The aposematic phenotype: a geno- by phenotype perspective from poison frogs

警告和隐密是两种截然不同的反捕食策略。示警动物通常具有明显的警告色，向它们的捕食者发出有害表型（化学防御，刺等）的信号，而隐藏动物是伪装的，通常无害。在新热带毒蛙（石蛙科）中，许多种类是彩色多染的，种群显示出不同的颜色变化，其显著性各不相同。在被充分研究的草莓毒蛙O. pumilio中，更明显的颜色变体毒性更大，因此呈现警示表型，而更隐蔽的颜色变体毒性更小。在我们之前的研究中，我们发现在不同的颜色形态中，与色素产生和结构着色有关的基因的表达是不同的。在这里，我们通过详细研究颜色和毒性之间的基因组联系来扩展这些发现。我们将描述三种食材中生物碱和色素的特征，以及颜色和生物碱相关基因的潜在表达和遗传变异。该项目的核心问题是三种Oophaga物种的红色和绿色形态之间的基因型和表型是否相似，从而为警示特征的进化轨迹是由确定性和可预测的还是特殊和不可预测的进化产生的提供证据。这种基因型的表型相互作用分析的一套多样化的警告性状很少被进化生物学家评估。对警示信号进化的预期基因组见解将推动其他警示信号群体的类似基因型表型研究，并最终推进我们对警示信号进化的理解。该项目将包括欧洲和拉丁美洲实验室之间广泛的知识转移和能力建设，涉及不同年龄、性别/性别和出身的科学家。应用的方法和合作战略预计将促进所有参与者的科学产出，同时加强他们的人力整合。

Aposematism and crypsis are two contrasting anti-predator strategies. Aposematic animals often possess a conspicuous warning coloration to signal their predators harmful phenotypes (chemical defences, spines, etc.), while cryptic animals are camouflaged and generally non-harmful. In Neotropical poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) many species are colour polypytic, with populations showing different colour morphs which vary in conspicuousness. In the well-studied strawberry poison frog O. pumilio the more conspicuous colour morphs are more toxic, thus presenting an aposematic phenotype while more cryptic colour morphs are less toxic. In our previous studies, we found that the expression of genes involved in pigment production and structural coloration differs between colour morphs in O. pumilio. Here we extend on these findings by investigating the genomic link between coloration and toxicity in detail. We will characterize the alkaloids and pigments as well as underlying expression and genetic variation of coloration- and alkaloid-related genes in three Oophaga species. The central question of this project is whether genotype and phenotype are similarly correlated between the red and green colour morphs in the three Oophaga species thus providing evidences on whether the evolutionary trajectories of aposematic traits resulted from deterministic and predictable or idiosyncratic and unpredictable evolution. This genotype by phenotype interaction analysis of a diverse set of aposematic traits have been rarely assessed by evolutionary biologists. The expected genomic insights on the evolution of aposematism will propel similar genotype by phenotype studies in other aposematic groups and ultimately advance our understanding of aposematism evolution. The project will include extensive transfer of knowledge and capacity building between European and Latin American labs, involving scientists of different ages, sexes/gender and origins. The applied methodologies and collaboration strategies are expected to boost the scientific outputs of all participants while strengthening their human integration.