Variation in Ventral Coloration Pattern and Aposematism in Tropical Warty Newts.

Aposematic coloration plays a crucial role in animal defense, and it is shaped by a complex interplay of factors such as physiological limitations and sexual and natural selection. Warty newts within the genus Paramesotriton exhibit significant variation in ventral coloration. In this study, we quantified the percentage of red ventral area to investigate aposematic ventral coloration in Paramesotriton deloustali and P. guangxiensis across eight populations in northern Vietnam. To assess the interaction between predators and the aposematic signals, we conducted experiments employing three types of clay replicas of newts: dorsal, red ventral, and black ventral models. Our findings revealed a significant variation in the red ventral area among different populations. Additionally, a significant correlation was detected between the red ventral area of the newt and the annual temperature range. In clay model experiments, a significant difference in predator attack rates was observed between dorsal and ventral clay models. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in attack rates between red and black ventral types. Our study suggested that the variation in the red ventral area of warty newts is probably influenced by multiple factors, including genetic constraints, sex, ambient environment, and diet. Furthermore, our results supported the effectiveness of displaying aposematic coloration as an antipredator defense mechanism in warty newts. However, variations in body size and the pressure of mammal predation might not play a significant role in determining aposematic coloration.

Antipredator defences in motion: animals reduce predation risks by concealing or misleading motion signals.

Motion is a crucial part of the natural world, yet our understanding of how animals avoid predation whilst moving remains rather limited. Although several theories have been proposed for how antipredator defence may be facilitated during motion, there is often a lack of supporting empirical evidence, or conflicting findings. Furthermore, many studies have shown that motion often 'breaks' camouflage, as sudden movement can be detected even before an individual is recognised. Whilst some static camouflage strategies may conceal moving animals to a certain extent, more emphasis should be given to other modes of camouflage and related defences in the context of motion (e.g. flicker fusion camouflage, active motion camouflage, motion dazzle, and protean motion). Furthermore, when motion is involved, defence strategies are not necessarily limited to concealment. An animal can also rely on motion to mislead predators with regards to its trajectory, location, size, colour pattern, or even identity. In this review, we discuss the various underlying antipredator strategies and the mechanisms through which they may be linked to motion, conceptualising existing empirical and theoretical studies from two perspectives - concealing and misleading effects. We also highlight gaps in our understanding of these antipredator strategies, and suggest possible methodologies for experimental designs/test subjects (i.e. prey and/or predators) and future research directions.

A tunable reflector enabling crustaceans to see but not be seen.

Many oceanic prey animals use transparent bodies to avoid detection. However, conspicuous eye pigments, required for vision, compromise the organisms' ability to remain unseen. We report the discovery of a reflector overlying the eye pigments in larval decapod crustaceans and show how it is tuned to render the organisms inconspicuous against the background. The ultracompact reflector is constructed from a photonic glass of crystalline isoxanthopterin nanospheres. The nanospheres' size and ordering are modulated to tune the reflectance from deep blue to yellow, enabling concealment in different habitats. The reflector may also function to enhance the acuity or sensitivity of the minute eyes by acting as an optical screen between photoreceptors. This multifunctional reflector offers inspiration for constructing tunable artificial photonic materials from biocompatible organic molecules.

Glassfrogs conceal blood in their liver to maintain transparency.

Transparency in animals is a complex form of camouflage involving mechanisms that reduce light scattering and absorption throughout the organism. In vertebrates, attaining transparency is difficult because their circulatory system is full of red blood cells (RBCs) that strongly attenuate light. Here, we document how glassfrogs overcome this challenge by concealing these cells from view. Using photoacoustic imaging to track RBCs in vivo, we show that resting glassfrogs increase transparency two- to threefold by removing ~89% of their RBCs from circulation and packing them within their liver. Vertebrate transparency thus requires both see-through tissues and active mechanisms that "clear" respiratory pigments from these tissues. Furthermore, glassfrogs' ability to regulate the location, density, and packing of RBCs without clotting offers insight in metabolic, hemodynamic, and blood-clot research.

Ecological specialization and reproductive isolation among closely related sympatric ant-eating spiders.

Biological divergence results from several mechanisms. Defensive mechanisms, such as Batesian mimicry, can cause reproductive isolation via temporal segregation in foraging activity, particularly, in species that closely associate with their model. This seems to be the case of ant-eating spiders, which can be inaccurate Batesian mimics of their prey. Here, we focused on Zodarion nitidum, which has two forms occurring in sympatry, black and yellow. Given the expected noticeable impact of their colour differences on the spiders' interactions with their potential predators and prey, we investigated whether these morphotypes have diverged in other aspects of their biology. We measured the two morphotypes' phenotypic resemblance to a mimetic model, tested whether they were protected from predators, investigated their circadian activity, surveyed the prey they hunted, modelled their distributions, performed crossing experiments and estimated their degree of genetic differentiation. We found that the black morphotype is ant-like, resembling Messor ants, and it was not distinguishable from their ant models by four potential predators. In contrast, the yellow morphotype seems to use predator avoidance as a defensive strategy. Additionally, the two morphotypes differ in their circadian activity, the yellow morphotype being nocturnal and the black one being diurnal. The two morphotypes hunt and associate with different ant prey and possess marked differences in venom composition. Finally, crossing trials showed complete pre-mating isolation between the two morphotypes, but there was no evidence of genetic (mitochondrial data) or environmental niche differentiation. We conclude that the two morphotypes show evidence of a deep differentiation in morphological, behavioural, physiological and ecological traits that evolved together as part of the spider's diverging lifestyles.

Anti-bat ultrasound production in moths is globally and phylogenetically widespread.

Warning signals are well known in the visual system, but rare in other modalities. Some moths produce ultrasonic sounds to warn bats of noxious taste or to mimic unpalatable models. Here, we report results from a long-term study across the globe, assaying moth response to playback of bat echolocation. We tested 252 genera, spanning most families of large-bodied moths, and document anti-bat ultrasound production in 52 genera, with eight subfamily origins described. Based on acoustic analysis of ultrasonic emissions and palatability experiments with bats, it seems that acoustic warning and mimicry are the raison d'être for sound production in most moths. However, some moths use high-duty-cycle ultrasound capable of jamming bat sonar. In fact, we find preliminary evidence of independent origins of sonar jamming in at least six subfamilies. Palatability data indicate that jamming and warning are not mutually exclusive strategies. To explore the possible organization of anti-bat warning sounds into acoustic mimicry rings, we intensively studied a community of moths in Ecuador and, using machine-learning approaches, found five distinct acoustic clusters. While these data represent an early understanding of acoustic aposematism and mimicry across this megadiverse insect order, it is likely that ultrasonically signaling moths comprise one of the largest mimicry complexes on earth.

Aposematism facilitates the diversification of parental care strategies in poison frogs.

Many organisms have evolved adaptations to increase the odds of survival of their offspring. Parental care has evolved several times in animals including ectotherms. In amphibians, ~ 10% of species exhibit parental care. Among these, poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are well-known for their extensive care, which includes egg guarding, larval transport, and specialized tadpole provisioning with trophic eggs. At least one third of dendrobatids displaying aposematism by exhibiting warning coloration that informs potential predators about the presence of defensive skin toxins. Aposematism has a central role in poison frog diversification, including diet specialization, and visual and acoustic communication; and it is thought to have impacted their reproductive biology as well. We tested the latter association using multivariate phylogenetic methods at the family level. Our results show complex relationships between aposematism and certain aspects of the reproductive biology in dendrobatids. In particular, aposematic species tend to use more specialized tadpole-deposition sites, such as phytotelmata, and ferry fewer tadpoles than non-aposematic species. We propose that aposematism may have facilitated the diversification of microhabitat use in dendrobatids in the context of reproduction. Furthermore, the use of resource-limited tadpole-deposition environments may have evolved in tandem with an optimal reproductive strategy characterized by few offspring, biparental care, and female provisioning of food in the form of unfertilized eggs. We also found that in phytotelm-breeders, the rate of transition from cryptic to aposematic phenotype is 17 to 19 times higher than vice versa. Therefore, we infer that the aposematism in dendrobatids might serve as an umbrella trait for the evolution and maintenance of their complex offspring-caring activities.

Predation by avian predators may have initiated the evolution of myrmecomorph spiders.

Myrmecomorphy is a strategy utilized by a variety of species, among which spiders are the most common. It is supposed that myrmecomorphy tends to be selected by predator avoidance of preying on ants rather than by blind ant workers. To date, this hypothesis has been tested mainly on invertebrate predators (mantises and spiders). We are the first to test whether an imperfect myrmecomorph spider (Phrurolithus festivus) gains protection against avian predators (wild adult great tits-Parus major) through its appearance. In a set of preferential trials, we showed that the ant model and the myrmecomorph spider are equally well protected against attack, though the attacked myrmecomorphs are usually eaten. This suggests that the mimicry of the myrmecomorph spiders is effective against avian predators and works in a Batesian manner. In this study, we have provided evidence toward the evolution of myrmecomorphy in response to selective pressure elicited by visually-oriented predators like birds.

Recent advances in cell membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles for inflammation therapy.

During inflammation, inflammatory cells are rapidly recruited to sites of infection or injury, where they cross physiological barriers around the infected site and further infiltrate into the tissues. Other cells, such as erythrocytes, endothelial cells and stem cells, also play prominent roles in host defense and tissue repair. In recent years, nanotechnology has been exploited to deliver drugs to sites of inflammation. For example, nanoparticles camouflaged with a cell membrane are a novel drug-delivery platform that can interact with the immune system and that show great potential for treating inflammation. Encapsulating drugs inside plasma membranes derived from various cells involved in inflammatory processes can be effective against inflammation. This review describes the preparation, characterization, and properties of various types of cell membrane-camouflaged biomimetic nanoparticles. It also summarizes preclinical research into their efficacy against inflammation.

Why aren't warning signals everywhere? On the prevalence of aposematism and mimicry in communities.

Warning signals are a striking example of natural selection present in almost every ecological community - from Nordic meadows to tropical rainforests, defended prey species and their mimics ward off potential predators before they attack. Yet despite the wide distribution of warning signals, they are relatively scarce as a proportion of the total prey available, and more so in some biomes than others. Classically, warning signals are thought to be governed by positive density-dependent selection, i.e. they succeed better when they are more common. Therefore, after surmounting this initial barrier to their evolution, it is puzzling that they remain uncommon on the scale of the community. Here, we explore factors likely to determine the prevalence of warning signals in prey assemblages. These factors include the nature of prey defences and any constraints upon them, the behavioural interactions of predators with different prey defences, the numerical responses of predators governed by movement and reproduction, the diversity and abundance of undefended alternative prey and Batesian mimics in the community, and variability in other ecological circumstances. We also discuss the macroevolution of warning signals. Our review finds that we have a basic understanding of how many species in some taxonomic groups have warning signals, but very little information on the interrelationships among population abundances across prey communities, the diversity of signal phenotypes, and prey defences. We also have detailed knowledge of how a few generalist predator species forage in artificial laboratory environments, but we know much less about how predators forage in complex natural communities with variable prey defences. We describe how empirical work to address each of these knowledge gaps can test specific hypotheses for why warning signals exhibit their particular patterns of distribution. This will help us to understand how behavioural interactions shape ecological communities.

Embryonic development of the camouflaging dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis.

BACKGROUND: The dwarf cuttlefish Sepia bandensis, a camouflaging cephalopod from the Indo-Pacific, is a promising new model organism for neuroscience, developmental biology, and evolutionary studies. Cuttlefish dynamically camouflage to their surroundings by altering the color, pattern, and texture of their skin. The skin's "pixels" (chromatophores) are controlled by motor neurons projecting from the brain. Thus, camouflage is a visible representation of neural activity. In addition to camouflage, the dwarf cuttlefish uses dynamic skin patterns for social communication. Despite more than 500 million years of evolutionary separation, cuttlefish and vertebrates converged to form limbs, camera-type eyes and a closed circulatory system. Moreover, cuttlefish have a striking ability to regenerate their limbs. Interrogation of these unique biological features will benefit from the development of a new set of tools. Dwarf cuttlefish reach sexual maturity in 4 months, they lay dozens of eggs over their 9-month lifespan, and the embryos develop to hatching in 1 month. RESULTS: Here, we describe methods to culture dwarf cuttlefish embryos in vitro and define 25 stages of cuttlefish development. CONCLUSION: This staging series serves as a foundation for future technologies that can be used to address a myriad of developmental, neurobiological, and evolutionary questions.

Bio-inspired photonics - marine hatchetfish camouflage strategies for RF steganography.

Camouflage is a strategy that animals utilize for concealment in their habitat, making themselves invisible to their predators and preys. In RF systems, steganography or stealth transmission is the camouflage of information - a technology of hiding and transmitting secret messages in public media. Steganography conceals the secret message in publicly available media such that the eavesdropper or attacker will not be able to tell if there is a secret message to look for. Marine hatchetfish have two effective camouflage skills to help them hide from their predators - silvering and counterillumination. Silvering in marine hatchetfish uses its microstructured skin on its sides to achieve destructive interference at colors that could indicate the presence of the fish, while they also emit light at their bottom part to match its color and intensity to its surrounding, making it invisible from below, referred to as counterillumination. In this work, we borrow the two underwater camouflage strategies from marine hatchetfish, mimic them with photonic phenomena, and apply the camouflage strategies for physical stealth transmission of a 200 MBaud/s 16QAM OFDM secret signal at 5 GHz over a 25-km of optical fiber. The proposed bio-inspired steganography strategies successfully hid the secret signal in plain sight in temporal, RF spectral, and optical spectral domains, by blending in using counterillumination and turning invisible using silvering techniques. The stealth signal can only be retrieved with the precise and correct parameter for constructive interference at the secret signal frequency to unmask the silvering.

First evidence for an aposematic function of a very common color pattern in small insects.

Many small parasitoid wasps have a black head, an orange mesosoma and a black metasoma (BOB color pattern), which is usually present in both sexes. A likely function of this widespread pattern is aposematic (warning) coloration, but this has never been investigated. To test this hypothesis, we presented spider predators (Lyssomanes jemineus), both field-captured and bred in captivity from eggs, to four wasp genera (Baryconus, Chromoteleia, Macroteleia and Scelio), each genus being represented by a BOB morphospecies and black morphospecies. We also used false prey, consisting of lures made of painted rice grains. Behavioral responses were analyzed with respect to presence or absence of the BOB pattern. In order to better understand the results obtained, two additional studies were performed. First, the reflection spectrum of the cuticle of the wasp and a theoretical visual sensibility of the spider were used to calculate a parameter we called "absorption contrast" that allows comparing the perception contrast between black and orange in each wasp genus as viewed by the spider. Second, acute toxicity trials with the water flea, Daphnia magna, were performed to determine toxicity differences between BOB and non-BOB wasps. At least some of the results suggest that the BOB color pattern may possibly play an aposematic role.

Commercial Harvesting Has Driven the Evolution of Camouflage in an Alpine Plant.

Color in nature mediates numerous among and within species interactions,1 and anthropogenic impacts have long had major influences on the color evolution of wild animals.2 An under-explored area is commercial harvesting, which in animals can exert a strong selection pressure on various traits, sometimes greater even than natural selection or other human activities.3,4 Natural populations of plants that are used by humans have likely also suffered strong pressure from harvesting, yet the potential for evolutionary change induced by humans has received surprisingly little attention.5 Here, we show that the leaf coloration of a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine (Fritillaria delavayi) varies among populations, with leaves matching their local backgrounds most closely. The degree of background matching correlates with estimates of harvest pressure, with plants being more cryptic in heavily collected populations. In a human search experiment, the time it took participants to find plants was greatly influenced by target concealment. These results point to humans as driving the evolution of camouflage in populations of this species through commercial harvesting, changing the phenotype of wild plants in an unexpected and dramatic way.

Evolutionary fine-tuning of background-matching camouflage among geographical populations in the sandy beach tiger beetle.

Background-matching camouflage is a widespread adaptation in animals; however, few studies have thoroughly examined its evolutionary process and consequences. The tiger beetle Chaetodera laetescripta exhibits pronounced variation in elytral colour pattern among sandy habitats of different colour in the Japanese Archipelago. In this study, we performed digital image analysis with avian vision modelling to demonstrate that elytral luminance, which is attributed to proportions of elytral colour components, is fine-tuned to match local backgrounds. Field predation experiments with model beetles showed that better luminance matching resulted in a lower attack rate and corresponding lower mortality. Using restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) sequence data, we analysed the dispersal and evolution of colour pattern across geographical locations. We found that sand colour matching occurred irrespective of genetic and geographical distances between populations, suggesting that locally adapted colour patterns evolved after the colonization of these habitats. Given that beetle elytral colour patterns presumably have a quantitative genetic basis, our findings demonstrate that fine-tuning of background-matching camouflage to local habitat conditions can be attained through selection by visual predators, as predicted by the earliest proponent of natural selection.

Non-visual camouflage.

Rohan Brooker and Bob Wong introduce the ways animals conceal themselves using non-visual sensory stimuli.

Multiple origins of green coloration in frogs mediated by a novel biliverdin-binding serpin.

Many vertebrates have distinctive blue-green bones and other tissues due to unusually high biliverdin concentrations-a phenomenon called chlorosis. Despite its prevalence, the biochemical basis, biology, and evolution of chlorosis are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the occurrence of high biliverdin in anurans (frogs and toads) has evolved multiple times during their evolutionary history, and relies on the same mechanism-the presence of a class of serpin family proteins that bind biliverdin. Using a diverse combination of techniques, we purified these serpins from several species of nonmodel treefrogs and developed a pipeline that allowed us to assemble their complete amino acid and nucleotide sequences. The described proteins, hereafter named biliverdin-binding serpins (BBS), have absorption spectra that mimic those of phytochromes and bacteriophytochromes. Our models showed that physiological concentration of BBSs fine-tune the color of the animals, providing the physiological basis for crypsis in green foliage even under near-infrared light. Additionally, we found that these BBSs are most similar to human glycoprotein alpha-1-antitrypsin, but with a remarkable functional diversification. Our results present molecular and functional evidence of recurrent evolution of chlorosis, describe a biliverdin-binding protein in vertebrates, and introduce a function for a member of the serpin superfamily, the largest and most ubiquitous group of protease inhibitors.

The false cleanerfish relies on aggressive mimicry to bite fish fins when benthic foods are scarce in their local habitat.

The false cleanerfish, Aspidontus taeniatus (Blenniidae), is known for its morphological resemblance to the bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus (Labridae). It has been suggested that A. taeniatus, which acts as a mimic, can easily bite the fins of other fishes that are deceived into requesting cleaning from it or allowing it to approach them. In fact, A. taeniatus frequently utilises benthic food items, such as damselfish eggs, the Christmas tree worm Spirobranchus giganteus, and the boring clam Tridacna crocea. Although geographical variation in the reliance on aggressive mimicry (fin biting) has been reported, the factors have not been determined. We hypothesised that one of the factors is the abundance of benthic food items. To examine our hypothesis, we compared the feeding behaviour of A. taeniatus at two locations showing contrasting abundances of benthic food items in Okinawa, southern Japan. The frequency of fin biting by the small A. taeniatus in Ishigaki Island, where S. giganteus and T. crocea were very rare, was significantly higher than that in Sesoko Island, where the two food items were abundant. We conclude that the importance of aggressive mimicry in A. taeniatus varies depending on local food conditions.

Mimicry diversification in Papilio dardanus via a genomic inversion in the regulatory region of engrailed-invected.

Polymorphic Batesian mimics exhibit multiple protective morphs that each mimic a different noxious model. Here, we study the genomic transitions leading to the evolution of different mimetic wing patterns in the polymorphic Mocker Swallowtail Papilio dardanus. We generated a draft genome (231 Mb over 30 chromosomes) and re-sequenced individuals of three morphs. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis revealed elevated linkage disequilibrium and divergence between morphs in the regulatory region of engrailed, a developmental gene previously implicated in the mimicry switch. The diverged region exhibits a discrete chromosomal inversion (of 40 kb) relative to the ancestral orientation that is associated with the cenea morph, but not with the bottom-recessive hippocoonides morph or with non-mimetic allopatric populations. The functional role of this inversion in the expression of the novel phenotype is currently unknown, but by preventing recombination, it allows the stable inheritance of divergent alleles enabling geographic spread and local coexistence of multiple adaptive morphs.