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

在动物分类群中，颜色模式具有显着的多样性，然而，我们对这些颜色模式的进化的理解仍然没有解决。研究主要集中在少数几个模式物种，如果蝇、老鼠和斑马鱼，海洋鱼类的代表性很低。此外，大多数调查颜色模式功能的研究都探讨了自然选择的背景（例如，伪装，警戒）和性选择（例如，配偶选择），社会选择（例如，保持群体稳定性）很少被考虑。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保持合作可能很重要。该项目旨在深入了解这些颜色模式的社会功能，并促进我们对整个动物王国颜色模式进化的理解。为解决这些问题提供了一个有希望的模式。他们有复杂的等级群体结构，其中维持群体稳定的社会信号将是有益的。它们的基本生态学是已知的，它们附着在海葵宿主上，便于重复观察和原位实验。海葵鱼在不同物种的颜色模式上也表现出显着的多样性，以及生态和社会结构的变化。调查这些物种差异将允许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。这个项目的目标是了解颜色模式在海葵鱼的社会功能和颜色模式的原因和后果方面的鱼类的社会结构。本研究的目的、方法和假设如下：1）通过实验验证颜色模式在社会地位信号传递中的作用。我们将介绍大小匹配的个人与不同colourations海葵主机与繁殖对，并确定对他们的侵略水平。我们预测，具有更发达的颜色模式的个体将从优势群体中获得更多的攻击性，这表明通过颜色模式发出社会地位信号。我们将介绍熟悉的和不熟悉的大小匹配的个人的海葵鱼组，在一个设置，只允许转移的视觉线索，并确定对他们的侵略程度。我们预测，熟悉的个人将收到较少的侵略从组成员，表明个人识别通过颜色模式。3）量化的可塑性，颜色模式的发展，以应对社会背景。首先，我们将介绍定居者海葵主机作为主导或从属。我们预测，下属定居者将开发颜色模式比占主导地位的定居者，以避免侵略占主导地位。其次，我们将从海葵鱼群体中移除个体，以允许Ascension到主导地位，并评估颜色模式的变化。我们预测，个人提升的地位将显示更大的变化相比，那些没有改变社会地位的颜色模式。4）量化的变化，在社会系统和颜色模式的双锯鱼属。利用三种双锯鱼（A. percula、刺萼草A. perideraion和A. clarkii），我们将拍摄个人和记录行为，以量化颜色模式特征和社会网络矩阵。我们预测，由于生态和生殖的差异，不同物种的社会系统和颜色模式会发生变化，社会系统和颜色模式会共同变化。例如，表现出身份信号和个体识别的标志性模式的物种可能会有更多的合作，更少的冲突。

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.