scholarly journals Male colour variation in a eurytopic African cichlid: the role of diet and hypoxia

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia V. McNeil ◽  
Caitlin N. Friesen ◽  
Suzanne M. Gray ◽  
Amalia Aldredge ◽  
Lauren J. Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Colour Variation ◽  
African Cichlid

scholarly journals Morphological and plumage colour variation in the Réunion grey white-eye (Aves:Zosterops borbonicus): assessing the role of selection

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josselin Cornuault ◽  
Boris Delahaie ◽  
Joris A. M. Bertrand ◽  
Yann X. C. Bourgeois ◽  
Borja Milá ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation

scholarly journals Modular genetic control of social status in a cichlid fish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau A. Alward ◽  
Vibhav Laud ◽  
Christopher J. Skalnik ◽  
Ryan A. York ◽  
Scott Juntti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractSocial hierarchies are ubiquitous in social species and profoundly influence physiology and behavior. Androgens like testosterone have been strongly linked to social status, yet the molecular mechanisms regulating social status are not known. The African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni is a powerful model species for elucidating the role of androgens in social status given their rich social hierarchy and genetic tractability. Dominant A. burtoni males possess large testes, bright coloration, and perform aggressive and reproductive behaviors while non-dominant males do not. Social status in A. burtoni is in flux, however, as males alter their status depending on the social environment. Due to a teleost-specific whole-genome duplication, A. burtoni possess two androgen receptor (AR) paralogs, ARα and ARβ, providing a unique opportunity to disentangle the role of gene duplication in the evolution of social systems. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to generate AR mutant A. burtoni and performed a suite of experiments to interrogate the mechanistic basis of social dominance. We find that ARβ, but not ARα, is required for testes growth and bright coloration, while ARα, but not ARβ, is required for the performance of reproductive behavior and aggressive displays. Both receptors are required to reduce flees from females and either AR is sufficient for attacking males. Thus, social status in A. burtoni is inordinately dissociable and under the modular control of two AR paralogs. This type of non-redundancy may be important in facilitating social plasticity in A. burtoni and other species whose social status relies on social experience.Significance StatementSocial rank along a hierarchy determines physiological state and behavioral performance. A ubiquitous feature of social hierarchies is the communication of rank through non-physical signaling systems (e.g., coloration) and aggression, traits that correlate with the reproductive status of an individual. Despite the links identified between social status, physiology, and behavior, the molecular basis of social status is not known. Here, we genetically dissect social status in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. We show that two distinct androgen receptor (AR) genes control social status in a highly modular manner. This type of coordination of social status may be fundamental across species that rely on social information to optimally guide physiology and behavior.

Selection on quantitative colour variation in Centaurea cyanus : the role of the pollinator's visual system

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2415-2427 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Renoult ◽  
M. Thomann ◽  
H. M. Schaefer ◽  
P.-O. Cheptou
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Centaurea Cyanus

scholarly journals Phaeomelanin matters: redness associates with inter-individual differences in behaviour and hormone profiles in male Scops owls (Otus scops)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANGEL CRUZ MIRALLES ◽  
Jesús M. Avilés ◽  
Olivier Chastel ◽  
Mónica Expósito-Granados ◽  
Deseada Parejo
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Phenotypic Integration ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Parental Behaviour ◽  
Consistent Variation

Abstract Background: Individuals within populations often show consistent variation in behavioural and physiological traits, which are frequently inter-correlated, potentially leading to phenotypic integration. Understanding the mechanisms behind such integration is a key task in evolutionary ecology, and melanism has been suggested to play a pivotal role. In birds, most of plumage colour variation is determined by two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but the role of melanin in avian phenotype integration has mostly been analysed in relation to eumelanin. Here we test for covariation between phaeo-melanin-based coloration, behavioural traits (i.e. nest territoriality, response against researchers, breath rate and parental behaviour) and corticosterone profiles in the polymorphic scops owl Otus scops , a bird species in which more phaeomelanic individuals display reddish colorations. Results: In males, we observed differences between red and grey individuals in latency to return to the nest after being disturbed and in feather CORT. Reddish males took longer to return to their nests and showed higher levels of feather CORT than grey ones. Behaviour and CORT profiles did not differ between red and grey females. Conclusions: The found associations between redness, behaviour and CORT in males, but not in females, might suggest the existence of a sex-specific integrated phaeomelanic phenotype, likely due to pleiotropy, in scops owls.

scholarly journals Phaeomelanin matters: Redness associates with inter-individual differences in behaviour and feather corticosterone in male scops owls (Otus scops)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241380
Author(s):  
Ángel Cruz-Miralles ◽  
Jesús M. Avilés ◽  
Olivier Chastel ◽  
Mónica Expósito-Granados ◽  
Deseada Parejo
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Phenotypic Integration ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Parental Behaviour ◽  
Consistent Variation ◽  
Feather Corticosterone

Individuals within populations often show consistent variation in behavioural and physiological traits which are frequently inter-correlated, potentially leading to phenotypic integration. Understanding the mechanisms behind such integration is a key task in evolutionary ecology, and melanin based colouration has been suggested to play a pivotal role. In birds, most of plumage colour variation is determined by two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but the role of phaeomelanin in avian phenotype integration has been barely investigated. Here, we test for covariation between phaeomelanin-based colouration, behavioural traits (i.e. nest territoriality, aggressiveness, breath rate and parental behaviour) and corticosterone in feathers in the polymorphic scops owl Otus scops, a bird species in which more phaeomelanic individuals display reddish colourations. In males, we observed that reddish males took longer to return to their nests and showed higher levels of feather CORT than more greyish ones. Behaviour and feather CORT were not associated to plumage colour in females. The found associations between redness, behaviour and feather CORT in males, but not in females, might suggest the existence of a sex-specific integrated phaeomelanic phenotype in scops owls.

scholarly journals How are pollinators guided by colourful floral structures? A commentary on: ‘The role of pollinator preference in the maintenance of pollen colour variation’

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. iv-vi ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Hempel de Ibarra ◽  
Hema Somanathan
Keyword(s):  
Colour Variation ◽  
Pollinator Preference ◽  
Pollen Colour

This article comments on: Jennifer L. Ison, Elizabeth S. L. Tuan, Matthew H. Koski, Jack S. Whalen and Laura F. Galloway. 2019. The role of pollinator preference in the maintenance of pollen colour variation. Annals of Botany 123(6): 951–960.

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