@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref20951,
author = {Will L Allen and Roland J Baddeley and Innes C Cuthill and Nicholas E Scott-Samuel},
title = {A quantitative test of the predicted relationship between countershading and lighting environment.},
year = {2012},
keywords = {countershading, ruminantia, artiodactyla, self-shadow concealment, camouflage, mammal coloration},
doi = {},
url = {http://},
pmid = {},
journal = {The American Naturalist},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
abstract = {Countershading, a vertical luminance gradient from a dark back to a light belly, is perhaps the most common coloration phenotype in the animal kingdom. Why? We investigated whether countershading functions as self-shadow concealment (SSC) in ruminants. We calculated ?optimal? countershading for SSC by measuring illumination falling onto a model ruminant as a function of time of day and lighting environment. Calibrated images of 114 species of ruminant were compared to the countershading model, and phylogenetic analyses were used to find the best predictors of coats? countershading characteristics. In many species countershading was close to the model?s prediction of ?optimal? countershading for SSC. Stronger countershading was associated with increased use of open lighting environments, living closer to the equator, and small body size. Abrupt transitions from dark to light tones were more common in open lighting environments, but unassociated with group size or antipredator behavior. Though the SSC hypothesis?s prediction for stronger countershading in diurnal species was not supported, and non-countershaded or reverse-countershaded species were unexpectedly common, this basic pattern of associations is only explained by the SSC hypothesis. Despite extreme variation in lighting conditions, many terrestrial animals still find protection from predation by compensating for their own shadows.}
}
Citation for Study 12968
Citation title:
"A quantitative test of the predicted relationship between countershading and lighting environment.".
Study name:
"A quantitative test of the predicted relationship between countershading and lighting environment.".
This study is part of submission 12968
(Status: Published).
Citation
Allen W.L., Baddeley R.J., Cuthill I.C., & Scott-samuel N.E. 2012. A quantitative test of the predicted relationship between countershading and lighting environment. The American Naturalist, .
Authors
-
Allen W.L.
(submitter)
9172026512
-
Baddeley R.J.
-
Cuthill I.C.
-
Scott-samuel N.E.
Abstract
Countershading, a vertical luminance gradient from a dark back to a light belly, is perhaps the most common coloration phenotype in the animal kingdom. Why? We investigated whether countershading functions as self-shadow concealment (SSC) in ruminants. We calculated ?optimal? countershading for SSC by measuring illumination falling onto a model ruminant as a function of time of day and lighting environment. Calibrated images of 114 species of ruminant were compared to the countershading model, and phylogenetic analyses were used to find the best predictors of coats? countershading characteristics. In many species countershading was close to the model?s prediction of ?optimal? countershading for SSC. Stronger countershading was associated with increased use of open lighting environments, living closer to the equator, and small body size. Abrupt transitions from dark to light tones were more common in open lighting environments, but unassociated with group size or antipredator behavior. Though the SSC hypothesis?s prediction for stronger countershading in diurnal species was not supported, and non-countershaded or reverse-countershaded species were unexpectedly common, this basic pattern of associations is only explained by the SSC hypothesis. Despite extreme variation in lighting conditions, many terrestrial animals still find protection from predation by compensating for their own shadows.
Keywords
countershading, ruminantia, artiodactyla, self-shadow concealment, camouflage, mammal coloration
External links
About this resource
- Canonical resource URI:
http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S12968
- Other versions:
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NeXML
- Show BibTeX reference
@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref20951,
author = {Will L Allen and Roland J Baddeley and Innes C Cuthill and Nicholas E Scott-Samuel},
title = {A quantitative test of the predicted relationship between countershading and lighting environment.},
year = {2012},
keywords = {countershading, ruminantia, artiodactyla, self-shadow concealment, camouflage, mammal coloration},
doi = {},
url = {http://},
pmid = {},
journal = {The American Naturalist},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
abstract = {Countershading, a vertical luminance gradient from a dark back to a light belly, is perhaps the most common coloration phenotype in the animal kingdom. Why? We investigated whether countershading functions as self-shadow concealment (SSC) in ruminants. We calculated ?optimal? countershading for SSC by measuring illumination falling onto a model ruminant as a function of time of day and lighting environment. Calibrated images of 114 species of ruminant were compared to the countershading model, and phylogenetic analyses were used to find the best predictors of coats? countershading characteristics. In many species countershading was close to the model?s prediction of ?optimal? countershading for SSC. Stronger countershading was associated with increased use of open lighting environments, living closer to the equator, and small body size. Abrupt transitions from dark to light tones were more common in open lighting environments, but unassociated with group size or antipredator behavior. Though the SSC hypothesis?s prediction for stronger countershading in diurnal species was not supported, and non-countershaded or reverse-countershaded species were unexpectedly common, this basic pattern of associations is only explained by the SSC hypothesis. Despite extreme variation in lighting conditions, many terrestrial animals still find protection from predation by compensating for their own shadows.}
}
- Show RIS reference
TY - JOUR
ID - 20951
AU - Allen,Will L
AU - Baddeley,Roland J
AU - Cuthill,Innes C
AU - Scott-Samuel,Nicholas E
T1 - A quantitative test of the predicted relationship between countershading and lighting environment.
PY - 2012
KW - countershading
KW - ruminantia
KW - artiodactyla
KW - self-shadow concealment
KW - camouflage
KW - mammal coloration
UR - http://dx.doi.org/
N2 - Countershading, a vertical luminance gradient from a dark back to a light belly, is perhaps the most common coloration phenotype in the animal kingdom. Why? We investigated whether countershading functions as self-shadow concealment (SSC) in ruminants. We calculated ?optimal? countershading for SSC by measuring illumination falling onto a model ruminant as a function of time of day and lighting environment. Calibrated images of 114 species of ruminant were compared to the countershading model, and phylogenetic analyses were used to find the best predictors of coats? countershading characteristics. In many species countershading was close to the model?s prediction of ?optimal? countershading for SSC. Stronger countershading was associated with increased use of open lighting environments, living closer to the equator, and small body size. Abrupt transitions from dark to light tones were more common in open lighting environments, but unassociated with group size or antipredator behavior. Though the SSC hypothesis?s prediction for stronger countershading in diurnal species was not supported, and non-countershaded or reverse-countershaded species were unexpectedly common, this basic pattern of associations is only explained by the SSC hypothesis. Despite extreme variation in lighting conditions, many terrestrial animals still find protection from predation by compensating for their own shadows.
L3 -
JF - The American Naturalist
VL -
IS -
ER -
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