Evidence for coloration plasticity in the yellow-bellied toad, Bombina variegata .

Autor: Preißler K; Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals Institute of Biology University Leipzig Leipzig Germany., Rodríguez A; Institute of Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine of Hannover Hannover Germany., Pröhl H; Institute of Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine of Hannover Hannover Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2021 Nov 30; Vol. 11 (23), pp. 17557-17567. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 30 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8391
Abstrakt: Phenotypic adaptation in terms of background color matching to the local habitat is an important mechanism for survival in prey species. Thus, intraspecific variation in cryptic coloration is expected among localities with dissimilar habitat features (e.g., soil, vegetation). Yellow-bellied toads ( Bombina variegata ) display a dark dorsal coloration that varies between populations, assumed to convey crypsis. In this study, we explored I) geographic variation in dorsal coloration and II) coloration plasticity in B . variegata from three localities differing in substrate coloration. Using avian visual modeling, we found that the brightness contrasts of the cryptic dorsa were significantly lower on the local substrates than substrates of other localities. In experiments, individuals from one population were able to quickly change the dorsal coloration to match a lighter substrate. We conclude that the environment mediates an adaptation in cryptic dorsal coloration. We suggest further studies to test the mechanisms by which the color change occurs and explore the adaptive potential of coloration plasticity on substrates of varying brightness in B . variegata and other species.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that no conflict of interest exists.
(© 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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