Miyagi Ryutaro, Terai Yohey
Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University.
Genes Genet Syst. 2013;88(3):145-53. doi: 10.1266/ggs.88.145.
The amazing coloration shown by diverse cichlid fish not only fascinates aquarium keepers, but also receives great attention from biologists interested in speciation because of its recently-revealed role in their adaptive radiation in an African lake. We review the important role of coloration in the speciation and adaptive evolution of Lake Victoria cichlids, which have experienced adaptive radiation during a very short evolutionary period. Mature male cichlids display their colors during mate choice. The color of their skin reflects light, and the reflected light forms a color signal that is received by the visual system of females. The adaptive divergence of visual perceptions shapes and diverges colorations, to match the adapted visual perceptions. The divergence of visual perception and coloration indicates that the divergence of color signals causes reproductive isolation between species, and this process leads to speciation. Differences in color signals among coexisting species act to maintain reproductive isolation by preventing hybridization. Thus, the diversity of coloration has caused speciation and has maintained species diversity in Lake Victoria cichlids.
各种丽鱼科鱼类所呈现出的惊人色彩不仅令水族爱好者着迷，也因其在非洲一个湖泊中的适应性辐射中最近被揭示的作用，而受到对物种形成感兴趣的生物学家的高度关注。我们回顾了色彩在维多利亚湖丽鱼科鱼类物种形成和适应性进化中的重要作用，这些鱼类在非常短的进化时期内经历了适应性辐射。成熟的雄性丽鱼科鱼类在择偶时展示它们的颜色。它们皮肤的颜色反射光线，反射光形成一种颜色信号，被雌性的视觉系统接收。视觉感知的适应性分化塑造并分化了色彩，以匹配适应的视觉感知。视觉感知和色彩的分化表明，颜色信号的差异导致了物种之间的生殖隔离，而这个过程导致了物种形成。共存物种之间颜色信号的差异通过防止杂交来维持生殖隔离。因此，色彩的多样性导致了维多利亚湖丽鱼科鱼类的物种形成，并维持了物种多样性。
