Rodents show darker and redder coloration in warm and rainy environments

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11620%2F24%3A10486982" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11620/24:10486982 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=slLN3oYNrd" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=slLN3oYNrd</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13802" target="_blank" >10.1111/geb.13802</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Rodents show darker and redder coloration in warm and rainy environments

Original language description

AimAnimal coloration varies in response to environmental conditions. One well-known principle, Gloger&apos;s rule, suggests that warmer and wetter environments lead to more pigmented animals. Yet, the original formulation lacks differentiation between the two primary melanin pigments: eumelanin and pheomelanin. We examined spatial eumelanin and pheomelanin variation to unravel the impact of various ecological factors on pigment deposition, and to assess support for the complex version of Gloger&apos;s rule.LocationSouth America.Time PeriodContemporary.Major Taxa StudiedSigmodontine rodents.MethodsWe extracted pelage color data from 231 species and quantified the geographic variation in eu- and pheomelanin deposition. We performed linear multiple regression to investigate the influence of temperature, precipitation, predator diversity, and UVA-B radiance in eumelanin (lightness) and pheomelanin (redness).ResultsOur findings support the original formulations of Gloger&apos;s rule. Rodents in warmer and rainier regions, which also entails greater exposure to UV radiation and a diverse range of predators, exhibit darker-colored pelage. In addition, redder rodents prevail in warmer environments. However, contrary to the rule predictions, we observe a reversal for reddish patterns in relation to precipitation, with rainier regions showcasing more intense red rodents.Main ConclusionsOur study breaks new ground by investigating previously unexplored facets of Gloger&apos;s rule in a continental mammalian group. We discovered compelling evidence that darker and redder coloration aligns closely with temperature and rainfall gradients. Although we found support for eumelanin-pelage predictions, expectations for pheomelanin pigmentation were only partially met. Our results might suggest that selective pressures act differently on dark and reddish coloration, revealing that coloration patterns in response to climate are more intricate than previously formulated.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10700 - Other natural sciences

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Global Ecology and Biogeography

ISSN

1466-822X

e-ISSN

1466-8238

Volume of the periodical

33

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

13

Pages from-to

426-438

UT code for WoS article

001141976700001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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