Divergence in cryptic leaf colour provides local camouflage in an alpine plant.

ABSTRACT: The efficacy of camouflage through background matching is highly environment-dependent, often resulting in intraspecific colour divergence in animals to optimize crypsis in different visual environments. This phenomenon is largely unexplored in plants, although several lines of evidence suggest they do use crypsis to avoid damage by herbivores. Using Corydalis hemidicentra, an alpine plant with cryptic leaf colour, we quantified background matching between leaves and surrounding rocks in five populations based on an approximate model of their butterfly enemy's colour perception. We also investigated the pigment basis of leaf colour variation and the association between feeding risk and camouflage efficacy. We show that plants exhibit remarkable colour divergence between populations, consis

SUBMITTER: Niu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5647307 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature