putative functions of this behavior, including possible mimicry of a hermit crab, considering the situations in which the behavior was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Okamoto
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan.,Present Address: Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213 Japan
| | - Haruhiko Yasumuro
- Division of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213 Japan
| | - Akira Mori
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan
| | - Yuzuru Ikeda
- Present Address: Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213 Japan
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23
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Wang MY, Vasas V, Chittka L, Yen SH. Sheep in wolf's clothing: multicomponent traits enhance the success of mimicry in spider-mimicking moths. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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24
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Guo H, Cheng J, Wang J, Huang P, Liu Y, Jia Z, Chen X, Sui K, Li T, Nie Z. Reprogrammable ultra-fast shape-transformation of macroporous composite hydrogel sheets. J Mater Chem B 2017; 5:2883-2887. [PMID: 29046805 PMCID: PMC5642302 DOI: 10.1039/c6tb02198k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In this communication, we report a composite macroporous hydrogel sheet that can rapidly transform into multiple 3D shapes in response to near-infrared (NIR) light on demand. The transformation relies on the photo-thermal-induced asymmetric shrinking of the hydrogel material, which is further verified by finite element modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Guo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Jian Cheng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Jianying Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Peng Huang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Yijing Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine (LOMIN), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health, USA
| | - Zheng Jia
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Xiaoyuan Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine (LOMIN), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health, USA
| | - Kunyan Sui
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory Cultivating Base for New Fiber Materials and Modern Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Teng Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Zhihong Nie
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
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25
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Bertapelle C, Polese G, Di Cosmo A. Enriched Environment Increases PCNA and PARP1 Levels in Octopus vulgaris Central Nervous System: First Evidence of Adult Neurogenesis in Lophotrochozoa. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2017; 328:347-359. [PMID: 28251828 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Organisms showing a complex and centralized nervous system, such as teleosts, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and among invertebrates, crustaceans and insects, can adjust their behavior according to the environmental challenges. Proliferation, differentiation, migration, and axonal and dendritic development of newborn neurons take place in brain areas where structural plasticity, involved in learning, memory, and sensory stimuli integration, occurs. Octopus vulgaris has a complex and centralized nervous system, located between the eyes, with a hierarchical organization. It is considered the most "intelligent" invertebrate for its advanced cognitive capabilities, as learning and memory, and its sophisticated behaviors. The experimental data obtained by immunohistochemistry and western blot assay using proliferating cell nuclear antigen and poli (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 as marker of cell proliferation and synaptogenesis, respectively, reviled cell proliferation in areas of brain involved in learning, memory, and sensory stimuli integration. Furthermore, we showed how enriched environmental conditions affect adult neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Bertapelle
- Department of Biology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Gianluca Polese
- Department of Biology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Anna Di Cosmo
- Department of Biology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples, NA, Italy
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26
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Weldon PJ. Receiver-error in deception, including mimicry: making the leap from inter- to intraspecific domains. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul J. Weldon
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; National Zoological Park; 1500 Remount Road Front Royal VA 22630 USA
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27
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Dalziell AH, Welbergen JA. Mimicry for all modalities. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:609-19. [PMID: 27117779 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Mimicry is a canonical example of adaptive signal design. In principle, what constitutes mimicry is independent of the taxonomic identity of the mimic, the ecological context in which it operates, and the sensory modality through which it is expressed. However, in practice the study of mimicry is inconsistent across research fields, with theoretical and empirical advances often failing to cross taxonomic and sensory divides. We propose a novel conceptual framework whereby mimicry evolves if a receiver perceives the similarity between a mimic and a model and as a result confers a selective benefit onto the mimic. Here, misidentification and/or deception are no longer formal requirements, and mimicry can evolve irrespective of the underlying proximate mechanisms. The centrality of receiver perception in this framework enables us to formally distinguish mimicry from perceptual exploitation and integrate mimicry and multicomponent signalling theory for the first time. In addition, it resolves inconsistencies in our understanding of the role of learning in mimicry evolution, and shows that imperfect mimicry is expected to be the norm. Mimicry remains a key model for understanding signal evolution and cognition, and we recommend the adoption of a unified approach to stimulate future interdisciplinary developments in this fascinating area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia H Dalziell
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Justin A Welbergen
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
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Skelhorn J, Holmes GG, Hossie TJ, Sherratt TN. Multicomponent deceptive signals reduce the speed at which predators learn that prey are profitable. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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29
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Josef N, Berenshtein I, Fiorito G, Sykes AV, Shashar N. Camouflage during movement in the European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis). J Exp Biol 2015; 218:3391-8. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.122481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A moving object is considered conspicuous because of the movement itself. Once moving from one background to another, even dynamic camouflage experts such as cephalopods, should sacrifice their extraordinary camouflage. Therefore, minimizing detection at this stage is crucial and highly beneficial. In this study we describe a background-matching mechanism during movement, which aids the cuttlefish to downplay its presence throughout movement. In situ behavioural experiments using video and image analysis, revealed a delayed, sigmoidal, colour-changing mechanism during movement of Sepia officinalis across a uniform black and grey backgrounds, which we describe below. This is a fist and important step in understanding dynamic camouflage during movement, while the new behavioural mechanism may be incorporated and applied to any dynamic camouflaging animal or man-made system on the move.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Josef
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
- H. Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, P.O.B. 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
| | - Igal Berenshtein
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
- H. Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, P.O.B. 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
| | - Graziano Fiorito
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale 80121, Napoli, Italy
| | - António V. Sykes
- CCMAR-CIMAR L.A., Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Nadav Shashar
- Eilat Campus, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
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30
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Valkonen JK, Mappes J. Resembling a viper: implications of mimicry for conservation of the endangered smooth snake. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2014; 28:1568-1574. [PMID: 25103364 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The phenomenon of Batesian mimicry, where a palatable animal gains protection against predation by resembling an unpalatable model, has been a core interest of evolutionary biologists for 150 years. An extensive range of studies has focused on revealing mechanistic aspects of mimicry (shared education and generalization of predators) and the evolutionary dynamics of mimicry systems (co-operation vs. conflict) and revealed that protective mimicry is widespread and is important for individual fitness. However, according to our knowledge, there are no case studies where mimicry theories have been applied to conservation of mimetic species. Theoretically, mimicry affects, for example, frequency dependency of predator avoidance learning and human induced mortality. We examined the case of the protected, endangered, nonvenomous smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) that mimics the nonprotected venomous adder (Vipera berus), both of which occur in the Åland archipelago, Finland. To quantify the added predation risk on smooth snakes caused by the rarity of vipers, we calculated risk estimates from experimental data. Resemblance of vipers enhances survival of smooth snakes against bird predation because many predators avoid touching venomous vipers. Mimetic resemblance is however disadvantageous against human predators, who kill venomous vipers and accidentally kill endangered, protected smooth snakes. We found that the effective population size of the adders in Åland is very low relative to its smooth snake mimic (28.93 and 41.35, respectively).Because Batesian mimicry is advantageous for the mimic only if model species exist in sufficiently high numbers, it is likely that the conservation program for smooth snakes will fail if adders continue to be destroyed. Understanding the population consequences of mimetic species may be crucial to the success of endangered species conservation. We suggest that when a Batesian mimic requires protection, conservation planners should not ignore the model species (or co-mimic in Mullerian mimicry rings) even if it is not itself endangered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
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31
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Dalziell AH, Welbergen JA, Igic B, Magrath RD. Avian vocal mimicry: a unified conceptual framework. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:643-68. [PMID: 25079896 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mimicry is a classical example of adaptive signal design. Here, we review the current state of research into vocal mimicry in birds. Avian vocal mimicry is a conspicuous and often spectacular form of animal communication, occurring in many distantly related species. However, the proximate and ultimate causes of vocal mimicry are poorly understood. In the first part of this review, we argue that progress has been impeded by conceptual confusion over what constitutes vocal mimicry. We propose a modified version of Vane-Wright's (1980) widely used definition of mimicry. According to our definition, a vocalisation is mimetic if the behaviour of the receiver changes after perceiving the acoustic resemblance between the mimic and the model, and the behavioural change confers a selective advantage on the mimic. Mimicry is therefore specifically a functional concept where the resemblance between heterospecific sounds is a target of selection. It is distinct from other forms of vocal resemblance including those that are the result of chance or common ancestry, and those that have emerged as a by-product of other processes such as ecological convergence and selection for large song-type repertoires. Thus, our definition provides a general and functionally coherent framework for determining what constitutes vocal mimicry, and takes account of the diversity of vocalisations that incorporate heterospecific sounds. In the second part we assess and revise hypotheses for the evolution of avian vocal mimicry in the light of our new definition. Most of the current evidence is anecdotal, but the diverse contexts and acoustic structures of putative vocal mimicry suggest that mimicry has multiple functions across and within species. There is strong experimental evidence that vocal mimicry can be deceptive, and can facilitate parasitic interactions. There is also increasing support for the use of vocal mimicry in predator defence, although the mechanisms are unclear. Less progress has been made in explaining why many birds incorporate heterospecific sounds into their sexual displays, and in determining whether these vocalisations are functionally mimetic or by-products of sexual selection for other traits such as repertoire size. Overall, this discussion reveals a more central role for vocal mimicry in the behavioural ecology of birds than has previously been appreciated. The final part of this review identifies important areas for future research. Detailed empirical data are needed on individual species, including on the structure of mimetic signals, the contexts in which mimicry is produced, how mimicry is acquired, and the ecological relationships between mimic, model and receiver. At present, there is little information and no consensus about the various costs of vocal mimicry for the protagonists in the mimicry complex. The diversity and complexity of vocal mimicry in birds raises important questions for the study of animal communication and challenges our view of the nature of mimicry itself. Therefore, a better understanding of avian vocal mimicry is essential if we are to account fully for the diversity of animal signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia H Dalziell
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
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32
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Hochner B. How nervous systems evolve in relation to their embodiment: what we can learn from octopuses and other molluscs. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2013; 82:19-30. [PMID: 23979453 DOI: 10.1159/000353419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cephalopods such as the octopus show the most advanced behavior among invertebrates, which they accomplish with an exceptionally flexible body plan. In this review I propose that the embodied organization approach, developed by roboticists to design efficient autonomous robots, is useful for understanding the evolution and development of the efficient adaptive interaction of animals with their environment, using the octopus as the leading example. The embodied organization approach explains adaptive behavior as emerging from the continuous dynamical and reciprocal physical and informational interactions between four elements: the controller, the mechanical and the sensory systems and the environment. In contrast to hierarchical organization, in embodied organization, self-organization processes can take part in the emergence of the adaptive properties. I first discuss how the embodiment concept explains covariation of body form, nervous system organization, and level of behavioral complexity using the Mollusca as an example. This is an ideal phylum to test such a qualitative correlation between body/brain/behavior, because they show the greatest variations of body plan within a single phylum. In some cases the covariation of nervous system and body structure seems to arise independently of close phylogenetic relationships. Next, I dwell on the octopus as an ideal model to test the embodiment concept within a single biological system. Here, the unusual body morphology of the octopus exposes the uniqueness of the four components comprising the octopus' embodiment. Considering together the results from behavioral, physiological, anatomical, and motor control research suggests that these four elements mutually influence each other. It is this mutual interactions and self-organization which have led to their unique evolution and development to create the unique and highly efficient octopus embodiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyamin Hochner
- Department of Neurobiology, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
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33
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Abstract
Octopuses have a unique flexible body and unusual morphology, but nevertheless they are undoubtedly a great evolutionary success. They compete successfully with vertebrates in their ecological niche using a rich behavioral repertoire more typical of an intelligent predator which includes extremely effective defensive behavior--fast escape swimming and an astonishing ability to adapt their shape and color to their environment. The most obvious characteristic feature of an octopus is its eight long and flexible arms, but these pose a great challenge for achieving the level of motor and sensory information processing necessary for their behaviors. First, coordinating motion is a formidable task because of the infinite degrees of freedom that have to be controlled; and second, it is hard to use body coordinates in this flexible animal to represent sensory information in a central control system. Here I will review experimental results suggesting that these difficulties, arising from the animal's morphology, have imposed the evolution of unique brain/body/behavior relationships best explained as intelligent behavior which emerges from the octopus's embodied organization. The term 'intelligent embodiment' comes from robotics and refers to an approach to designing autonomous robots in which the behavior emerges from the dynamic physical and sensory interactions of the agent's materials, morphology and environment. Consideration of the unusual neurobiology of the octopus in the light of its unique morphology suggests that similar embodied principles are instrumental for understanding the emergence of intelligent behavior in all biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyamin Hochner
- Department of Neurobiology, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, and Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Edmond J Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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34
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Wada S, Chiba S. The dual protection of a micro land snail against a micro predatory snail. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54123. [PMID: 23326582 PMCID: PMC3541139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Defense against a single predatory attack strategy may best be achieved not by a single trait but by a combination of different traits. We tested this hypothesis experimentally by examining the unique shell traits (the protruded aperture and the denticles within the aperture) of the micro land snail Bensonella plicidens. We artificially altered shell characteristics by removing the denticles and/or cutting the protruded aperture. These snails were offered to the carnivorous micro land snail Indoennea bicolor, which preys on the snails by gaining entry to their shell. B. plicidens exhibited the best defence when both of the traits studied were present; the defensive ability of B. plicidens decreased if either trait was removed and was further reduced if both traits were removed. These results suggest that a combination of different traits provides more effective defence against attack by the predator than either single trait by itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinichiro Wada
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aobayama, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
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Stone JE, Carpendale JI, Sugarman J, Martin J. A Meadian account of social understanding: Taking a non-mentalistic approach to infant and verbal false belief understanding. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2011.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Lindgren AR, Pankey MS, Hochberg FG, Oakley TH. A multi-gene phylogeny of Cephalopoda supports convergent morphological evolution in association with multiple habitat shifts in the marine environment. BMC Evol Biol 2012; 12:129. [PMID: 22839506 PMCID: PMC3733422 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The marine environment is comprised of numerous divergent organisms living under similar selective pressures, often resulting in the evolution of convergent structures such as the fusiform body shape of pelagic squids, fishes, and some marine mammals. However, little is known about the frequency of, and circumstances leading to, convergent evolution in the open ocean. Here, we present a comparative study of the molluscan class Cephalopoda, a marine group known to occupy habitats from the intertidal to the deep sea. Several lineages bear features that may coincide with a benthic or pelagic existence, making this a valuable group for testing hypotheses of correlated evolution. To test for convergence and correlation, we generate the most taxonomically comprehensive multi-gene phylogeny of cephalopods to date. We then create a character matrix of habitat type and morphological characters, which we use to infer ancestral character states and test for correlation between habitat and morphology. RESULTS Our study utilizes a taxonomically well-sampled phylogeny to show convergent evolution in all six morphological characters we analyzed. Three of these characters also correlate with habitat. The presence of an autogenic photophore (those relying upon autonomous enzymatic light reactions) is correlated with a pelagic habitat, while the cornea and accessory nidamental gland correlate with a benthic lifestyle. Here, we present the first statistical tests for correlation between convergent traits and habitat in cephalopods to better understand the evolutionary history of characters that are adaptive in benthic or pelagic environments, respectively. DISCUSSION Our study supports the hypothesis that habitat has influenced convergent evolution in the marine environment: benthic organisms tend to exhibit similar characteristics that confer protection from invasion by other benthic taxa, while pelagic organisms possess features that facilitate crypsis and communication in an environment lacking physical refuges. Features that have originated multiple times in distantly related lineages are likely adaptive for the organisms inhabiting a particular environment: studying the frequency and evolutionary history of such convergent characters can increase understanding of the underlying forces driving ecological and evolutionary transitions in the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie R Lindgren
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
- Present Address: Department of Biology, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, USA
| | - Molly S Pankey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Frederick G Hochberg
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Rd, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105, USA
| | - Todd H Oakley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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37
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Brown C, Garwood MP, Williamson JE. It pays to cheat: tactical deception in a cephalopod social signalling system. Biol Lett 2012. [DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0435%201744-957x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Signals in intraspecific communication should be inherently honest; otherwise the system is prone to collapse. Theory predicts, however, that honest signalling systems are susceptible to invasion by cheats, the extent of which is largely mediated by fear of reprisal. Cuttlefish facultatively change their shape and colour, an ability that evolved to avoid predators and capture prey. Here, we show that this ability is tactically employed by male mourning cuttlefish (
Sepia plangon
) to mislead conspecifics during courtship in a specific social context amenable to cheating 39 per cent of the time, while it was never employed in other social contexts. Males deceive rival males by displaying male courtship patterns to receptive females on one side of the body, and simultaneously displaying female patterns to a single rival male on the other, thus preventing the rival from disrupting courtship. The use of tactical deception in such a complex communication network indicates that sociality has played a key role in the cognitive evolution of cephalopods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Culum Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Martin P. Garwood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Jane E. Williamson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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38
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Brown C, Garwood MP, Williamson JE. It pays to cheat: tactical deception in a cephalopod social signalling system. Biol Lett 2012; 8:729-32. [PMID: 22764112 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Signals in intraspecific communication should be inherently honest; otherwise the system is prone to collapse. Theory predicts, however, that honest signalling systems are susceptible to invasion by cheats, the extent of which is largely mediated by fear of reprisal. Cuttlefish facultatively change their shape and colour, an ability that evolved to avoid predators and capture prey. Here, we show that this ability is tactically employed by male mourning cuttlefish (Sepia plangon) to mislead conspecifics during courtship in a specific social context amenable to cheating 39 per cent of the time, while it was never employed in other social contexts. Males deceive rival males by displaying male courtship patterns to receptive females on one side of the body, and simultaneously displaying female patterns to a single rival male on the other, thus preventing the rival from disrupting courtship. The use of tactical deception in such a complex communication network indicates that sociality has played a key role in the cognitive evolution of cephalopods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Culum Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
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39
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40
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Valkonen JK, Nokelainen O, Mappes J. Antipredatory function of head shape for vipers and their mimics. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22272. [PMID: 21818305 PMCID: PMC3144867 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2011] [Accepted: 06/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Most research into the adaptive significance of warning signals has focused on the colouration and patterns of prey animals. However, behaviour, odour and body shape can also have signal functions and thereby reduce predators' willingness to attack defended prey. European vipers all have a distinctive triangular head shape; and they are all venomous. Several non-venomous snakes, including the subfamily Natricinae, commonly flatten their heads (also known as head triangulation) when disturbed. The adaptive significance of this potential behavioural mimicry has never been investigated. We experimentally tested if the triangular head shape typical of vipers offers protection against predation. We compared the predation pressure of free-ranging predators on artificial snakes with triangular-shaped heads against the pressure on replicas with narrow heads. Snakes of both head types had either zigzag patterned bodies, typical of European vipers, or plain (patternless) bodies. Plain snakes with narrower Colubrid-like heads suffered significantly higher predation by raptors than snakes with triangular-shaped heads. Head shape did not, however, have an additive effect on survival in zigzag-patterned snakes, suggesting that species which differ from vipers in colouration and pattern would benefit most from behavioural mimicry. Our results demonstrate that the triangular head shape typical of vipers can act as a warning signal to predators. We suggest that head-shape mimicry may be a more common phenomenon among more diverse taxa than is currently recognised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne K Valkonen
- Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
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Allen JJ, Mäthger LM, Buresch KC, Fetchko T, Gardner M, Hanlon RT. Night vision by cuttlefish enables changeable camouflage. J Exp Biol 2010; 213:3953-60. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.044750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Because visual predation occurs day and night, many predators must have good night vision. Prey therefore exhibit antipredator behaviours in very dim light. In the field, the giant Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama) assumes camouflaged body patterns at night, each tailored to its immediate environment. However, the question of whether cuttlefish have the perceptual capability to change their camouflage at night (as they do in day) has not been addressed. In this study, we: (1) monitored the camouflage patterns of Sepia officinalis during the transition from daytime to night-time using a natural daylight cycle and (2) tested whether cuttlefish on a particular artificial substrate change their camouflage body patterns when the substrate is changed under dim light (down to starlight, 0.003 lux) in a controlled light field in a dark room setting. We found that cuttlefish camouflage patterns are indeed adaptable at night: animals responded to a change in their visual environment with the appropriate body pattern change. Whether to deceive their prey or predators, cuttlefish use their excellent night vision to perform adaptive camouflage in dim light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine J. Allen
- Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
- Brown University, Department of Neuroscience, Box GL-N, Sidney Frank Hall, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | | | - Kendra C. Buresch
- Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Thomas Fetchko
- Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Meg Gardner
- Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Roger T. Hanlon
- Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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HUFFARD CHRISTINEL, SAARMAN NORAH, HAMILTON HEALY, SIMISON WBRIAN. The evolution of conspicuous facultative mimicry in octopuses: an example of secondary adaptation? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01484.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Hanlon RT, Watson AC, Barbosa A. A "Mimic Octopus" in the Atlantic: Flatfish mimicry and camouflage by Macrotritopus defilippi. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2010; 218:15-24. [PMID: 20203250 DOI: 10.1086/bblv218n1p15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The sand-dwelling octopus Macrotritopus defilippi was filmed or photographed in five Caribbean locations mimicking the swimming behavior (posture, style, speed, duration) and coloration of the common, sand-dwelling flounder Bothus lunatus. Each species was exceptionally well camouflaged when stationary, and details of camouflaging techniques are described for M. defilippi. Octopuses implemented flounder mimicry only during swimming, when their movement would give away camouflage in this open sandy habitat. Thus, both camouflage and fish mimicry were used by the octopuses as a primary defense against visual predators. This is the first documentation of flounder mimicry by an Atlantic octopus, and only the fourth convincing case of mimicry for cephalopods, a taxon renowned for its polyphenism that is implemented mainly by neurally controlled skin patterning, but also-as shown here-by their soft flexible bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger T Hanlon
- Marine Resources Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02540, USA.
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Stuart-Fox D, Moussalli A. Camouflage, communication and thermoregulation: lessons from colour changing organisms. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2009; 364:463-70. [PMID: 19000973 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms capable of rapid physiological colour change have become model taxa in the study of camouflage because they are able to respond dynamically to the changes in their visual environment. Here, we briefly review the ways in which studies of colour changing organisms have contributed to our understanding of camouflage and highlight some unique opportunities they present. First, from a proximate perspective, comparison of visual cues triggering camouflage responses and the visual perception mechanisms involved can provide insight into general visual processing rules. Second, colour changing animals can potentially tailor their camouflage response not only to different backgrounds but also to multiple predators with different visual capabilities. We present new data showing that such facultative crypsis may be widespread in at least one group, the dwarf chameleons. From an ultimate perspective, we argue that colour changing organisms are ideally suited to experimental and comparative studies of evolutionary interactions between the three primary functions of animal colour patterns: camouflage; communication; and thermoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devi Stuart-Fox
- Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
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47
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Cheney KL, Grutter AS, Marshall NJ. Facultative mimicry: cues for colour change and colour accuracy in a coral reef fish. Proc Biol Sci 2008; 275:117-22. [PMID: 17986437 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mimetic species evolve colours and body patterns to closely resemble poisonous species and thus avoid predation (Batesian mimicry), or resemble beneficial or harmless species in order to approach and attack prey (aggressive mimicry). Facultative mimicry, the ability to switch between mimic and non-mimic colours at will, is uncommon in the animal kingdom, but has been shown in a cephalopod, and recently in a marine fish, the bluestriped fangblenny Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos, an aggressive mimic of the juvenile cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus. Here we demonstrate for the first time that fangblennies adopted mimic colours in the presence of juvenile cleaner fish; however, this only occurred in smaller individuals. Field data indicated that when juvenile cleaner fish were abundant, the proportion of mimic to non-mimic fangblennies was greater, suggesting that fangblennies adopt their mimic disguise depending on the availability of cleaner fish. Finally, measurements of spectral reflectance suggest that not only do mimic fangblennies accurately resemble the colour of their cleaner fish models but also mimic other species of fish that they associate with. This study provides insights into the cues that control this remarkable facultative mimicry system and qualitatively measures its accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Cheney
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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HANLON ROGERT, CONROY LOUANNE, FORSYTHE JOHNW. Mimicry and foraging behaviour of two tropical sand-flat octopus species off North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00948.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Hong YJ, Tantillo DJ. Perturbing the Structure of the 2-Norbornyl Cation through C−H···N and C−H···π Interactions. J Org Chem 2007; 72:8877-81. [DOI: 10.1021/jo701526x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Young J. Hong
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616
| | - Dean J. Tantillo
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616
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