Do zebra stripes influence thermoregulation?

Cobb, A.; Cobb, Stephen P.

doi:10.1080/00222933.2019.1607600

Cited by 21 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Our results presented here show that the surface temperature of sunlit darker horses is higher than that of sunlit brighter horses. This result corresponds to previous measurements [21,22,23,24,25,26,27]. The differences in surface temperatures of dark and bright as well as sunlit and shaded hosts may partly explain their different attractiveness to tabanids.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Why do biting horseflies prefer warmer hosts? tabanids can escape easier from warmer targets

et al. 2020

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Blood-sucking horseflies (tabanids) prefer warmer (sunlit, darker) host animals and generally attack them in sunshine, the reason for which was unknown until now. Recently, it was hypothesized that blood-seeking female tabanids prefer elevated temperatures, because their wing muscles are quicker and their nervous system functions better at a warmer body temperature brought about by warmer microclimate, and thus they can more successfully avoid the host's parasite-repelling reactions by prompt takeoffs. To test this hypothesis, we studied in field experiments the success rate of escape reactions of tabanids that landed on black targets as a function of the target temperature, and measured the surface temperature of differently coloured horses with thermography. We found that the escape success of tabanids decreased with decreasing target temperature, that is escape success is driven by temperature. Our results explain the behaviour of biting horseflies that they prefer warmer hosts against colder ones. Since in sunshine the darker the host the warmer its body surface, our results also explain why horseflies prefer sunlit dark (brown, black) hosts against bright (beige, white) ones, and why these parasites attack their hosts usually in sunshine, rather than under shaded conditions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Why do biting horseflies prefer warmer hosts? tabanids can escape easier from warmer targets

et al. 2020

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“…In addition to clinal variation in striping, rare individuals exhibit aberrant stripe patterns, described anecdotally as "melanistic" or "spotted" (Caputo et al, 2018;Monfort, 1977). Overall, while the function of striping remains an active topic of debate (Caro & Stankowich, 2015;Cobb & Cobb, 2019;Ruxton, 2002, the pattern of geographic variation in striping and its correlation with environmental variation is well substantiated (Larison, Harrigan, Thomassen, et al, 2015). respect to reduced genetic diversity and phenotype?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population structure, inbreeding and stripe pattern abnormalities in plains zebras

et al. 2020

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One of the most iconic wild equids, the plains zebra occupies a broad region of sub-Saharan Africa and exhibits a wide range of phenotypic diversity in stripe patterns that have been used to classify multiple subspecies. After decades of relative stability, albeit with a loss of at least one recognized subspecies, the total population of plains zebras has undergone an approximate 25% decline since 2002. Individuals with abnormal stripe patterns have been recognized in recent years but the extent to which their appearance is related to demography and/or genetics is unclear. Investigating population genetic health and genetic structure are essential for developing effective strategies for plains zebra conservation. We collected DNA from 140 plains zebra, including seven with abnormal stripe patterns, from nine locations across the range of plains zebra, and analyzed data from restriction site-associated and whole genome sequencing (RAD-seq, WGS) libraries to better understand the relationships between population structure, genetic diversity, inbreeding, and abnormal phenotypes. We found that genetic structure did not coincide with described subspecific variation, but did distinguish geographic regions in which anthropogenic habitat fragmentation is associated with reduced gene flow and increased evidence of inbreeding, especially in certain parts of East Africa. Further, zebras with abnormal striping exhibited increased levels of inbreeding relative to normally striped individuals from the same populations. Our results point to a genetic cause of stripe pattern abnormalities, and dramatic evidence of the consequences of habitat fragmentation.

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“…In principle, cooling could be driven by these assumed convective eddies due to transporting warm air away over the warmer black stripes. Furthermore, convection might accelerate the evaporation of sweat on the zebra skin 7 . There are roughly two opposing opinions in the literature on the hypothesis of thermoregulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new argument against cooling by convective air eddies formed above sunlit zebra stripes

Pereszlényi

Száz

Jánosi

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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There is a long-lasting debate about the possible functions of zebra stripes. According to one hypothesis, periodical convective air eddies form over sunlit zebra stripes which cool the body. However, the formation of such eddies has not been experimentally studied. Using schlieren imaging in the laboratory, we found: downwelling air streams do not form above the white stripes of light-heated smooth or hairy striped surfaces. The influence of stripes on the air stream formation (facilitating upwelling streams and hindering horizontal stream drift) is negligible higher than 1–2 cm above the surface. In calm weather, upwelling air streams might form above sunlit zebra stripes, however they are blown off by the weakest wind, or even by the slowest movement of the zebra. These results forcefully contradict the thermoregulation hypothesis involving air eddies.

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Do zebra stripes influence thermoregulation?

Cited by 21 publications

References 19 publications

Why do biting horseflies prefer warmer hosts? tabanids can escape easier from warmer targets

Why do biting horseflies prefer warmer hosts? tabanids can escape easier from warmer targets

Population structure, inbreeding and stripe pattern abnormalities in plains zebras

A new argument against cooling by convective air eddies formed above sunlit zebra stripes

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