What explains rare and conspicuous colours in a snail? A test of time-series data against models of drift, migration or selection.

ABSTRACT: It is intriguing that conspicuous colour morphs of a prey species may be maintained at low frequencies alongside cryptic morphs. Negative frequency-dependent selection by predators using search images ('apostatic selection') is often suggested without rejecting alternative explanations. Using a maximum likelihood approach we fitted predictions from models of genetic drift, migration, constant selection, heterozygote advantage or negative frequency-dependent selection to time-series data of colour frequencies in isolated populations of a marine snail (Littorina saxatilis), re-established with perturbed colour morph frequencies and followed for >20 generations. Snails of conspicuous colours (white, red, banded) are naturally rare in the study area (usually <10%) but frequencies were manipula

SUBMITTER: Johannesson K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5176118 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature