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

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.

在不同的动物类群中，颜色模式存在着显著的多样性，然而，我们对这些颜色模式的演变的理解仍然没有解决。研究集中在少数几个模式物种上，如果蝇、老鼠和斑马鱼，而海洋鱼类的比例严重偏低。此外，大多数研究颜色模式功能的研究都探讨了自然选择(如伪装、排外)和性选择(如配偶选择)的背景，很少考虑社会选择(如维持群体稳定)。在社会团体中，表明社会地位和个人身份对于避免代价高昂的互动和保持合作可能很重要。这个项目旨在提供对颜色图案的这些社会功能的洞察，并促进我们对动物王国中颜色图案演变的理解。为解决这些问题提供了一个很有前途的模式。他们有复杂的等级群体结构，在这种结构中，社会信号对维持群体稳定将是有益的。它们的基本生态是已知的，它们依附于海葵宿主，便于重复观察和现场实验。海葵在不同物种的颜色模式上也表现出显著的多样性，以及生态和社会结构的变化。研究这些物种的差异将有助于探索形成社会结构和颜色模式多样性的进化过程。这将促进我们对复杂社会群体的形成和维持以及更广泛的分类群中颜色模式的演变的理解。该项目的目标是了解海葵中颜色图案的社会功能，以及颜色图案与鱼类社会结构有关的原因和后果。本研究的目标、方法和假设如下：1)实验检验颜色模式在社会地位信号中的作用。我们将把不同颜色的大小匹配的个体介绍给繁殖对的海葵宿主，并确定对它们的攻击水平。我们预测，颜色模式越发达的个体将受到来自支配者的更多攻击性，通过颜色模式来表明社会地位。2)实验测试了颜色模式在个体识别中的作用。我们将把熟悉的和陌生的体型匹配的个体介绍给海葵鱼群，在一个只允许转移视觉线索的设置中，并确定对它们的攻击级别。我们预测，熟悉的个体将较少受到群体成员的攻击性，这表明个体通过颜色模式识别。3)量化颜色模式发展对社会背景的反应的可塑性。首先，我们将把定居者介绍给海葵宿主，作为优势种或从属种。我们预测，从属定居者会比占统治地位的定居者更慢地形成颜色图案，以避免统治者的攻击。其次，我们将把个体从海葵鱼群中移除，以允许提升到主导地位，并评估颜色模式的变化。我们预测，与那些不改变社会地位的人相比，地位上升的人在颜色模式上的变化会更大。4)量化社会系统和Amphiprion属的颜色模式的变化。我们将使用三种双峰龙(A.Percula、A.perideraion和A.clarkii)拍摄个体并记录行为，以量化颜色模式特征和社会网络矩阵。我们预测，由于生态和系统发育的不同，不同物种的社会制度和颜色模式会发生变化，社会制度和颜色模式也会有所不同。例如，显示身份信号和个体认可的标志性模式的物种可能会有更多的合作，更少的冲突。