Female European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) prefer males with high ultraviolet throat reflectance

Bajer, Katalin; Molnár, Orsolya; Török, János; Herczeg, Gábor

doi:10.1007/s00265-010-1012-2

Cited by 68 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Thorpe and Richard, 2001;Font and Molina-Borja, 2004;Molina-Borja et al, 2006;Pérez i de Lanuza and Font, 2007;Font et al, 2009;Pérez i de Lanuza, 2012;Pérez i de Lanuza et al, 2013b;Pérez i de Lanuza et al, 2014), but nothing is known about the visual perception of any lacertid in this wavelength range. Although the results of some behavioural experiments are consistent with the possibility that lacertids perceive UV wavelengths (Martín and López, 2009;Bajer et al, 2010), a conclusive demonstration of UV vision in this large lizard clade is lacking.…”

supporting

confidence: 51%

Ultraviolet vision in lacertid lizards: evidence from retinal structure, eye transmittance, SWS1 visual pigment genes, and behaviour

Lanuza

Font

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Ultraviolet (UV) vision and UV colour patches have been reported in a wide range of taxa and are increasingly appreciated as an integral part of vertebrate visual perception and communication systems. Previous studies with Lacertidae, a lizard family with diverse and complex coloration, have revealed the existence of UV-reflecting patches that may function as social signals. However, confirmation of the signalling role of UV coloration requires demonstrating that the lizards are capable of vision in the UV waveband. Here we use a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the visual sensitivity of a diverse sample of lacertid species. Spectral transmission measurements of the ocular media show that wavelengths down to 300 nm are transmitted in all the species sampled. Four retinal oil droplet types can be identified in the lacertid retina. Two types are pigmented and two are colourless. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that a type of colourless droplet is UV-transmitting and may thus be associated with UV-sensitive cones. DNA sequencing shows that lacertids have a functional SWS1 opsin, very similar at 13 critical sites to that in the presumed ancestral vertebrate (which was UV sensitive) and other UV-sensitive lizards. Finally, males of Podarcis muralis are capable of discriminating between two views of the same stimulus that differ only in the presence/absence of UV radiance. Taken together, these results provide convergent evidence of UV vision in lacertids, very likely by means of an independent photopigment. Moreover, the presence of four oil droplet types suggests that lacertids have a four-cone colour vision system.

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supporting

confidence: 51%

Ultraviolet vision in lacertid lizards: evidence from retinal structure, eye transmittance, SWS1 visual pigment genes, and behaviour

Lanuza

Font

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…In a variety of lizard species, females rely at least partly on aspects of male colouration to select mates (e.g. Lancaster et al, 2009;Bajer et al, 2010). UV-reflectance (structural colouration, Bajer et al, 2010;LeBas and Marshall, 2000) and red/orange/yellow colouration (carotenoid pigmentation, Healey et al, 2008;Lancaster et al, 2009) seem especially informative.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melanin-based colouration as a potential indicator of male quality in the lizard Zootoca vivipara (Squamata: Lacertidae)

2013

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In many animals, aspects of colouration are hypothesized to convey information on the body condition or quality of individuals. This idea has been tested primarily for the carotenoid-based component of body colouration. The significance of other pigments in this context has received far less attention. In the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara, the degree of black patterning on the ventrum and throats is sexually dimorphic and varies considerably among individuals. In this study, we examine whether this melanin-based component of body colouration may reflect individual differences in quality (SVL, condition, immune response). We find that males (but not females) with a higher degree of ventral patterning mount a stronger phytohcmagglutinin-induced immune response. The amount of black patterning does not correlate with body size, body condition, aspects of dorsal colouration or parasite load. We conclude that in male Zootoca vivipara, melanin-based ventral colouration may signal an aspect of immune capacity to sexual rivals or potential partners.

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“…Recent work in lacertids provided evidence for visual sensitivity to UV from retinal structure and molecular data (Pérez i de Lanuza and Font, 2014). In addition, behavioural tests indicate that lacertids can use UV signals of conspecifics to settle male contest and female mate choice (Bajer et al, 2010;Bajer et al, 2011). The common lizard Zootoca vivipara Jacquin 1789 and the wall lizard Podarcis muralis Laurenti 1768 are interesting candidates for the study of visual systems of lacertids because the two species inhabit contrasting habitats, display bright, non-nuptial colour patches that reflect UV and use visual signals for intraspecific communication (Martin, 2013;Vacher and Geniez, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of short and near infrared wavelength sensitivity for visual discrimination in two species of lacertid lizards

Martín¹,

Galliard

Meylan

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Male and female Lacertid lizards often display conspicuous coloration that is involved in intraspecific communication. However, visual systems of Lacertidae have rarely been studied and the spectral sensitivity of their retinal photoreceptors remains unknown. Here, we characterise the spectral sensitivity of two Lacertid species from contrasting habitats: the wall lizard Podarcis muralis and the common lizard Zootoca vivipara. Both species possess a pure-cone retina with one spectral class of double cones and four spectral classes of single cones. The two species differ in the spectral sensitivity of the LWS cones, the relative abundance of UVS single cones (potentially more abundant in Z. vivipara) and the coloration of oil droplets. Wall lizards have pure vitamin A1-based photopigments, whereas common lizards possess mixed vitamin A1 and A2 photopigments, extending spectral sensitivity into the near infrared, which is a rare feature in terrestrial vertebrates. We found that spectral sensitivity in the UV and near infrared improves discrimination of small variations in throat coloration among Z. vivipara. Thus, retinal specialisations optimise chromatic resolution in common lizards, indicating that the visual system and visual signals might co-evolve.

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Female European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) prefer males with high ultraviolet throat reflectance

Cited by 68 publications

References 54 publications

Ultraviolet vision in lacertid lizards: evidence from retinal structure, eye transmittance, SWS1 visual pigment genes, and behaviour

Ultraviolet vision in lacertid lizards: evidence from retinal structure, eye transmittance, SWS1 visual pigment genes, and behaviour

Melanin-based colouration as a potential indicator of male quality in the lizard Zootoca vivipara (Squamata: Lacertidae)

The importance of short and near infrared wavelength sensitivity for visual discrimination in two species of lacertid lizards

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