1
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Pandelis GG, Grundler MC, Rabosky DL. Ecological correlates of cranial evolution in the megaradiation of dipsadine snakes. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:48. [PMID: 37679675 PMCID: PMC10485986 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02157-3] [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: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dipsadine snakes represent one of the most spectacular vertebrate radiations that have occurred in any continental setting, with over 800 species in South and Central America. Their species richness is paralleled by stunning ecological diversity, ranging from arboreal snail-eating and aquatic eel-eating specialists to terrestrial generalists. Despite the ecological importance of this clade, little is known about the extent to which ecological specialization shapes broader patterns of phenotypic diversity within the group. Here, we test how habitat use and diet have influenced morphological diversification in skull shape across 160 dipsadine species using micro-CT and 3-D geometric morphometrics, and we use a phylogenetic comparative approach to test the contributions of habitat use and diet composition to variation in skull shape among species. RESULTS We demonstrate that while both habitat use and diet are significant predictors of shape in many regions of the skull, habitat use significantly predicts shape in a greater number of skull regions when compared to diet. We also find that across ecological groupings, fossorial and aquatic behaviors result in the strongest deviations in morphospace for several skull regions. We use simulations to address the robustness of our results and describe statistical anomalies that can arise from the application of phylogenetic generalized least squares to complex shape data. CONCLUSIONS Both habitat and dietary ecology are significantly correlated with skull shape in dipsadines; the strongest relationships involved skull shape in snakes with aquatic and fossorial lifestyles. This association between skull morphology and multiple ecological axes is consistent with a classic model of adaptive radiation and suggests that ecological factors were an important component in driving morphological diversification in the dipsadine megaradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory G Pandelis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA.
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA.
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 76019, USA.
| | - Michael C Grundler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Daniel L Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
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2
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Sena AT, Ruane S. Concepts and contentions of coral snake resemblance: Batesian mimicry and its alternatives. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Venomous coral snakes and non-venomous coral snake lookalikes are often regarded as a classic example of Batesian mimicry, whereby a harmless or palatable organism imitates a harmful or less palatable organism. However, the validity of this claim is questionable. The existing literature regarding coral snake mimicry presents a divisive stance on whether Batesian mimicry is occurring or whether the similarity between snakes is attributable to alternative factors. Here, we compile available literature on coral snake mimicry and assess the support for Batesian mimicry. We find that most of the recent relevant literature (after approximately 2000) supports the Batesian mimicry hypothesis. However, this is not strongly supported by empirical evidence. Potential considerations addressed here for both the Batesian and alternative hypotheses include the function of the colour pattern, predatory learning and the biogeographical distribution of similar snakes. The analyses performed previously by mimicry researchers show that the interpretation of the conditions for mimicry is not consistent throughout the scientific community when applied to coral snake systems. This review focuses on this division and stresses the need to reach an agreement about the adaptive significance of New World coral snakes and their lookalikes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Thomas Sena
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Sara Ruane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, IL, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, 195 University Ave, Newark, NJ, USA
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3
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Moore TY, Danforth SM, Larson JG, Davis Rabosky AR. A Quantitative Analysis of Micrurus Coral Snakes Reveals Unexpected Variation in Stereotyped Anti-Predator Displays Within a Mimicry System. Integr Org Biol 2021; 2:obaa006. [PMID: 33791550 PMCID: PMC7671125 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Warning signals in chemically defended organisms are critical components of predator–prey interactions, often requiring multiple coordinated display components for effective communication. When threatened by a predator, venomous coral snakes (genus Micrurus) display a vigorous, non-locomotory thrashing behavior that has previously been qualitatively described. Given the high contrast and colorful banding patterns of these snakes, this thrashing display is hypothesized to be a key component of a complex aposematic signal under strong stabilizing selection across species in a mimicry system. By experimentally testing snake response across simulated predator cues, we analyzed variation in the presence and expression of a thrashing display across five species of South American coral snakes. Although the major features of the thrash display were conserved across species, we found that predator cue type, snake body size, and species identity predict significant inter- and intraspecific variation in the propensity to perform a display, the duration of thrashing, and the curvature of snake bodies. We also found an interaction between curve magnitude and body location that clearly shows which parts of the display vary most across individuals and species. Our results suggest that contrary to the assumption that all Micrurus species and individuals perform the same display, a high degree of variation exists despite presumably strong selection to conserve a common signal. This quantitative behavioral characterization presents a new framework for analyzing the non-locomotory motions displayed by snakes in a broader ecological context, especially for signaling systems with complex interaction across multiple modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Y Moore
- Robotics Institute, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
| | - S M Danforth
- Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - J G Larson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
| | - A R Davis Rabosky
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
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4
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Curlis JD, Davis Rabosky AR, Holmes IA, Renney TJ, Cox CL. Genetic mechanisms and correlational selection structure trait variation in a coral snake mimic. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210003. [PMID: 33726595 PMCID: PMC8059570 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Covariation among traits shapes both phenotypic evolution and ecological interactions across space and time. However, rampant geographical variation in the strength and direction of such correlations can be particularly difficult to explain through generalized mechanisms. By integrating population genomics, surveys of natural history collections and spatially explicit analyses, we tested multiple drivers of trait correlations in a coral snake mimic that exhibits remarkable polymorphism in mimetic and non-mimetic colour traits. We found that although such traits co-occur extensively across space, correlations were best explained by a mixture of genetic architecture and correlational selection, rather than by any single mechanism. Our findings suggest that spatially complex trait distributions may be driven more by the simple interaction between multiple processes than by complex variation in one mechanism alone. These interactions are particularly important in mimicry systems, which frequently generate striking geographical variation and genetic correlations among colour pattern traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- John David Curlis
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alison R. Davis Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Iris A. Holmes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Timothy J. Renney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Christian L. Cox
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA,Department of Biological Sciences and Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
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5
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Cox CL, Bowers J, Obialo C, Curlis JD, Streicher JW. Spatial and temporal dynamics of exuberant colour polymorphism in the southern cricket frog. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1842536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christian L. Cox
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
- Institute for the Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Jessica Bowers
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Chinonye Obialo
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
| | - John David Curlis
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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6
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Hantak MM, Brooks KM, Hickerson CAM, Anthony CD, Kuchta SR. A Spatiotemporal Assessment of Dietary Partitioning between Color Morphs of a Terrestrial Salamander. COPEIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-19-264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maggie M. Hantak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701; (MMH) . Send reprint requests to MMH
| | - Kyle M. Brooks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701; (MMH) . Send reprint requests to MMH
| | | | - Carl D. Anthony
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio 44118
| | - Shawn R. Kuchta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701; (MMH) . Send reprint requests to MMH
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7
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Banci KRS, Eterovic A, Marinho PS, Marques OAV. Being a bright snake: Testing aposematism and mimicry in a neotropical forest. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - André Eterovic
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Santo André Brazil
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8
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Briolat ES, Burdfield‐Steel ER, Paul SC, Rönkä KH, Seymoure BM, Stankowich T, Stuckert AMM. Diversity in warning coloration: selective paradox or the norm? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:388-414. [PMID: 30152037 PMCID: PMC6446817 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Aposematic theory has historically predicted that predators should select for warning signals to converge on a single form, as a result of frequency-dependent learning. However, widespread variation in warning signals is observed across closely related species, populations and, most problematically for evolutionary biologists, among individuals in the same population. Recent research has yielded an increased awareness of this diversity, challenging the paradigm of signal monomorphy in aposematic animals. Here we provide a comprehensive synthesis of these disparate lines of investigation, identifying within them three broad classes of explanation for variation in aposematic warning signals: genetic mechanisms, differences among predators and predator behaviour, and alternative selection pressures upon the signal. The mechanisms producing warning coloration are also important. Detailed studies of the genetic basis of warning signals in some species, most notably Heliconius butterflies, are beginning to shed light on the genetic architecture facilitating or limiting key processes such as the evolution and maintenance of polymorphisms, hybridisation, and speciation. Work on predator behaviour is changing our perception of the predator community as a single homogenous selective agent, emphasising the dynamic nature of predator-prey interactions. Predator variability in a range of factors (e.g. perceptual abilities, tolerance to chemical defences, and individual motivation), suggests that the role of predators is more complicated than previously appreciated. With complex selection regimes at work, polytypisms and polymorphisms may even occur in Müllerian mimicry systems. Meanwhile, phenotypes are often multifunctional, and thus subject to additional biotic and abiotic selection pressures. Some of these selective pressures, primarily sexual selection and thermoregulation, have received considerable attention, while others, such as disease risk and parental effects, offer promising avenues to explore. As well as reviewing the existing evidence from both empirical studies and theoretical modelling, we highlight hypotheses that could benefit from further investigation in aposematic species. Finally by collating known instances of variation in warning signals, we provide a valuable resource for understanding the taxonomic spread of diversity in aposematic signalling and with which to direct future research. A greater appreciation of the extent of variation in aposematic species, and of the selective pressures and constraints which contribute to this once-paradoxical phenomenon, yields a new perspective for the field of aposematic signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle S. Briolat
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FEU.K.
| | - Emily R. Burdfield‐Steel
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskylä, 40014Finland
| | - Sarah C. Paul
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FEU.K.
- Department of Chemical EcologyBielefeld UniversityUniversitätsstraße 25, 33615, BielefeldGermany
| | - Katja H. Rönkä
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskylä, 40014Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinki, 00014Finland
| | - Brett M. Seymoure
- Department of BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCO 80525U.S.A.
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCO 80525U.S.A.
| | - Theodore Stankowich
- Department of Biological SciencesCalifornia State UniversityLong BeachCA 90840U.S.A.
| | - Adam M. M. Stuckert
- Department of BiologyEast Carolina University1000 E Fifth St, GreenvilleNC 27858U.S.A.
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9
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Akcali CK, Kikuchi DW, Pfennig DW. Coevolutionary arms races in Batesian mimicry? A test of the chase-away hypothesis. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher K Akcali
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - David W Kikuchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - David W Pfennig
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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10
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Cox CL, Davis Rabosky AR, Holmes IA, Reyes-Velasco J, Roelke CE, Smith EN, Flores-Villela O, McGuire JA, Campbell JA. Synopsis and taxonomic revision of three genera in the snake tribe Sonorini. J NAT HIST 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1449912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christian L. Cox
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, USA
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas-Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Alison R. Davis Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Iris A. Holmes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jacobo Reyes-Velasco
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas-Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
- Evolutionary Genomics Laboratory, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Corey E. Roelke
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas-Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Eric N. Smith
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas-Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | | | - Jimmy A. McGuire
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan A. Campbell
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas-Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
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11
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Akcali CK, Pfennig DW. Geographic variation in mimetic precision among different species of coral snake mimics. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1420-1428. [PMID: 28425157 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Batesian mimicry is widespread, but whether and why different species of mimics vary geographically in resemblance to their model is unclear. We characterized geographic variation in mimetic precision among four Batesian mimics of coral snakes. Each mimic occurs where its model is abundant (i.e. in 'deep sympatry'), rare (i.e. at the sympatry/allopatry boundary or 'edge sympatry') and absent (i.e. in allopatry). Geographic variation in mimetic precision was qualitatively different among these mimics. In one mimic, the most precise individuals occurred in edge sympatry; in another, they occurred in deep sympatry; in the third, they occurred in allopatry; and in the fourth, precise mimics were not concentrated anywhere throughout their range. Mimicry was less precise in allopatry than in sympatry in only two mimics. We present several nonmutually exclusive hypotheses for these patterns. Generally, examining geographic variation in mimetic precision - within and among different mimics - offers novel insights into the causes and consequences of mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- C K Akcali
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - D W Pfennig
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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12
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Holmes IA, Grundler MR, Davis Rabosky AR. Predator Perspective Drives Geographic Variation in Frequency-Dependent Polymorphism. Am Nat 2017; 190:E78-E93. [PMID: 28937812 DOI: 10.1086/693159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Color polymorphism in natural populations can manifest as a striking patchwork of phenotypes in space, with neighboring populations characterized by dramatic differences in morph composition. These geographic mosaics can be challenging to explain in the absence of localized selection because they are unlikely to result from simple isolation-by-distance or clinal variation in selective regimes. To identify processes that can lead to the formation of geographic mosaics, we developed a simulation-based model to explore the influence of predator perspective, selection, migration, and genetic linkage of color loci on allele frequencies in polymorphic populations over space and time. Using simulated populations inspired by the biology of Heliconius longwing butterflies, Cepaea land snails, Oophaga poison frogs, and Sonora ground snakes, we found that the relative sizes of predator and prey home ranges can produce large differences in morph composition between neighboring populations under both positive and negative frequency-dependent selection. We also demonstrated the importance of the interaction of predator perspective with the type of frequency dependence and localized directional selection across migration and selection intensities. Our results show that regional-scale predation can promote the formation of phenotypic mosaics in prey species, without the need to invoke spatial variation in selective regimes. We suggest that predator behavior can play an important and underappreciated role in the formation and maintenance of geographic mosaics in polymorphic species.
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