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Nokelainen O, Silvasti SA, Strauss SY, Wahlberg N, Mappes J. Predator selection on phenotypic variability of cryptic and aposematic moths. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1678. [PMID: 38395999 PMCID: PMC10891176 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45329-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural selection generally favours phenotypic variability in camouflaged organisms, whereas aposematic organisms are expected to evolve a more uniform warning coloration. However, no comprehensive analysis of the phenotypic consequences of predator selection in aposematic and cryptic species exists. Using state-of-the-art image analysis, we examine 2800 wing images of 82 moth species accessed via three online museum databases. We test whether anti-predator strategy (i.e., camouflage or aposematism) explains intraspecific variation in wing colour and pattern across northern hemisphere moths. In addition, we test two mutually non-exclusive, ecological hypotheses to explain variation in colour pattern: diel-activity or dietary-niche. In this work, taking into account phylogenetic relationships, moth phenotypic variability is best explained by anti-predator strategy with camouflaged moths being more variable in wing patterning than aposematic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ossi Nokelainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikki Biocenter 3, P.O. Box 65, 40014, Helsinki, Finland.
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
- Open Science Centre, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - Sanni A Silvasti
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Sharon Y Strauss
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California at Davis, 2320 Storer Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstrasse 19, Berlin, 14193, Germany
| | - Niklas Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikki Biocenter 3, P.O. Box 65, 40014, Helsinki, Finland.
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstrasse 19, Berlin, 14193, Germany.
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2
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Ottocento C, Rojas B, Burdfield-Steel E, Furlanetto M, Nokelainen O, Winters S, Mappes J. Diet influences resource allocation in chemical defence but not melanin synthesis in an aposematic moth. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb245946. [PMID: 38179687 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245946] [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: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
For animals that synthesise their chemical compounds de novo, resources, particularly proteins, can influence investment in chemical defences and nitrogen-based wing colouration such as melanin. Competing for the same resources often leads to trade-offs in resource allocation. We manipulated protein availability in the larval diet of the wood tiger moth, Arctia plantaginis, to test how early life resource availability influences relevant life history traits, melanin production and chemical defences. We expected higher dietary protein to result in more effective chemical defences in adult moths and a higher amount of melanin in the wings. According to the resource allocation hypothesis, we also expected individuals with less melanin to have more resources to allocate to chemical defences. We found that protein-deprived moths had a slower larval development, and their chemical defences were less unpalatable for bird predators, but the expression of melanin in their wings did not differ from that of moths raised on a high-protein diet. The amount of melanin in the wings, however, unexpectedly correlated positively with chemical defences. Our findings demonstrate that the resources available in early life have an important role in the efficacy of chemical defences, but melanin-based warning colours are less sensitive to resource variability than other fitness-related traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ottocento
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Viikinkaari 1, PO Box 65, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Emily Burdfield-Steel
- University of Amsterdam, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Miriam Furlanetto
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Ossi Nokelainen
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
- Open Science Centre, PO Box 35, 40014University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Sandra Winters
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Viikinkaari 1, PO Box 65, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Viikinkaari 1, PO Box 65, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, PO Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
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3
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Ali HAA, Coulson T, Clegg SM, Quilodrán CS. The effect of divergent and parallel selection on the genomic landscape of divergence. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17225. [PMID: 38063473 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17225] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
While the role of selection in divergence along the speciation continuum is theoretically well understood, defining specific signatures of selection in the genomic landscape of divergence is empirically challenging. Modelling approaches can provide insight into the potential role of selection on the emergence of a heterogenous genomic landscape of divergence. Here, we extend and apply an individual-based approach that simulates the phenotypic and genotypic distributions of two populations under a variety of selection regimes, genotype-phenotype maps, modes of migration, and genotype-environment interactions. We show that genomic islands of high differentiation and genomic valleys of similarity may respectively form under divergent and parallel selection between populations. For both types of between-population selection, negative and positive frequency-dependent selection within populations generated genomic islands of higher magnitude and genomic valleys of similarity, respectively. Divergence rates decreased under strong dominance with divergent selection, as well as in models including genotype-environment interactions under parallel selection. For both divergent and parallel selection models, divergence rate was higher under an intermittent migration regime between populations, in contrast to a constant level of migration across generations, despite an equal number of total migrants. We highlight that interpreting a particular evolutionary history from an observed genomic pattern must be done cautiously, as similar patterns may be obtained from different combinations of evolutionary processes. Modelling approaches such as ours provide an opportunity to narrow the potential routes that generate the genomic patterns of specific evolutionary histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisham A A Ali
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sonya M Clegg
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Claudio S Quilodrán
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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4
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Brien MN, Orteu A, Yen EC, Galarza JA, Kirvesoja J, Pakkanen H, Wakamatsu K, Jiggins CD, Mappes J. Colour polymorphism associated with a gene duplication in male wood tiger moths. eLife 2023; 12:e80116. [PMID: 37902626 PMCID: PMC10635649 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Colour is often used as an aposematic warning signal, with predator learning expected to lead to a single colour pattern within a population. However, there are many puzzling cases where aposematic signals are also polymorphic. The wood tiger moth, Arctia plantaginis, displays bright hindwing colours associated with unpalatability, and males have discrete colour morphs which vary in frequency between localities. In Finland, both white and yellow morphs can be found, and these colour morphs also differ in behavioural and life-history traits. Here, we show that male colour is linked to an extra copy of a yellow family gene that is only present in the white morphs. This white-specific duplication, which we name valkea, is highly upregulated during wing development. CRISPR targeting valkea resulted in editing of both valkea and its paralog, yellow-e, and led to the production of yellow wings. We also characterise the pigments responsible for yellow, white, and black colouration, showing that yellow is partly produced by pheomelanins, while black is dopamine-derived eumelanin. Our results add to a growing number of studies on the genetic architecture of complex and seemingly paradoxical polymorphisms, and the role of gene duplications and structural variation in adaptive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie N Brien
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Anna Orteu
- Department of Zoology, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Eugenie C Yen
- Department of Zoology, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Juan A Galarza
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Jimi Kirvesoja
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Hannu Pakkanen
- Department of Chemistry, University of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | | | - Chris D Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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5
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Hernández-Palma TL, Rueda-Solano LA, Valkonen JK, Rojas B. Predator response to the coloured eyespots and defensive posture of Colombian four-eyed frogs. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1040-1049. [PMID: 37341128 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Deimatic displays, where sudden changes in prey appearance elicit aversive predator reactions, have been suggested to occur in many taxa. These (often only putative) displays frequently involve different components that may also serve antipredator functions via other mechanisms (e.g., mimicry, warning signalling, body inflation). The Colombian four-eyed frog, Pleurodema brachyops, has been suggested to gain protection against predation through putative deimatic displays where they inflate and elevate the posterior part of their body revealing eye-like colour markings. We exposed stationary artificial frogs to wild predators to test whether the two components (eyespot/colour markings, defensive posture) of their putative deimatic display, and their combination, provide protection from predation without the sudden change in appearance. We did not detect any obvious additive effect of defensive posture and eyespots/colour markings on predation risk, but found a marginally significant trend for model frogs in the resting posture to be less attacked when displaying eyespots/colour markings than when they were not, suggesting that the presence of colour markings/eyespots may provide some protection on its own. Additionally, we found that models in a resting posture were overall more frequently attacked on the head than models in a defensive posture, indicating that a defensive posture alone could help redirect predator attacks to non-vital parts of the body. The trends found in our study suggest that the different components of P. brachyops' coloration may serve different functions during a deimatic display, but further research is needed to elucidate the role of each component when accompanied by sudden prey movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana L Hernández-Palma
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Aplicada (GIBEA), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Luis Alberto Rueda-Solano
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Aplicada (GIBEA), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Colombia
- Fundación Atelopus, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Janne Valkonen Research and Consulting, Vesanka, Finland
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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6
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Exnerová A, Kang C, Rowland HM, Kikuchi DW. Evolution of multiple prey defences: From predator cognition to community ecology. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:961-966. [PMID: 37449469 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Exnerová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Changku Kang
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
- Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - David W Kikuchi
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- Evolutionary Biology, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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7
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Lorioux-Chevalier U, Tuanama Valles M, Gallusser S, Mori Pezo R, Chouteau M. Unexpected colour pattern variation in mimetic frogs: implication for the diversification of warning signals in the genus Ranitomeya. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230354. [PMID: 37293365 PMCID: PMC10245201 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230354] [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: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Predation is expected to promote uniformity in the warning coloration of defended prey, but also mimicry convergence between aposematic species. Despite selection constraining both colour-pattern and population divergence, many aposematic animals display numerous geographically structured populations with distinct warning signal. Here, we explore the extent of phenotypic variation of sympatric species of Ranitomeya poison frogs and test for theoretical expectations on variation and convergence in mimetic signals. We demonstrate that both warning signal and mimetic convergence are highly variable and are negatively correlated: some localities display high variability and no mimicry while in others the phenotype is fixed and mimicry is perfect. Moreover, variation in warning signals is always present within localities, and in many cases this variation overlaps between populations, such that variation is continuous. Finally, we show that coloration is consistently the least variable element and is likely of greater importance for predator avoidance compared to patterning. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of warning signal diversification and suggest that, like many other locally adapted traits, a combination of standing genetic variation and founding effect might be sufficient to enable divergence in colour pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mario Tuanama Valles
- Instituto de Investigación Biológica de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Stephanie Gallusser
- Instituto de Investigación Biológica de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Ronald Mori Pezo
- Instituto de Investigación Biológica de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Mathieu Chouteau
- LEEISA, UAR 3456, Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
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8
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Burdfield-Steel E, Burdfield C. How to fail in advertising: The potential of marketing theory to predict the community-level selection of defended prey. J Evol Biol 2023. [PMID: 36820741 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Economics and ecology both present us with a key challenge: scaling up from individual behaviour to community-level effects. As a result, biologists have frequently utilized theories and frameworks from economics in their attempt to better understand animal behaviour. In the study of predator-prey interactions, we face a particularly difficult task-understanding how predator choices and strategies will impact the ecology and evolution not just of individual prey species, but whole communities. However, a similar challenge has been encountered, and largely solved, in Marketing, which has created frameworks that successfully predict human consumer behaviour at the community level. We argue that by applying these frameworks to non-human consumers, we can leverage this predictive power to understand the behaviour of these key ecological actors in shaping the communities they act upon. We here use predator-prey interactions, as a case study, to demonstrate and discuss the potential of marketing and human-consumer theory in helping us bridge the gap from laboratory experiments to complex community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Burdfield-Steel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Burdfield
- Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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9
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Ottocento C, Winters AE, Rojas B, Mappes J, Burdfield‐Steel E. Not just the sum of its parts: Geographic variation and nonadditive effects of pyrazines in the chemical defence of an aposematic moth. J Evol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ottocento
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Anne E. Winters
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- College Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus University of Exeter Penryn UK
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Emily Burdfield‐Steel
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
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Nöbel S, Monier M, Villa D, Danchin É, Isabel G. 2-D sex images elicit mate copying in fruit flies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22127. [PMID: 36550183 PMCID: PMC9780341 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26252-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the environment is three-dimensional (3-D), humans are able to extract subtle information from two-dimensional (2-D) images, particularly in the domain of sex. However, whether animals with simpler nervous systems are capable of such information extraction remains to be demonstrated, as this ability would suggest a functional generalisation capacity. Here, we performed mate-copying experiments in Drosophila melanogaster using 2-D artificial stimuli. Mate copying occurs when naïve females observe the mating success of potential mates and use that social information to build their own mating preference. By replacing live demonstrations with (i) photos or (ii) simplified images of copulating pairs, we found that even crudely simplified images of sexual intercourse still elicit mate copying, suggesting that Drosophila is able to extract sex-related information even from a degraded image. This new method constitutes a powerful tool to further investigate mate copying in that species and sexual preferences in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Nöbel
- Université Toulouse 1 Capitole and Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), Esplanade de l’Université, 31080 Toulouse Cedex 06, France ,grid.15781.3a0000 0001 0723 035XLaboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France ,grid.9018.00000 0001 0679 2801Department of Zoology, Animal Ecology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Magdalena Monier
- grid.15781.3a0000 0001 0723 035XLaboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - David Villa
- grid.508721.9Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), CNRS UMR 5169, Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Étienne Danchin
- grid.15781.3a0000 0001 0723 035XLaboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Guillaume Isabel
- grid.508721.9Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), CNRS UMR 5169, Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
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11
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Barzaghi B, Melotto A, Cogliati P, Manenti R, Ficetola GF. Factors determining the dorsal coloration pattern of aposematic salamanders. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17090. [PMID: 36224211 PMCID: PMC9556531 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19466-0] [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: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aposematic bright colors have a key role for animal defense and can be expressed through metabolic production or by acquiring pigments from diet. Aposematic coloration can be related to both local adaptations and availability of trophic resources. The European fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) shows significant color variability and occurs across a broad range of habitats. Here we combined field observations with common rearing experiments to disentangle the role of environmental conditions and local adaptations in determining aposematic coloration of salamander populations. We assessed color variation and measured habitat features and food availability in adults from 25 populations. Furthermore, we reared newborn larvae from 10 populations under different food availability and analyzed color of metamorphs. To assess color pattern, we measured the percentage of yellow covering the body, and the Hue, Saturation and Value of yellow coloration. Adult showed strong variation of color pattern; variation was strongly related to the individual's size, to habitat productivity and to food availability. Under common garden conditions, differences between populations were not anymore evident, and coloration was only affected by resource availability during larval development. Our results suggest that environmental conditions and food availability are more important than local adaptations in determining differences in aposematic color pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Barzaghi
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Melotto
- grid.11956.3a0000 0001 2214 904XCentre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa
| | - Paola Cogliati
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Raoul Manenti
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Gentile Francesco Ficetola
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, Milan, Italy ,grid.11956.3a0000 0001 2214 904XCentre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa ,grid.450307.50000 0001 0944 2786Laboratoire D’Ecologie Alpine (LECA), CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
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12
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Duchesne T, Graitson E, Lourdais O, Ursenbacher S, Dufrêne M. Fine‐scale vegetation complexity and habitat structure influence predation pressure on a declining snake. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Duchesne
- Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro‐Bio‐Tech (GxBT) University of Liège Gembloux Belgium
| | | | - O. Lourdais
- Centre d'étude biologique de Chizé (CEBC), CNRS‐UMR7372 Villiers en Bois France
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | - S. Ursenbacher
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences University of Basel Basel Switzerland
- Info Fauna, CSCF & Karch Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - M. Dufrêne
- Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro‐Bio‐Tech (GxBT) University of Liège Gembloux Belgium
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13
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da Rocha SM, Magnusson WE, Rojas D, Lima AP. Colour, location and movement: what do models tell us about predation on colour morphs of a poison frog from eastern Amazonia? BEHAVIOUR 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Many dendrobatid frogs are known to be aposematic: brightly coloured and unpalatable to predators. To deceive predators, frog models used to test for predatory colour bias must be similar in size, colour, shape, and movement to frogs. We carried out an experiment with moving models of the species Adelphobates galactonotus, in two localities. A. galactonotus is a polytypic frog and each population of the species has a distinct colour. Birds and mammals were the vertebrates responsible for the marks on the models, but there was no difference in frequency of attacks on local-, non-local- and cryptic-colour models. Only invertebrates avoided cryptic models. Different populations of the species seem to be under different predation pressure, but colour differentiation in this species is probably related to other mechanisms, such as sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sulamita M.C. da Rocha
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Av. André, Araújo 2936, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - William E. Magnusson
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Av. André, Araújo 2936, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Av. André Araújo, 2936, 69011-970, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Diana Rojas
- Ecopescado, P.O. Box 37, 69640-000 Tabatinga, AM, Brazil
| | - Albertina P. Lima
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Av. André, Araújo 2936, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Av. André Araújo, 2936, 69011-970, Manaus, AM, Brazil
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14
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Nokelainen O, Galarza JA, Kirvesoja J, Suisto K, Mappes J. Genetic colour variation visible for predators and conspecifics is concealed from humans in a polymorphic moth. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:467-478. [PMID: 35239231 PMCID: PMC9314616 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The definition of colour polymorphism is intuitive: genetic variants express discretely coloured phenotypes. This classification is, however, elusive as humans form subjective categories or ignore differences that cannot be seen by human eyes. We demonstrate an example of a ‘cryptic morph’ in a polymorphic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis), a phenomenon that may be common among well‐studied species. We used pedigree data from nearly 20,000 individuals to infer the inheritance of hindwing colouration. The evidence supports a single Mendelian locus with two alleles in males: WW and Wy produce the white and yy the yellow hindwing colour. The inheritance could not be resolved in females as their hindwing colour varies continuously with no clear link with male genotypes. Next, we investigated if the male genotype can be predicted from their phenotype by machine learning algorithms and by human observers. Linear discriminant analysis grouped male genotypes with 97% accuracy, whereas humans could only group the yy genotype. Using vision modelling, we also tested whether the genotypes have differential discriminability to humans, moth conspecifics and their bird predators. The human perception was poor separating the genotypes, but avian and moth vision models with ultraviolet sensitivity could separate white WW and Wy males. We emphasize the importance of objective methodology when studying colour polymorphism. Our findings indicate that by‐eye categorization methods may be problematic, because humans fail to see differences that can be visible for relevant receivers. Ultimately, receivers equipped with different perception than ours may impose selection to morphs hidden from human sight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juan A Galarza
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jimi Kirvesoja
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Kaisa Suisto
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
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15
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Lindstedt C, Bagley R, Calhim S, Jones M, Linnen C. The impact of life stage and pigment source on the evolution of novel warning signal traits. Evolution 2022; 76:554-572. [PMID: 35103303 PMCID: PMC9304160 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of how novel warning color traits evolve in natural populations is largely based on studies of reproductive stages and organisms with endogenously produced pigmentation. In these systems, genetic drift is often required for novel alleles to overcome strong purifying selection stemming from frequency‐dependent predation and positive assortative mating. Here, we integrate data from field surveys, predation experiments, population genomics, and phenotypic correlations to explain the origin and maintenance of geographic variation in a diet‐based larval pigmentation trait in the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), a pine‐feeding hymenopteran. Although our experiments confirm that N. lecontei larvae are indeed aposematic—and therefore likely to experience frequency‐dependent predation—our genomic data do not support a historical demographic scenario that would have facilitated the spread of an initially deleterious allele via drift. Additionally, significantly elevated differentiation at a known color locus suggests that geographic variation in larval color is currently maintained by selection. Together, these data suggest that the novel white morph likely spread via selection. However, white body color does not enhance aposematic displays, nor is it correlated with enhanced chemical defense or immune function. Instead, the derived white‐bodied morph is disproportionately abundant on a pine species with a reduced carotenoid content relative to other pine hosts, suggesting that bottom‐up selection via host plants may have driven divergence among populations. Overall, our results suggest that life stage and pigment source can have a substantial impact on the evolution of novel warning signals, highlighting the need to investigate diverse aposematic taxa to develop a comprehensive understanding of color variation in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carita Lindstedt
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Robin Bagley
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA.,Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Lima, Lima, OH, 45804, USA
| | - Sara Calhim
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Mackenzie Jones
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA
| | - Catherine Linnen
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA
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16
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Nokelainen O, de Moraes Rezende F, Valkonen JK, Mappes J. Context-dependent coloration of prey and predator decision making in contrasting light environments. Behav Ecol 2021; 33:77-86. [PMID: 35197807 PMCID: PMC8857938 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
A big question in behavioral ecology is what drives diversity of color signals. One possible explanation is that environmental conditions, such as light environment, may alter visual signaling of prey, which could affect predator decision-making. Here, we tested the context-dependent predator selection on prey coloration. In the first experiment, we tested detectability of artificial visual stimuli to blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by manipulating stimulus luminance and chromatic context of the background. We expected the presence of the chromatic context to facilitate faster target detection. As expected, blue tits found targets on chromatic yellow background faster than on achromatic grey background whereas in the latter, targets were found with smaller contrast differences to the background. In the second experiment, we tested the effect of two light environments on the survival of aposematic, color polymorphic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis). As luminance contrast should be more detectable than chromatic contrast in low light intensities, we expected birds, if they find the moths aversive, to avoid the white morph which is more conspicuous than the yellow morph in low light (and vice versa in bright light). Alternatively, birds may attack first moths that are more detectable. We found birds to attack yellow moths first in low light conditions, whereas white moths were attacked first more frequently in bright light conditions. Our results show that light environments affect predator foraging decisions, which may facilitate context-dependent selection on visual signals and diversity of prey phenotypes in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ossi Nokelainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Francisko de Moraes Rezende
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikki Biocenter 3, Helsinki, Finland
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17
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Winters AE, Lommi J, Kirvesoja J, Nokelainen O, Mappes J. Multimodal Aposematic Defenses Through the Predation Sequence. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.657740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aposematic organisms warn predators of their unprofitability using a combination of defenses, including visual warning signals, startling sounds, noxious odors, or aversive tastes. Using multiple lines of defense can help prey avoid predators by stimulating multiple senses and/or by acting at different stages of predation. We tested the efficacy of three lines of defense (color, smell, taste) during the predation sequence of aposematic wood tiger moths (Arctia plantaginis) using blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) predators. Moths with two hindwing phenotypes (genotypes: WW/Wy = white, yy = yellow) were manipulated to have defense fluid with aversive smell (methoxypyrazines), body tissues with aversive taste (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) or both. In early predation stages, moth color and smell had additive effects on bird approach latency and dropping the prey, with the strongest effect for moths of the white morph with defense fluids. Pyrrolizidine alkaloid sequestration was detrimental in early attack stages, suggesting a trade-off between pyrrolizidine alkaloid sequestration and investment in other defenses. In addition, pyrrolizidine alkaloid taste alone did not deter bird predators. Birds could only effectively discriminate toxic moths from non-toxic moths when neck fluids containing methoxypyrazines were present, at which point they abandoned attack at the consumption stage. As a result, moths of the white morph with an aversive methoxypyrazine smell and moths in the treatment with both chemical defenses had the greatest chance of survival. We suggest that methoxypyrazines act as context setting signals for warning colors and as attention alerting or “go-slow” signals for distasteful toxins, thereby mediating the relationship between warning signal and toxicity. Furthermore, we found that moths that were heterozygous for hindwing coloration had more effective defense fluids compared to other genotypes in terms of delaying approach and reducing the latency to drop the moth, suggesting a genetic link between coloration and defense that could help to explain the color polymorphism. Conclusively, these results indicate that color, smell, and taste constitute a multimodal warning signal that impedes predator attack and improves prey survival. This work highlights the importance of understanding the separate roles of color, smell and taste through the predation sequence and also within-species variation in chemical defenses.
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18
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O'Connor TK, Sandoval MC, Wang J, Hans JC, Takenaka R, Child M, Whiteman NK. Ecological basis and genetic architecture of crypsis polymorphism in the desert clicker grasshopper (Ligurotettix coquilletti). Evolution 2021; 75:2441-2459. [PMID: 34370317 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Color polymorphic species can offer exceptional insight into the ecology and genetics of adaptation. Although the genetic architecture of animal coloration is diverse, many color polymorphisms are associated with large structural variants and maintained by biotic interactions. Grasshoppers are notably polymorphic in both color and karyotype, which makes them excellent models for understanding the ecological drivers and genetic underpinnings of color variation. Banded and uniform morphs of the desert clicker grasshopper (Ligurotettix coquilletti) are found across the western deserts of North America. To address the hypothesis that predation maintains local color polymorphism and shapes regional crypsis variation, we surveyed morph frequencies and tested for covariation with two predation environments. Morphs coexisted at intermediate frequencies at most sites, consistent with local balancing selection. Morph frequencies covaried with the appearance of desert substrate-an environment used only by females-suggesting that ground-foraging predators are major agents of selection on crypsis. We next addressed the hypothesized link between morph variation and genome structure. To do so, we designed an approach for detecting inversions and indels using only RADseq data. The banded morph was perfectly correlated with a large putative indel. Remarkably, indel dominance differed among populations, a rare example of dominance evolution in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy K O'Connor
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720.,Current Address: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 60637
| | - Marissa C Sandoval
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720
| | - Jiarui Wang
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720
| | - Jacob C Hans
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, 92521
| | - Risa Takenaka
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195.,Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, 98109
| | - Myron Child
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
| | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720
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19
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Gordon SP, Burdfield-Steel E, Kirvesoja J, Mappes J. Safety in Numbers: How Color Morph Frequency Affects Predation Risk in an Aposematic Moth. Am Nat 2021; 198:128-141. [PMID: 34143722 DOI: 10.1086/714528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPolymorphic warning signals in aposematic systems are enigmatic because predator learning should favor the most common form, creating positive frequency-dependent survival. However, many populations exhibit variation in warning signals. There are various selective mechanisms that can counter positive frequency-dependent selection and lead to temporal or spatial warning signal diversification. Examining these mechanisms and their effects requires first confirming whether the most common morphs are favored at both local and regional scales. Empirical examples of this are uncommon and often include potentially confounding factors, such as a lack of knowledge of predator identity and behavior. We tested how bird behavior influences the survival of three coexisting morphs of the aposematic wood tiger moth Arctia plantaginis offered to a sympatric predator (great tit Parus major) at different frequencies. We found that although positive frequency-dependent selection is present, its strength is affected by predator characteristics and varying prey profitability. These results highlight the need to understand predator foraging in natural communities with variable prey defenses in order to better examine how behavioral interactions shape evolutionary outcomes.
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20
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Páez E, Valkonen JK, Willmott KR, Matos-Maraví P, Elias M, Mappes J. Hard to catch: experimental evidence supports evasive mimicry. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20203052. [PMID: 33715434 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.3052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most research on aposematism has focused on chemically defended prey, but the signalling difficulty of capture remains poorly explored. Similar to classical Batesian and Müllerian mimicry related to distastefulness, such 'evasive aposematism' may also lead to convergence in warning colours, known as evasive mimicry. A prime candidate group for evasive mimicry are Adelpha butterflies, which are agile insects and show remarkable colour pattern convergence. We tested the ability of naive blue tits to learn to avoid and generalize Adelpha wing patterns associated with the difficulty of capture and compared their response to that of birds that learned to associate the same wing patterns with distastefulness. Birds learned to avoid all wing patterns tested and generalized their aversion to other prey to some extent, but learning was faster with evasive prey compared to distasteful prey. Our results on generalization agree with longstanding observations of striking convergence in wing colour patterns among Adelpha species, since, in our experiments, perfect mimics of evasive and distasteful models were always protected during generalization and suffered the lowest attack rate. Moreover, generalization on evasive prey was broader compared to that on distasteful prey. Our results suggest that being hard to catch may deter predators at least as effectively as distastefulness. This study provides empirical evidence for evasive mimicry, a potentially widespread but poorly understood form of morphological convergence driven by predator selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Páez
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Janne K Valkonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Keith R Willmott
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Pável Matos-Maraví
- Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Marianne Elias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
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