Van Den Berg, Cedric P., Santon, Matteo, Endler, John A., Drummond, Leon, Dawson, Bethany R., Santiago, Carl, Weber, Nathalie, and Cheney, Karen L. (2024) Chemical defences indicate bold colour patterns with reduced variability in aposematic nudibranchs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 291. 20240953.

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Abstract

The selective factors that shape phenotypic diversity in prey communities with aposematic animals are diverse and coincide with similar diversity in the strength of underlying secondary defences. However, quantitative assessments of colour pattern variation and the strength of chemical defences in assemblages of aposematic species are lacking. We quantified colour pattern diversity using quantitative colour pattern analysis (QCPA) in 13 dorid nudibranch species (Infraorder: Doridoidei) that varied in the strength of their chemical defences. We accounted for the physiological properties of a potential predator’s visual system (a triggerfish, Rhinecanthus aculeatus) and modelled the appearance of nudibranchs from multiple viewing distances (2 and 10 cm). We identified distinct colour pattern properties associated with the presence and strength of chemical defences. Specifically, increases in chemical defences indicated increases in colour pattern boldness (i.e. visual contrast elicited via either or potentially coinciding chromatic, achromatic and/or spatial contrast). Colour patterns were also less variable among species with chemical defences when compared to undefended species. Our results indicate correlations between secondary defences and diverse, bold colouration while showing that chemical defences coincide with decreased colour pattern variability among species. Our study suggests that complex spatiochromatic properties of colour patterns perceived by potential predators can be use.

Item ID:	85798
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1471-2954
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC FT190199313, ARC DP180102363
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2025 02:08
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3109 Zoology > 310901 Animal behaviour @ 50% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 50%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences @ 100%
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