Contrasting coloration in terrestrial mammals
Here I survey, collate and synthesize contrasting coloration in 5000 species of terrestrial mammals focusing on black and white pelage. After briefly reviewing alternative functional hypotheses for coloration in mammals, I examine nine colour patterns and combinations on different areas of the body and for each mammalian taxon to try to identify the most likely […]
Comparing entire colour patterns as birds see them
Colour patterns and their visual backgrounds consist of a mosaic of patches that vary in colour, brightness, size, shape and position. Most studies of crypsis, aposematism, sexual selection, or other forms of signalling concentrate on one or two patch classes (colours), either ignoring the rest of the colour pattern, or analysing the patches separately. We […]
Changes in the visual environment affect colour signal brightness and shoaling behaviour in a freshwater fish
Aquatic organisms are exposed to highly variable light environments, which can affect the efficacy of colour patterns that are used for communication or camouflage. Specifically, dissolved organic matter that is common in turbid freshwater habitats tends to absorb short wavelength light causing a shift towards environments that are rich in longwavelengths (orange/red).We investigatedhowchanges in the […]