Deep learning image segmentation reveals patterns of UV reflectance evolution in passerine birds.

Autor: He Y; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK. yhe20@sheffield.ac.uk., Varley ZK; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK., Nouri LO; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK., Moody CJA; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK., Jardine MD; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK., Maddock S; Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello, Sheffield, S1 4DP, UK., Thomas GH; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK. gavin.thomas@sheffield.ac.uk.; Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum at Tring, Akeman Street, Tring, HP23 6AP, UK. gavin.thomas@sheffield.ac.uk., Cooney CR; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK. c.cooney@sheffield.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature communications [Nat Commun] 2022 Aug 29; Vol. 13 (1), pp. 5068. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Aug 29.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32586-5
Abstrakt: Ultraviolet colouration is thought to be an important form of signalling in many bird species, yet broad insights regarding the prevalence of ultraviolet plumage colouration and the factors promoting its evolution are currently lacking. In this paper, we develop a image segmentation pipeline based on deep learning that considerably outperforms classical (i.e. non deep learning) segmentation methods, and use this to extract accurate information on whole-body plumage colouration from photographs of >24,000 museum specimens covering >4500 species of passerine birds. Our results demonstrate that ultraviolet reflectance, particularly as a component of other colours, is widespread across the passerine radiation but is strongly phylogenetically conserved. We also find clear evidence in support of the role of light environment in promoting the evolution of ultraviolet plumage colouration, and a weak trend towards higher ultraviolet plumage reflectance among bird species with ultraviolet rather than violet-sensitive visual systems. Overall, our study provides important broad-scale insight into an enigmatic component of avian colouration, as well as demonstrating that deep learning has considerable promise for allowing new data to be brought to bear on long-standing questions in ecology and evolution.
(© 2022. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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