Loading…

Molecular Plasticity in Animal Pigmentation: Emerging Processes Underlying Color Changes

Synopsis Animal coloration has been rigorously studied and has provided morphological implications for fitness with influences over social behavior, predator–prey interactions, and sexual selection. In vertebrates, its study has developed our understanding across diverse fields ranging from behavior...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Integrative and comparative biology 2020-12, Vol.60 (6), p.1531-1543
Main Author: Alvarado, Sebastian G
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Synopsis Animal coloration has been rigorously studied and has provided morphological implications for fitness with influences over social behavior, predator–prey interactions, and sexual selection. In vertebrates, its study has developed our understanding across diverse fields ranging from behavior to molecular biology. In the search for underlying molecular mechanisms, many have taken advantage of pedigree-based and genome-wide association screens to reveal the genetic architecture responsible for pattern variation that occurs in early development. However, genetic differences do not provide a full picture of the dynamic changes in coloration that are most prevalent across vertebrates at the molecular level. Changes in coloration that occur in adulthood via phenotypic plasticity rely on various social, visual, and dietary cues independent of genetic variation. Here, I will review the contributions of pigment cell biology to animal color changes and recent studies describing their molecular underpinnings and function. In this regard, conserved epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation play a role in lending plasticity to gene regulation as it relates to chromatophore function. Lastly, I will present African cichlids as emerging models for the study of pigmentation and molecular plasticity for animal color changes. I posit that these processes, in a dialog with environmental stimuli, are important regulators of variation and the selective advantages that accompany a change in coloration for vertebrate animals.
ISSN:1540-7063
1557-7023
DOI:10.1093/icb/icaa142