Stuart-Fox Devi, Newton Elizabeth, Clusella-Trullas Susana
School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017 Jul 5;372(1724). doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0345.
The importance of colour for temperature regulation in animals remains controversial. Colour can affect an animal's temperature because all else being equal, dark surfaces absorb more solar energy than do light surfaces, and that energy is converted into heat. However, in reality, the relationship between colour and thermoregulation is complex and varied because it depends on environmental conditions and the physical properties, behaviour and physiology of the animal. Furthermore, the thermal effects of colour depend as much on absorptance of near-infrared ((NIR), 700-2500 nm) as visible (300-700 nm) wavelengths of direct sunlight; yet the NIR is very rarely considered or measured. The few available data on NIR reflectance in animals indicate that the visible reflectance is often a poor predictor of NIR reflectance. Adaptive variation in animal coloration (visible reflectance) reflects a compromise between multiple competing functions such as camouflage, signalling and thermoregulation. By contrast, adaptive variation in NIR reflectance should primarily reflect thermoregulatory requirements because animal visual systems are generally insensitive to NIR wavelengths. Here, we assess evidence and identify key research questions regarding the thermoregulatory function of animal coloration, and specifically consider evidence for adaptive variation in NIR reflectance.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'.
颜色对动物体温调节的重要性仍存在争议。颜色会影响动物的体温，因为在其他条件相同的情况下，深色表面比浅色表面吸收更多的太阳能，而这些能量会转化为热量。然而，在现实中，颜色与体温调节之间的关系复杂多样，因为它取决于环境条件以及动物的物理特性、行为和生理状况。此外，颜色的热效应在很大程度上取决于动物对直射阳光近红外（NIR，700 - 2500纳米）和可见光（300 - 700纳米）波长的吸收率；然而，近红外很少被考虑或测量。关于动物近红外反射率的现有数据很少，这表明可见光反射率往往不能很好地预测近红外反射率。动物体色（可见光反射率）的适应性变化反映了伪装、信号传递和体温调节等多种相互竞争功能之间的权衡。相比之下，近红外反射率的适应性变化应主要反映体温调节需求，因为动物视觉系统通常对近红外波长不敏感。在这里，我们评估相关证据并确定有关动物体色体温调节功能的关键研究问题，特别考虑近红外反射率适应性变化的证据。本文是主题为“动物体色：产生、感知、功能及应用”特刊的一部分。
