Ultraviolet reflectance and pattern properties in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

Abramjan, Andran; Baranová, Veronika; Frýdlová, Petra; Landová, Eva; Frynta, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104060

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The hypothesis is not unrealistic because such a kind of adaptation has been already described in crustaceans ( Cummings et al. 2003 ; Siebeck et al 2010 ; Gagnon et al 2015 ; Abramjan et al 2020 ). For example, the mantis shrimp Gonodactylaceus falcatus produces strongly circularly polarized body patterns, which are discriminated by conspecifics to avoid occupied burrows when seeking refuge but are not seen by potential predators ( Gagnon et al 2015 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This trade-off between has several solutions both animals, including 1) signal partitioning, in which body regions visible to predators are used for camouflage and body regions hidden from potential predators are used for signaling ( Stuart–fox and Ord 2004 ), 2) colors that are not visible to predators but only to conspecifics, like ultra-violet or polarized light ( Cummings et al. 2003 ; Siebeck et al 2010 ; Abramjan et al 2020 ), 3) spatial resolution of coloration in a way that color is conspicuous only at a short distance, whereas at distance colors blend matching the background ( Barnett et al. 2018 ), and 4) changing colorations that become cryptic or conspicuous when necessary ( Stuart-Fox et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Color variation in signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus

et al. 2020

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External colouration in animals depends on the interaction of several different factors including the genetics and epigenetics processes that underlie the colour expression, the mechanisms of colour perception, and the general mechanisms controlling colour evolution and function. Among all, camouflage from predators and conspicuousness are of particular interest since pose animal to choose between opposite adjustment in colouration. The external colouration of crustaceans is mainly due to the accumulation of carotenoids in the exoskeleton and the epidermal layer, and the trade-off between camouflage and communication had lead to a variety of responses, involving signal partitioning, spectral sensibility, changing colouration or signalling behaviour. Here, we used digital images to explore intrapopulation variability of the external colouration of Pacifastacus leniusculus among body regions within an individual and between sexes. We found that i) ventral colouration of claws are more saturated and brilliant than upperparts, ii) males express a more saturated and brightness colouration than females, especially on the lower portion of claws, iii) colour intensity and brightness increases with size differently in different body regions, and iv) brightness is more variable in males than in females. All the above patterns support the hypothesis that colour in this species could be the result of a compromise between camouflage from predators and conspicuousness for communication. The results of this study suggest that carotenoid might have something to do with intraspecific communication and perform more complex functions than that of a simple pigment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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confidence: 99%

Color variation in signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus

et al. 2020

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“…The different locations of fluorescence as well as the different excitation wavelengths observed in the different species could further support the idea of fluorescence playing a role in intraspecific communication. Geckos have been found to have trichromatic color vision and are especially sensitive to wavelengths in the green, blue, violet, and UV range [43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. The documented fluorescent differences in geckos may indeed serve as a way for species to recognize other members of their own species.…”

Section: Phylum Chordatamentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding Fluorescence: Utilizing community science to document novel biofluorescence occurrences and encourage community engagement in science

Burke,

Serrano,

Lemmon

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Fluorescence, a form of photoluminescence, is the emission of light at a longer wavelength by a substance when exposed to shorter-wavelength energy. Biofluorescence, which can be observed in living organisms, involves the absorption of light at one wavelength and re-emission at a longer wavelength due to fluorophores in specialized cells or structures. While initially studied in marine organisms, attention has shifted to exploring biofluorescence in terrestrial organisms, revealing roles in reproduction, camouflage, communication, and prey attraction across phyla. Community science databases engage the public in data collection, fostering scientific discovery and strengthening the science-society connection. Such databases have become valuable tools and have aided scientists in understanding the natural history of many different traits in organisms. This paper introduces Finding Fluorescence, the first biofluorescence-based community science website established in 2020 to gather public observations of biofluorescent organisms. The study presents at least 15 novel biofluorescence accounts spanning five phyla, 15 families, and 15 species. The observations collected from Finding Fluorescence contribute to our understanding of fluorescence in organisms and provide insight into possible ecological functions. We emphasize the importance of community engagement in scientific exploration and encourage future studies to incorporate such aspects into their research.

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“…In this work, we used multispectral objective photography (Troscianko & Stevens, 2015) and a newly developed data extraction pipeline to extract the melanistic coloration from the background animal coloration on live and free to move E. macularius. Although other algorithms and pipelines are available to extract color data, including segmenting color patterns from background colors (see Glimm et al, 2021, Abramjan et al, 2020, and Troscianko & Stevens, 2015, our approach allowed for extracting the same type of color data over time -i.e., every 30 min at which the images of the gecko were taken -on the same freely moving individual allowing coloration and color pattern to be compared over time. In this study, we tested if: 1. individuals with a greater proportion of stable dorsal melanistic pattern across the body experience increase heating or cooling rates than individuals with lower proportion; 2. exposing individuals to lower suboptimal temperatures for this species elicits a physiological color change in the skin of the geckos; 3. individuals with a greater baseline proportion of melanistic coloration experience a lower amount of overall physiological color change (background light color and melanistic color).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the role of melanistic coloration on thermoregulation in the crepuscular geckoEublepharis macularius

Hastings

Melnyk

Ghyabi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Body coloration in ectotherms serves multiple biological functions, including avoiding predators, communicating with conspecific individuals, and involvement in thermoregulation. As ectotherms rely on environmental sources of heat to regulate their internal body temperature, stable melanistic body coloration or color change can be used to increase or decrease heat absorption and heat exchange with the environment. While the function of melanistic coloration for thermoregulation has been found to increase solar radiation absorption for heating in many diurnal ectotherms, research on crepuscular and nocturnal ectotherms is lacking. Since crepuscular and nocturnal ectotherms generally absorb heat from the substrate, coloration is likely under different selective pressures than in diurnal ectotherms. We tested if the proportion of dorsal melanistic body coloration is related to differences in body temperature heating and cooling rates in the crepuscular gecko Eublepharis macularius and whether changes in environmental temperature trigger color changes in this species. Temperature measurements of the geckos and of the environment were taken using infrared thermography and temperature loggers. Color data were obtained using objective photography and a newly developed custom software package. We found that body temperature reflected substrate temperatures, and that the proportion of melanistic coloration has no influence on heating or cooling rates or on color changes. These findings suggest that, in E. macularius, melanistic coloration may not be used for thermoregulation. Future research should further test the function of melanistic coloration in other crepuscular and nocturnal vertebrates to understand the evolution of melanistic pattern in animals active in low light conditions.

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Ultraviolet reflectance and pattern properties in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

Cited by 6 publications

References 62 publications

Color variation in signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus

Color variation in signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus

Finding Fluorescence: Utilizing community science to document novel biofluorescence occurrences and encourage community engagement in science

On the role of melanistic coloration on thermoregulation in the crepuscular geckoEublepharis macularius

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