scholarly journals Disruptive ecological selection on a mating cue

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1749) ◽  
pp. 4907-4913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Merrill ◽  
Richard W. R. Wallbank ◽  
Vanessa Bull ◽  
Patricio C. A. Salazar ◽  
James Mallet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Random Mating ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Ecological Selection ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
First Time

Adaptation to divergent ecological niches can result in speciation. Traits subject to disruptive selection that also contribute to non-random mating will facilitate speciation with gene flow. Such ‘magic’ or ‘multiple-effect’ traits may be widespread and important for generating biodiversity, but strong empirical evidence is still lacking. Although there is evidence that putative ecological traits are indeed involved in assortative mating, evidence that these same traits are under divergent selection is considerably weaker. Heliconius butterfly wing patterns are subject to positive frequency-dependent selection by predators, owing to aposematism and Müllerian mimicry, and divergent colour patterns are used by closely related species to recognize potential mates. The amenability of colour patterns to experimental manipulation, independent of other traits, presents an excellent opportunity to test their role during speciation. We conducted field experiments with artificial butterflies, designed to match natural butterflies with respect to avian vision. These were complemented with enclosure trials with live birds and real butterflies. Our experiments showed that hybrid colour-pattern phenotypes are attacked more frequently than parental forms. For the first time, we demonstrate disruptive ecological selection on a trait that also acts as a mating cue.

The immature stages of the genus Trepobates Uhler (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae), with an identification key to instars and the description of the nymphs of T. taylori (Kirkaldy)

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2733 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUSANA AMANDA KONOPKO ◽  
SILVIA ANA MAZZUCCONI
Keyword(s):  
Antennal Segment ◽  
Identification Key ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Immature Stages ◽  
Viii And Ix ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
First Time

The egg and five instars of Trepobates are described based on examined material of T. taylori and published information of T. inermis, T. knighti, T. panamensis, T. pictus, T. subnitidus and T. trepidus. The characters most useful in identifying nymphs I– V of Trepobates are: the width of the head; the lengths of the antennae, femora 1–3, tibiae 2–3 and tarsus 2–3; the Y-shaped ecdysial line of the head; the colour patterns of the proand mesonotum; and the urosternites VIII and IX. A key to the five nymphal instars of Trepobates is provided. The five instars of T. taylori are described and illustrated for the first time, with emphasis on the morphometry and colour pattern of selected structures, and chaetotaxy of the antennae; the egg is figured and redescribed. The characters useful in identifying nymphs I–V of this species are: the colour pattern of the head; the chaetotaxy of the antennal segment I; the lengths of the antennal segment III and mesonotum; and the width of the pronotum. Differences between sexes in nymphs IV and V are presented.

scholarly journals Classic and introgressed selective sweeps shape mimicry loci across a butterfly adaptive radiation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Moest ◽  
Steven M. Van Belleghem ◽  
Jennifer E. James ◽  
Camilo Salazar ◽  
Simon H. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Stabilizing Selection ◽  
High Coverage ◽  
Adaptive Introgression ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
History Of ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Turn Over

AbstractNatural selection leaves distinct signatures in the genome that can reveal the targets and history of adaptive evolution. By analysing high-coverage genome sequence data from four major colour pattern loci sampled from nearly 600 individuals in 53 populations, we show pervasive selection on wing patterns across the Heliconius adaptive radiation. The strongest signatures correspond to loci with the greatest phenotypic effects, consistent with visual selection by predators, and are found in colour patterns with geographically restricted distributions. These recent sweeps are similar between co-mimics and indicate colour pattern turn-over events despite strong stabilizing selection. Using simulations we compare sweep signatures expected under classic hard sweeps with those resulting from adaptive introgression, an important aspect of mimicry evolution in Heliconius. Simulated recipient populations show a distinct ‘volcano’ pattern with peaks of increased genetic diversity around the selected target, consistent with patterns found in some populations. Our genomic data provide unprecedented insights into the recent history of selection across the Heliconius adaptive radiation.

scholarly journals Hard to catch: experimental evidence supports evasive mimicry

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1946) ◽  
pp. 20203052
Author(s):  
Erika Páez ◽  
Janne K. Valkonen ◽  
Keith R. Willmott ◽  
Pável Matos-Maraví ◽  
Marianne Elias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Attack Rate ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Wing Colour ◽  
Morphological Convergence ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Candidate Group

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 areAdelphabutterflies, which are agile insects and show remarkable colour pattern convergence. We tested the ability of naive blue tits to learn to avoid and generalizeAdelphawing 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 amongAdelphaspecies, 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.

Colour pattern modification by coldshock in Lepidoptera

Development ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-305
Author(s):  
H. Frederik Nijhout
Keyword(s):  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Gradient System ◽  
Experimental Animals ◽  
Vanessa Cardui ◽  
Adult Wing ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
Pattern Determination ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Precis Coenia ◽  
Morphological Series

When young pupae of Vanessa cardui, V. virginiensis and Precis coenia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) are exposed to severe coldshock many develop aberrant adult wing patterns. For each species, a synchronous cohort of experimental animals always develops a broad range of aberrant pattern morphologies but these can always be arranged in a single unbranched morphological series. When such phenotypic series are compared, between species and between wing surfaces within a species (each wing surface usually bears a different colour pattern), many parallel modifications and trends become evident. These parallelisms reveal certain homologies of pattern elements and suggest that a common physiology underlies the development of a considerable diversity of normal and aberrant colour patterns. The case is made that the phenotypic series produced may represent either a series of sequential stages in colour pattern determination or, a series of quantitatively different ‘interpretations’ of an established gradient system. Colour pattern morphoclines reveal which patterns are developmentally ‘adjacent’ to one another and may therefore prove useful in elucidating the evolution of patterns.

scholarly journals Evolution of a mimicry supergene from a multilocus architecture

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1727) ◽  
pp. 316-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Jones ◽  
Patricio A. Salazar ◽  
Richard H. ffrench-Constant ◽  
Chris D. Jiggins ◽  
Mathieu Joron
Keyword(s):  
Morphometric Analysis ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Quantitative Trait ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Wing Pattern ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
First Time

The origin and evolution of supergenes have long fascinated evolutionary biologists. In the polymorphic butterfly Heliconius numata , a supergene controls the switch between multiple different forms, and results in near-perfect mimicry of model species. Here, we use a morphometric analysis to quantify the variation in wing pattern observed in two broods of H. numata with different alleles at the supergene locus, ‘ P ’. Further, we genotype the broods to associate the variation we capture with genetic differences. This allows us to begin mapping the quantitative trait loci that have minor effects on wing pattern. In addition to finding loci on novel chromosomes, our data, to our knowledge, suggest for the first time that ancestral colour-pattern loci, known to have major effects in closely related species, may contribute to the wing patterns displayed by H. numata , despite the large transfer of effects to the supergene.

scholarly journals Colour pattern as a single trait driving speciation in Hypoplectrus coral reef fishes?

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1615) ◽  
pp. 1265-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Puebla ◽  
Eldredge Bermingham ◽  
Frédéric Guichard ◽  
Elizabeth Whiteman
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Reef Fish Species ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Colour Morphs

Theory shows that speciation in the presence of gene flow occurs only under narrow conditions. One of the most favourable scenarios for speciation with gene flow is established when a single trait is both under disruptive natural selection and used to cue assortative mating. Here, we demonstrate the potential for a single trait, colour pattern, to drive incipient speciation in the genus Hypoplectrus (Serranidae), coral reef fishes known for their striking colour polymorphism. We provide data demonstrating that sympatric Hypoplectrus colour morphs mate assortatively and are genetically distinct. Furthermore, we identify ecological conditions conducive to disruptive selection on colour pattern by presenting behavioural evidence of aggressive mimicry, whereby predatory Hypoplectrus colour morphs mimic the colour patterns of non-predatory reef fish species to increase their success approaching and attacking prey. We propose that colour-based assortative mating, combined with disruptive selection on colour pattern, is driving speciation in Hypoplectrus coral reef fishes.

scholarly journals Hard to catch: Experimental evidence supports evasive mimicry

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Páez V ◽  
Janne K. Valkonen ◽  
Keith R. Willmott ◽  
Pável Matos-Maraví ◽  
Marianne Elias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Avoidance Learning ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Alternative Scenario ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Candidate Group

ABSTRACTMost research on aposematism has focused on chemically defended prey, but signalling difficulty of capture remains poorly explored. Similarly 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 naïve blue tits to learn to avoid and generalise Adelpha wing patterns associated with 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, but learning was faster with evasive prey compared with distasteful prey. Birds generalised their learned avoidance from evasive models to imperfect mimics if the mimic shared colours with the model. Despite imperfect mimics gaining protection from bird’s generalisation, perfect mimics always had the best fitness, supporting selection for accurate mimicry. Faster avoidance learning and broader generalisation of evasive prey suggest that being hard to catch may deter predators at least as effectively as distastefulness. Our results provide empirical evidence for a potentially widespread alternative scenario, evasive mimicry, for the evolution of similar aposematic colour patterns.

scholarly journals Dog colour patterns explained by modular promoters of ancient canid origin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danika L. Bannasch ◽  
Christopher B. Kaelin ◽  
Anna Letko ◽  
Robert Loechel ◽  
Petra Hug ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Hair Cycle ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Distribution ◽  
Multiple Alleles ◽  
Haplotype Combination ◽  
Regulatory Modules ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Colour Patterns

AbstractDistinctive colour patterns in dogs are an integral component of canine diversity. Colour pattern differences are thought to have arisen from mutation and artificial selection during and after domestication from wolves but important gaps remain in understanding how these patterns evolved and are genetically controlled. In other mammals, variation at the ASIP gene controls both the temporal and spatial distribution of yellow and black pigments. Here, we identify independent regulatory modules for ventral and hair cycle ASIP expression, and we characterize their action and evolutionary origin. Structural variants define multiple alleles for each regulatory module and are combined in different ways to explain five distinctive dog colour patterns. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the haplotype combination for one of these patterns is shared with Arctic white wolves and that its hair cycle-specific module probably originated from an extinct canid that diverged from grey wolves more than 2 million years ago. Natural selection for a lighter coat during the Pleistocene provided the genetic framework for widespread colour variation in dogs and wolves.

Fatigue Damage From High Mode Number Vortex-Induced Vibration

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kim Vandiver ◽  
Susan B. Swithenbank ◽  
Vivek Jaiswal ◽  
Vikas Jhingran
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Damage ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Higher Harmonics ◽  
Vortex Induced Vibration ◽  
Third Harmonic ◽  
The Third ◽  
Damage Rate ◽  
Surface Vessels ◽  
Vortex Shedding Frequency ◽  
First Time

This paper presents results from two field experiments using long flexible cylinders, suspended vertically from surface vessels. The experiments were designed to investigate vortex-induced vibration (VIV) at higher than tenth mode in uniform and sheared flows. The results of both experiments revealed significant vibration energy at the expected Strouhal frequency (referred to in this paper as the fundamental frequency) and also at two and three times the Strouhal frequency. Although higher harmonics have been reported before, this was the first time that the contribution to fatigue damage, resulting from the third harmonic, could be estimated with some certainty. This was enabled by the direct measurement of closely spaced strain gauges in one of the experiments. In some circumstances the largest RMS stress and fatigue damage due to VIV are caused by these higher harmonics. The total fatigue damage rate including the third harmonic is shown to be up to forty times greater than the damage rate due to the vibration at the fundamental vortex-shedding frequency alone. This dramatic increase in damage rate due to the third harmonic appears to be associated with a narrow range of reduced velocities in regions of the pipe associated with significant flow-induced excitation.

scholarly journals Can't tell the caterpillars from the trees: countershading enhances survival in a woodland

2008 ◽  
Vol 275 (1651) ◽  
pp. 2539-2545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah M Rowland ◽  
Innes C Cuthill ◽  
Ian F Harvey ◽  
Michael P Speed ◽  
Graeme D Ruxton
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Shape From Shading ◽  
The Body ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Background Matching ◽  
Lepidopteran Larvae ◽  
Beech Tree

Perception of the body's outline and three-dimensional shape arises from visual cues such as shading, contour, perspective and texture. When a uniformly coloured prey animal is illuminated from above by sunlight, a shadow may be cast on the body, generating a brightness contrast between the dorsal and ventral surfaces. For animals such as caterpillars, which live among flat leaves, a difference in reflectance over the body surface may degrade the degree of background matching and provide cues to shape from shading. This may make otherwise cryptic prey more conspicuous to visually hunting predators. Cryptically coloured prey are expected to match their substrate in colour, pattern and texture (though disruptive patterning is an exception), but they may also abolish self-shadowing and therefore either reduce shape cues or maintain their degree of background matching through countershading: a gradation of pigment on the body of an animal so that the surface closest to illumination is darker. In this study, we report the results from a series of field experiments where artificial prey resembling lepidopteran larvae were presented on the upper surfaces of beech tree branches so that they could be viewed by free-living birds. We demonstrate that countershading is superior to uniform coloration in terms of reducing attack by free-living predators. This result persisted even when we fixed prey to the underside of branches, simulating the resting position of many tree-living caterpillars. Our experiments provide the first demonstration, in an ecologically valid visual context, that shadowing on bodies (such as lepidopteran larvae) provides cues that visually hunting predators use to detect potential prey species, and that countershading counterbalances shadowing to enhance cryptic protection.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document