» Articles » PMID: 35197807

Context-dependent Coloration of Prey and Predator Decision Making in Contrasting Light Environments

Overview
Journal Behav Ecol
Date 2022 Feb 24
PMID 35197807
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

A big question in behavioral ecology is what drives diversity of color signals. One possible explanation is that environmental conditions, such as light environment, may alter visual signaling of prey, which could affect predator decision-making. Here, we tested the context-dependent predator selection on prey coloration. In the first experiment, we tested detectability of artificial visual stimuli to blue tits () by manipulating stimulus luminance and chromatic context of the background. We expected the presence of the chromatic context to facilitate faster target detection. As expected, blue tits found targets on chromatic yellow background faster than on achromatic grey background whereas in the latter, targets were found with smaller contrast differences to the background. In the second experiment, we tested the effect of two light environments on the survival of aposematic, color polymorphic wood tiger moth (). As luminance contrast should be more detectable than chromatic contrast in low light intensities, we expected birds, if they find the moths aversive, to avoid the white morph which is more conspicuous than the yellow morph in low light (and vice versa in bright light). Alternatively, birds may attack first moths that are more detectable. We found birds to attack yellow moths first in low light conditions, whereas white moths were attacked first more frequently in bright light conditions. Our results show that light environments affect predator foraging decisions, which may facilitate context-dependent selection on visual signals and diversity of prey phenotypes in the wild.

Citing Articles

Evolutionary Drivers of Conspicuous Spots in Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: ).

Lopez V, Allen W, Polido M, Almeida L, Williams K, Ferreira R Ecol Evol. 2025; 15(2):e70896.

PMID: 39896766 PMC: 11782072. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70896.


Exploring polymorphism in a palatable prey: predation risk and frequency dependence in relation to distinct levels of conspicuousness.

Poloni R, Dhennin M, Mappes J, Joron M, Nokelainen O Evol Lett. 2024; 8(3):406-415.

PMID: 38818419 PMC: 11134470. DOI: 10.1093/evlett/qrad071.


Predator selection on multicomponent warning signals in an aposematic moth.

Hamalainen L, Binns G, Hart N, Mappes J, McDonald P, ONeill L Behav Ecol. 2024; 35(1):arad097.

PMID: 38550303 PMC: 10976905. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad097.


Heterozygote advantage and pleiotropy contribute to intraspecific color trait variability.

De Pasqual C, Suisto K, Kirvesoja J, Gordon S, Ketola T, Mappes J Evolution. 2022; 76(10):2389-2403.

PMID: 35984008 PMC: 9805086. DOI: 10.1111/evo.14597.


Genetic colour variation visible for predators and conspecifics is concealed from humans in a polymorphic moth.

Nokelainen O, Galarza J, Kirvesoja J, Suisto K, Mappes J J Evol Biol. 2022; 35(3):467-478.

PMID: 35239231 PMC: 9314616. DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13994.


References
1.
Hart N, Partridge J, Cuthill I, Bennett A . Visual pigments, oil droplets, ocular media and cone photoreceptor distribution in two species of passerine bird: the blue tit (Parus caeruleus L.) and the blackbird (Turdus merula L.). J Comp Physiol A. 2000; 186(4):375-87. DOI: 10.1007/s003590050437. View

2.
Nokelainen O, Valkonen J, Lindstedt C, Mappes J . Changes in predator community structure shifts the efficacy of two warning signals in Arctiid moths. J Anim Ecol. 2013; 83(3):598-605. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12169. View

3.
Endler J, Mappes J . The current and future state of animal coloration research. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017; 372(1724). PMC: 5444071. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0352. View

4.
Kranz A, Cole G, Singh P, Endler J . Colour pattern component phenotypic divergence can be predicted by the light environment. J Evol Biol. 2018; 31(10):1459-1476. DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13342. View

5.
Caves E, Green P, Zipple M, Peters S, Johnsen S, Nowicki S . Categorical perception of colour signals in a songbird. Nature. 2018; 560(7718):365-367. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0377-7. View