Preißler Kathleen, Rodríguez Ariel, Pröhl Heike
Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals Institute of Biology University Leipzig Leipzig Germany.
Institute of Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine of Hannover Hannover Germany.
Ecol Evol. 2021 Nov 30;11(23):17557-17567. doi: 10.1002/ece3.8391. eCollection 2021 Dec.
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 () 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 . 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 . and other species.
在猎物物种中，通过背景颜色与当地栖息地匹配实现的表型适应是一种重要的生存机制。因此，在具有不同栖息地特征（如土壤、植被）的地区之间，预计会存在拟态颜色的种内变异。黄腹蟾蜍（）呈现出在不同种群间有所变化的深色背部，这种颜色被认为具有保护色作用。在本研究中，我们探究了：I）背部颜色的地理变异；II）来自三个底物颜色不同地区的黄腹蟾蜍的颜色可塑性。通过鸟类视觉建模，我们发现，与其他地区的底物相比，当地底物上拟态背部的亮度对比度显著更低。在实验中，来自一个种群的个体能够迅速改变背部颜色以匹配较浅的底物。我们得出结论：环境介导了拟态背部颜色的适应性变化。我们建议进一步开展研究，以测试颜色变化发生的机制，并探究黄腹蟾蜍及其他物种在不同亮度底物上颜色可塑性的适应潜力。
