Distance-dependent defensive coloration in the poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius, Dendrobatidae.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 115(25): 6416-6421, 2018 06 19.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29866847
ABSTRACT
Poison dart frogs provide classic examples of warning signals potent toxins signaled by distinctive, conspicuous coloration. We show that, counterintuitively, the bright yellow and blue-black color of Dendrobates tinctorius (Dendrobatidae) also provides camouflage. Through computational modeling of predator vision, and a screen-based detection experiment presenting frogs at different spatial resolutions, we demonstrate that at close range the frog is highly detectable, but from a distance the colors blend together, forming effective camouflage. This result was corroborated with an in situ experiment, which found survival to be background-dependent, a feature more associated with camouflage than aposematism. Our results suggest that in D. tinctorius the distribution of pattern elements, and the particular colors expressed, act as a highly salient close range aposematic signal, while simultaneously minimizing detectability to distant observers.
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1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Anuros
/
Venenos
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article