Heritable variation in colour patterns mediating individual recognition.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the developmental and evolutionary processes that generate and maintain variation in natural populations remains a major challenge for modern biology. Populations of Polistes fuscatus paper wasps have highly variable colour patterns that mediate individual recognition. Previous experimental and comparative studies have provided evidence that colour pattern diversity is the result of selection for individuals to advertise their identity. Distinctive identity-signalling phenotypes facilitate recognition, which reduces aggression between familiar individuals in P. fuscatus wasps. Selection for identity signals may increase phenotypic diversity via two distinct modes of selection that have different effects on genetic diversity. Directional selection for increased p

SUBMITTER: Sheehan MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5367277 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature