Colour scales with climate in North American ratsnakes: a test of the thermal melanism hypothesis using community science images.
Biol Lett
; 18(12): 20220403, 2022 12.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36541094
ABSTRACT
Animal colour is a complex trait shaped by multiple selection pressures that can vary across geography. The thermal melanism hypothesis predicts that darker coloration is beneficial to animals in colder regions because it allows for more rapid solar absorption. Here, we use community science images of three closely related species of North American ratsnakes (genus Pantherophis) to examine if climate predicts colour variation across range-wide scales. We predicted that darker individuals are found in colder regions and higher elevations, in accordance with the thermal melanism hypothesis. Using an unprecedented dataset of over 8000 images, we found strong support for temperature as a key predictor of darker colour, supporting thermal melanism. We also found that elevation and precipitation are predictive of colour, but the direction and magnitude of these effects were more variable across species. Our study is the first to quantify colour variation in Pantherophis ratsnakes, highlighting the value of community science images for studying range-wide colour variation.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Clima
/
Melanosis
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biol Lett
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos