Review
Biology
Devi Stuart-Fox, Anne Aulsebrook, Katrina J. Rankin, Caroline M. Dong, Claire A. McLean
Summary: Research on colour polymorphic species, particularly in lizards, reveals both convergent and divergent traits in relation to behaviour, physiology, and life history. Future directions in this field include exploring the genetic basis of convergent phenotypes and the role of environmental variation in maintaining polymorphism. This active area of research continues to offer valuable insights for evolutionary biologists.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Andrew D. Cronin, Judith A. H. Smit, Matias Munoz, Armand Poirier, Peter A. Moran, Paul Jerem, Wouter Halfwerk
Summary: Urbanisation can influence mating opportunities and selection pressures on sexual traits. Studies show differences between urban and non-urban populations in terms of sexual traits and factors associated with urbanisation. However, there is limited understanding of the drivers of urban sexual selection and whether changes in traits are adaptive or short-term ecological responses. Urbanisation provides a unique opportunity to study sexual selection, but an integrative approach combining experimental and observational work is needed.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Athimed El Taher, Fabrizia Ronco, Michael Matschiner, Walter Salzburger, Astrid Boehne
Summary: Sex chromosome evolution was studied in cichlid fishes in Lake Tanganyika, revealing the highest rates of turnover and transitions among closely related species to date. The recruitment of sex chromosomes was found to be non-random, and the emergent sex chromosomes in cichlids support the limited options hypothesis of sex chromosome evolution.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
J. Gefaell, J. Galindo, C. Malvido, V Nunez, D. Estevez, S. Blanco, M. Gonzalez-Conde, S. Martinez-Dominguez, I Novo, G. Perez-Fernandez, A. Rus, I Mosconi, E. Rolan-Alvarez
Summary: Colour polymorphism is common in marine gastropod species from the genus Littorina. This study aims to determine the existence of negative assortative mating in three species of the subgenus Neritrema that share a similar shell colour polymorphism. Results suggest a systematic tendency towards negative assortative mating when shell colour is grouped in broad categories, indicating that shell colour may not be the main target of assortative mating. This opens up new lines of research in Littorina snails.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma Thibault, Sean M. Mahoney, James V. Briskie, Mateen Shaikh, Matthew W. Reudink
Summary: The elaborate ornamental plumage displayed by birds is largely attributed to sexual selection, with males' success in attracting mates driving the rapid evolution of such traits. This study examines the hypothesis that increased variance in reproductive success resulting from extra-pair paternity intensifies sexual selection pressure, leading to the elaboration of male plumage and sexual dichromatism. Through a large-scale comparative analysis of socially monogamous passerine species, the findings confirm the hypothesis and demonstrate a positive association between extra-pair paternity rates and male plumage coloration and sexual dichromatism. This study highlights the significant role of extra-pair mate choice in the evolution of ornamental traits.
Article
Ecology
Justin G. Cally, Devi Stuart-Fox, Luke Holman, James Dale, Iliana Medina
Summary: Sexual selection influences phylogenetic diversity by affecting speciation rates in passerine birds, with male-biased sexual selection and sexual size dimorphism predicting speciation rates. This relationship is independent of environmental factors, and there is no association between proxies of sexual selection and extinction rates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cheng-Yu Li, Joshua R. Steighner, Garrett Sweatt, Tod R. Thiele, Scott A. Juntti
Summary: CRISPR/Cas system allows manipulation of genes in various model organisms. This study developed protocols for CRISPR-edited cichlids and created a useful mutant line, enabling fast and accurate gene editing. Manipulating the Tyrosinase gene not only optimizes gene editing efficiency but also enables visualization of subdermal structures and fluorophores.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Eileen A. Hebets, Mitch Bern, Rowan H. McGinley, Andy Roberts, Arik Kershenbaum, James Starrett, Jason E. Bond
Summary: By studying two sister species of wolf spiders, researchers found that differences in their courtship signals were mainly influenced by diet dependency, leading to divergence in sensory modalities between the species. Different signaling environments also affected mating success rates.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Sina J. Rometsch, Julian Torres-Dowdall, Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino, Nidal Karagic, Axel Meyer
Summary: Exaggerated secondary sexual characteristics in males can serve as ornaments for attracting mates and armaments for male-male competition. However, possessing disproportionately large traits can also impose fitness costs on males due to decreased endurance and increased energetic costs during activities like swimming. The trade-offs associated with large secondary sexual characteristics illustrate the constraints imposed by natural selection on the further exaggeration of these traits.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
J. E. Garcia, A. G. Dyer, M. Burd, M. Shrestha
Summary: The study investigated the visual signal adaptations of flowers to pollinators, finding that the relationship between flower size, color contrast and green contrast varies across different plant communities.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jeffrey Podos
Summary: This essay explores the roles of costs and constraints in the evolution of sexual traits. The author suggests that the relative influence of costs and constraints shifts over different stages of sexual trait elaboration, with constraints ultimately becoming the dominant factor.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Nikita Sevastianov, Tatiana Neretina, Varvara Vedenina
Summary: The evolution of calling songs in Gomphocerinae was studied by analyzing the song characters and the ancestral character state reconstruction. The study showed that the ancestral song of Gomphocerinae consisted of short echemes, but echeme or syllable complexity increased over time. The study also found that the echeme structure was conservative in its evolution, while the syllable temporal structure was more labile and likely influenced by natural or sexual selection.
Article
Ecology
Jair E. Garcia, Detlef H. Rohr, Adrian G. Dyer
Summary: The perception of color by visual generalists is a complex multistage process largely generated by opponent neural representations in the brain. By analyzing psychophysics data from a Violet-Sensitive bird, the pigeon, researchers have produced the first behaviorally validated and biologically meaningful representation of how birds use color information in a probabilistic way. This new representation of bird vision will enhance modeling representations of how birds sense and utilize color information in complex environments.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Biology
Eric Warrant, Hema Somanathan
Summary: The ability to see color at night is rare in animals, especially in vertebrates, due to the challenge of achieving sufficient visual signal-to-noise ratio in dim light. However, some insects have unique optical and neural adaptations that enable reliable color vision even in starlight. This provides advantages for nocturnal insects, particularly in discriminating night-opening flowers and may be crucial for nocturnal pollination. However, this vital ecosystem service is threatened by anthropogenic light pollution.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
T. C. Bougie, A. Brelsford, M. Hedin
Summary: Through phylogenomic and clustering methods using RADseq, UCEs, and morphological data, this study revealed the impact of introgressive hybridization on genomes and morphology within a species complex of jumping spiders. Geographic region was a better predictor of phylogenetic relatedness and genomic similarity among species than species or morph identity. Rapid radiation and frequent introgression have homogenized the genomes of species in this system, while selective pressures maintain distinct male morphologies.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wen-Sung Chung, Nyoman D. Kurniawan, N. Justin Marshall
Summary: This study compares the neuroanatomy of diurnal and nocturnal coastal and deep-sea octopods, revealing that their habits and habitats are linked to characteristic changes in brain structure. The differences between solitary and social life are reflected in the formation of multiple compartments in the vertical lobe, resembling the cortex of vertebrates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noor D. White, Zachary A. Batz, Edward L. Braun, Michael J. Braun, Karen L. Carleton, Rebecca T. Kimball, Anand Swaroop
Summary: The study used a probe set to capture 46 genes related to avian vision, achieving high success rates and saving sequencing resources, while avoiding the issue of chimeric assembly. By applying these data, positively selected genes in the evolution of night vision and high-speed vision were identified, providing a new perspective for evolutionary research.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Amy Streets, Hayley England, Justin Marshall
Summary: Stomatopod crustaceans, or mantis shrimps, have a wide range of spectral sensitivity but poor spectral discrimination. They may utilize a different method of color processing, interpreting color as a parallel pattern of photoreceptor activation.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Naomi F. Green, Emily Guevara, Daniel C. Osorio, John A. Endler, N. Justin Marshall, Misha Vorobyev, Karen L. Cheney
Summary: This study explores the threshold changes in color discrimination for fish species and highlights the importance of considering different factors in color vision models. It provides valuable insights into the nonlinearities of photoreceptors and post-receptoral mechanisms in fish.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Karen L. Cheney, Jemma Hudson, Fanny de Busserolles, Martin Luehrmann, Abigail Shaughnessy, Cedric van den Berg, Naomi F. Green, N. Justin Marshall, Fabio Cortesi
Summary: Vision is crucial for animals to survive and navigate. This study provides detailed information on the visual system of Picasso triggerfish through behavioral experiments and molecular anatomy. The study reveals that Picasso triggerfish have high visual resolution and express only a subset of visual opsin genes.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Melissa M. Schreiner, Miranda R. Yourick, Scott A. Juntti, Karen L. Carleton
Summary: Cichlid fishes exhibit variation in visual sensitivities through differential expression of cone opsin genes. A. burtoni show a single cone progression from ultraviolet to blue sensitivity during development, while maintaining stable long wavelength double cones. Thyroid hormone and light environment play a role in driving these shifts.
Article
Biology
Lily G. Fogg, Fabio Cortesi, David Lecchini, Camille Gache, N. Justin Marshall, Fanny de Busserolles
Summary: This study investigates the visual development of the coral reef fish family using transcriptomics. The results show that the holocentrids are well adapted to photopic conditions initially and invest more in their scotopic visual system as they settle on the reef. By adulthood, they have well-developed scotopic vision and show upregulation of phototransduction genes.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Laurie J. Mitchell, Fabio Cortesi, N. Justin Marshall, Karen L. Cheney
Summary: Researchers have found that Barrier Reef anemonefish use ultraviolet color patterns to signal submissiveness. Fish with lower ultraviolet skin reflectance are more likely to win in dominance contests, while those with higher reflectance are more likely to lose. Juvenile subordinates benefit by signaling their submissiveness with a naturally higher ultraviolet skin reflectance, which reduces aggression from larger, more-dominant fish and aids with social group integration.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lily G. Fogg, Fabio Cortesi, Camille Gache, David Lecchini, N. Justin Marshall, Fanny de Busserolles
Summary: This study investigated the effects of short-term exposure to unnatural light conditions on the retina of juvenile and adult convict surgeonfish. The results showed phenotypic plasticity in the retina, with the most significant changes observed under constant dim light.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sian Vincent Venables, Christian Drerup, Samuel B. Powell, N. Justin Marshall, James E. Herbert-Read, Martin J. How
Summary: In shallow water, caustics can hinder visual perception for animals, but some animals have evolved polarization vision to counteract this. This study is the first to demonstrate that polarization vision reduces the negative impacts of dynamic illumination on visual perception.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Zeke M. Gonzalez, Scott A. Juntti, Karen L. Carleton
Summary: Cichlid fish have experienced rapid radiation, aided by sexual selection and their ability to mimic the appearance of eggs on their anal fins. However, it was uncertain whether cichlids can actually distinguish between eggs and egg spots in their natural environment. This study found that while the two haplochromine species could not distinguish the colors of eggs and egg spots, one species was able to distinguish egg spots from anal fins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara. M. M. Stieb, Fabio Cortesi, Luiz Jardim de Queiroz, Karen. L. L. Carleton, Ole Seehausen, N. Justin Marshall
Summary: This study investigates the expression of visual pigment gene (opsin) in coral reef fishes and finds that algivorous species with orange/red colors exhibit high expression of long-wavelength-sensitive (lws) opsin. This enhances their ability to detect algae and orange/red-colored conspecifics, possibly enabling social signalling.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wen-Sung Chung, Alejandra Lopez-Galan, Nyoman D. Kurniawan, N. Justin Marshall
Summary: This study provides the first detailed description of the neuroanatomical features of a tropical and diurnal cuttlefish and investigates ontogenetic changes in its visual and learning centers. Comparisons with other cuttlefish species are made to construct a connectivity map of the cuttlefish brain. The findings reveal brain anatomy differences and previously unknown neural connections associated with camouflage, motor control, and chemosensory function.
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Donald F. Boesch, Just Cebrian, Vanessa F. Fonseca, Stephen C. Landers, N. Justin Marshall
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)