The role of colour patterns in a social context: causes and consequences of interspecific variation in anemonefishes

颜色模式在社会背景中的作用：海葵鱼种间变异的原因和后果

• 批准号: 2879228
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Newcastle University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2879228
• 关键词: role; colour; patterns; social; context; role; colour; patterns; social; context

There is remarkable diversity in colour patterns across animal taxa, however, our understanding of the evolution of these colour patterns remains unsolved. Research has focused on a few model species, such as fruit flies, mice and zebrafish, and marine fishes are highly underrepresented. In addition, the majority of studies investigating the functions of colour patterns have explored contexts of natural selection (e.g., camouflage, aposematism) and sexual selection (e.g., mate choice), with social selection (e.g., maintaining group stability) rarely being considered. In social groups, signalling of social status and individual identity can be important to avoid costly interactions and maintain cooperation. This project aims to provide insight into these social functions of colour patterns and advance our understanding of the evolution of colour patterns across the animal kingdom.Anemonefishes (Amphiprion spp.) provide a promising model to address such questions. They have complex hierarchical group structures, in which social signalling for maintaining group stability would be beneficial. Their basic ecology is known and they are site attached to anemone hosts, facilitating repeated observations and in-situ experiments. Anemonefish also display remarkable diversity in colour patterns across species, as well as variation in ecology and social structures. Investigating these species differences will allow exploration of the evolutionary processes that shape diversity in both social structures and colour patterns. This will advance our understanding of the formation and maintenance of complex social groups and the evolution of colour patterns across a wider range of taxa. The goal of this project is to understanding the social functions of colour patterns in anemonefishes and the causes and consequences of colour patterns in regards to the fishes' social structures. The objectives, approach and hypotheses are as follows:1) Experimentally test the function of colour patterns in social status signalling. We will introduce size-matched individuals with different colourations to anemone hosts with breeding pairs and determine the level of aggression towards them. We predict that individuals with more developed colour patterns will receive more aggression from dominants, indicating social status signalling via colour patterns.2) Experimentally test the function of colour patterns in individual recognition. We will introduce familiar and unfamiliar size-matched individuals to anemonefish groups, in a set-up that only allows transfer of visual cues, and determine level of aggression towards them. We predict that familiar individuals will receive less aggression from group members, indicating individual recognition via colour patterns.3) Quantify the plasticity in colour pattern development in response to social context. Firstly, we will introduce settlers to anemone hosts as dominants or subordinates. We predict that subordinate settlers will develop colour patterns slower than dominant settlers to avoid aggression from dominants. Secondly, we will remove individuals from anemonefish groups to allow ascension to dominant status and assess changes to colour patterns. We predict that individuals ascending status will show greater change in colour patterns compared to those not changing social status.4) Quantify variation in social systems and colour patterns across the Amphiprion genus. Using three Amphiprion species (A. percula, A. perideraion and A. clarkii), we will photograph individuals and record behaviours in order to quantify colour pattern characteristics and social network matrices. We predict variation in social systems and colour patterns across species due to differences in ecology and phylogeny and that social systems and colour patterns will co-vary. For example, species displaying hallmark patterns of status signalling and individual recognition will likely have more cooperation, less conflict.

整个动物分类单元的颜色模式具有显着的多样性，但是，我们对这些颜色模式的演变的理解尚未得到解决。研究集中在一些模型物种上，例如水果蝇，小鼠和斑马鱼，海洋鱼类的代表性不足。此外，研究颜色模式功能的大多数研究都探讨了自然选择的背景（例如，伪装，掌称）和性选择（例如，伴侣选择），并很少考虑社会选择（例如，保持群体稳定性）。在社会群体中，社会地位和个人身份的信号对于避免昂贵的互动和维持合作可能很重要。该项目旨在洞悉颜色模式的这些社会功能，并促进我们对整个动物王国颜色模式的演变的理解。Anemonefishes（Amphiprion Spp。）提供了一个有希望的模型来解决此类问题。它们具有复杂的层次组结构，其中社会信号用于维持群体稳定性将是有益的。它们的基本生态是已知的，它们是符合海葵宿主的站点，从而促进了反复的观察和原位实验。 Anemonefish在物种之间的颜色模式以及生态和社会结构的变化方面也表现出显着的多样性。研究这些物种差异将允许探索在社会结构和颜色模式中塑造多样性的进化过程。这将提高我们对复杂社会群体的形成和维护以及在更广泛的分类单元中的颜色模式的演变的理解。该项目的目的是理解母羊鱼类中颜色模式的社会功能，以及关于鱼类社会结构的颜色模式的原因和后果。目标，方法和假设如下：1）实验测试社会状态信号中颜色模式的功能。我们将向具有繁殖对的海葵宿主介绍具有不同色素的大小匹配的个体，并确定对他们的侵略水平。我们预测，具有更多发达颜色模式的个体将从主导物体中获得更多的侵略，表明通过颜色模式表明社会状态信号传导。2）实验测试颜色模式在个体识别中的功能。我们将在只允许视觉提示转移并确定对它们的侵略水平的设置中，将熟悉和陌生的大小匹配的个体介绍给Anemonefish组。我们预测，熟悉的人会从小组成员那里获得较少的侵略性，表明通过颜色模式进行个人认识。3）量化响应社会环境的颜色模式发展中的可塑性。首先，我们将把定居者介绍给海葵宿主作为主导者或下属。我们预测，下属定居者将开发出比主导定居者慢的颜色模式，以避免占主导地位的侵略。其次，我们将从母羊群中删除个人，以允许升天占主导地位并评估对颜色模式的变化。我们预测，与不改变社会状况的人相比，个人上升状态将显示出更大的颜色模式变化。4）量化两重大属的社会系统和颜色模式的变化。我们将使用三种两性物种（A. Percula，A。Perideraion和A. Clarkii）拍摄个人并记录行为，以量化色彩模式特征和社交网络矩阵。由于生态学和系统发育的差异，我们预测物种社会系统和颜色模式的差异，社会系统和颜色模式将共同存在。例如，表现出标志性的状态信号和个人认可模式的物种可能会有更多的合作，冲突较少。