Capturing and analyzing pattern diversity: an example using the melanistic spotted patterns of leopard geckos.

ABSTRACT: Animal color patterns are widely studied in ecology, evolution, and through mathematical modeling. Patterns may vary among distinct body parts such as the head, trunk or tail. As large amounts of photographic data is becoming more easily available, there is a growing need for general quantitative methods for capturing and analyzing the full complexity and details of pattern variation. Detailed information on variation in color pattern elements is necessary to understand how patterns are produced and established during development, and which evolutionary forces may constrain such a variation. Here, we develop an approach to capture and analyze variation in melanistic color pattern elements in leopard geckos. We use this data to study the variation among different body parts of leopard gecko

SUBMITTER: Glimm T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8436963 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature