Coevolution of coloration and colour vision?

Abstract

The evolutionary relationship between signals and animal senses has broad significance, with potential consequences for speciation, and for the efficacy and honesty of biological communication. Here we outline current understanding of the diversity of colour vision in two contrasting groups: the phylogenetically conservative birds, and the more variable butterflies. Evidence for coevolution of colour signals and vision exists in both groups, but is limited to observations of phenotypic differences between visual systems, which might be correlated with coloration. Here, to illustrate how one might interpret the evolutionary significance of such differences, we used colour vision modelling based on an avian eye to evaluate the effects of variation in three key characters: photoreceptor spectral sensitivity, oil droplet pigmentation and the proportions of different photoreceptor types. The models predict that physiologically realistic changes in any one character will have little effect, but complementary shifts in all three can substantially affect discriminability of three types of natural spectra. These observations about the adaptive landscape of colour vision may help to explain the general conservatism of photoreceptor spectral sensitivities in birds. This approach can be extended to other types of eye and spectra to inform future work on coevolution of coloration and colour vision.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'.

Conserved visual sensitivities across divergent lizard lineages that differ in an ultraviolet sexual signal

“…These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the coevolution of color signals and visual systems is rare in terrestrial systems (Lind, Henze, Kelber, & Osorio, ). The strength of selection on visual sensitivities to optimize signal perception is likely to be weaker in terrestrial than aquatic systems because terrestrial light environments are less distinct and more variable over time and space whereas aquatic systems vary more steeply and consistently in background radiance (Chiao, Vorobyev, Cronin, & Osorio, ; Endler, ; Goldsmith, ; Levine & MacNichol, ).…”

Opsin expression predicts male nuptial color in threespine stickleback

“…Trait correlations such as these are an essential feature of many models of sexual selection and signal evolution and can help explain the apparent concerted evolution of signal and preference in nature. Our results highlight the potential importance of opsin expression variation as a substrate for female preference evolution (Bloch, , ; Lind et al., ; Price, ; Sandkam et al., ). Finally, these results suggest a potential sensory mechanism that could facilitate the maintenance of variation in male nuptial color via negative frequency‐dependent selection (Bolnick et al.…”

“…Furthermore, visual modeling results and path analyses suggest that this correlation is not an artifact of shared tuning to the optical microhabitat, which varies with nest depth. These results provide further evidence for signal-preference/sensitivity correlations, as well as highlight the potential importance of opsin expression variation as a substrate for both female preference evolution (Bakker, 1993;Bloch, 2015Bloch, , 2016Lind, Henze, & Osorio, 2017;Price, 2017;Rick et al, 2011;Sandkam et al, 2015) and negative frequencydependent selection via male-male competition (Bolnick et al 2016).…”

Mathematical modeling of the protective coloration of animals with usage of parameters of diversity and evenness

“…A certain statement conrmed in (Endler and Mappes, 2017;Johnsen et al, 2014;Marshall and Johnsen, 2017;Feller et al, 2017;Lind et al, 2017;Shawkey and D'Alba, 2017;San-Jose and Roulin, 2017;Merilaita et al, 2017;Duarte et al, 2017;Nothdurft, 2018) appears to be well-grounded. It means the following.…”