The evolution of colour polymorphism in the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus - Archive ouverte HAL
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2024

The evolution of colour polymorphism in the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus

Résumé

The existence of distinct colour morphs within a single population is puzzling from an evolutionary perspective, because we would expect a morph that confers higher fitness to replace any others. Inshore populations of turtle-headed sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) contain many melanic individuals, whereas banded patterns dominate most of the species’ range. We show that melanism may enhance fitness in polluted sites because darker skin both concentrates pollutants, and induces more frequent sloughing. The long-term stability in frequencies of melanic versus banded morphs in our study populations may reflect frequency-dependent fitness advantages driven by mimicry of sympatric and more toxic sea snakes. Consistent with that hypothesis, predatory fish were more likely to attack snake-shaped lures that were black rather than lures that were black-and-white banded. Overall, our data highlight the advantages of novel systems, such as sea snakes, for research on classic questions in evolutionary ecology.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-04679544 , version 1 (28-08-2024)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04679544 , version 1

Citer

Richard Shine, Claire Goiran. The evolution of colour polymorphism in the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus. 10th World Congress of Herpetology 2024, World Congress of Herpetology, Aug 2024, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. ⟨hal-04679544⟩
48 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

More