All Outputs (25)

Simultaneous expression of UV and violet SWS1 opsins expands the visual palette in a group of freshwater snakes (2021)
Journal Article
Hauzman, E., Pierotti, M., Bhattacharyya, N., H. Tashiro, J., A.M. Yovanovich, C., F. Campos, P., …S.W. Chang, B. (2021). Simultaneous expression of UV and violet SWS1 opsins expands the visual palette in a group of freshwater snakes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38(12), 5225–5240. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab285

Snakes are known to express a rod visual opsin and two cone opsins, only (SWS1, LWS), a reduced palette resulting from their supposedly fossorial origins. Dipsadid snakes in the genus Helicops are highly visual predators that successfully invaded fre... Read More about Simultaneous expression of UV and violet SWS1 opsins expands the visual palette in a group of freshwater snakes.

Visual pigment evolution in Characiformes: The dynamic interplay of teleost whole‐genome duplication, surviving opsins and spectral tuning (2020)
Journal Article
Escobar‐Camacho, D., Carleton, K., Narain, D., & Pierotti, M. (2020). Visual pigment evolution in Characiformes: The dynamic interplay of teleost whole‐genome duplication, surviving opsins and spectral tuning. Molecular Ecology, 29(12), 2234-2253. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15474

Vision represents an excellent model for studying adaptation, given the genotype-to-phenotype map that has been characterized in a number of taxa. Fish possess a diverse range of visual sensitivities and adaptations to underwater light, making them a... Read More about Visual pigment evolution in Characiformes: The dynamic interplay of teleost whole‐genome duplication, surviving opsins and spectral tuning.

Diet choice in a generalist predator, the invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) (2020)
Journal Article
Ritger, A. L., Fountain, C. T., Bourne, K., Martín-Fernández, J. A., & Pierotti, M. E. (2020). Diet choice in a generalist predator, the invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 524, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2020.151311

Diet choice in marine species is typically derived from indirect methods such as stomach contents and stable isotope analysis, while choice experiments in controlled laboratory settings are used to infer foraging decisions in the wild. However, these... Read More about Diet choice in a generalist predator, the invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles).

Lens transmittance shapes ultraviolet sensitivity in the eyes of frogs from diverse ecological and phylogenetic backgrounds (2020)
Journal Article
Yovanovich, C. A. M., Pierotti, M. E. R., Kelber, A., Jorgewich-Cohen, G., Ibáñez, R., & Grant, T. (2020). Lens transmittance shapes ultraviolet sensitivity in the eyes of frogs from diverse ecological and phylogenetic backgrounds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1918), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2253

The amount of short wavelength (ultraviolet (UV), violet and blue) light that reaches the retina depends on the transmittance properties of the ocular media, especially the lens, and varies greatly across species in all vertebrate groups studied prev... Read More about Lens transmittance shapes ultraviolet sensitivity in the eyes of frogs from diverse ecological and phylogenetic backgrounds.

Reconstructing reef fish communities using fish otoliths in coral reef sediments (2019)
Journal Article
Lin, C., De Gracia, B., Pierotti, M. E., Andrews, A. H., Griswold, K., & O'Dea, A. (2019). Reconstructing reef fish communities using fish otoliths in coral reef sediments. PloS one, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218413

Little is known about long-term changes in coral reef fish communities. Here we present a new technique that leverages fish otoliths in reef sediments to reconstruct coral reef fish communities. We found over 5,400 otoliths in 169 modern and mid-Holo... Read More about Reconstructing reef fish communities using fish otoliths in coral reef sediments.

A dune with a view: the eyes of a neotropical fossorial lizard (2019)
Journal Article
Yovanovich, C. A., Pierotti, M. E., Trefaut Rodrigues, M., & Grant, T. (2019). A dune with a view: the eyes of a neotropical fossorial lizard. Frontiers in Zoology, 16, Article 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-019-0320-2

Background Lizards are excellent models to study the adaptations of the visual system to different scenarios, and surface-dwelling representatives have been relatively well studied. In contrast, very little is known about the functional anatomy of t... Read More about A dune with a view: the eyes of a neotropical fossorial lizard.

Variable vision in variable environments: the visual system of an invasive cichlid (Cichla monoculus) in Lake Gatun, Panama (2019)
Journal Article
Escobar-Camacho, D., Pierotti, M. E., Ferenc, V., Sharpe, D. M., Ramos, E., Martins, C., & Carleton, K. L. (2019). Variable vision in variable environments: the visual system of an invasive cichlid (Cichla monoculus) in Lake Gatun, Panama. Journal of Experimental Biology, 222(6), https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.188300

An adaptive visual system is essential for organisms inhabiting new or changing light environments. The Panama Canal exhibits such variable environments owing to its anthropogenic origin and current human activities. Within the Panama Canal, Lake Gat... Read More about Variable vision in variable environments: the visual system of an invasive cichlid (Cichla monoculus) in Lake Gatun, Panama.

Rapid and Parallel Adaptive Evolution of the Visual System of Neotropical Midas Cichlid Fishes (2017)
Journal Article
Torres-Dowdall, J., Pierotti, M. E., Härer, A., Karagic, N., Woltering, J. M., Henning, F., …Meyer, A. (2017). Rapid and Parallel Adaptive Evolution of the Visual System of Neotropical Midas Cichlid Fishes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 34(10), 2469–2485. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msx143

Midas cichlid fish are a Central American species flock containing 13 described species that has been dated to only a few thousand years old, a historical timescale infrequently associated with speciation. Their radiation involved the colonization of... Read More about Rapid and Parallel Adaptive Evolution of the Visual System of Neotropical Midas Cichlid Fishes.

Male red throat coloration, pelvic spine coloration, and courtship behaviours in threespine stickleback (2016)
Journal Article
Wright, D. S., Yong, L., Pierotti, M. E., & McKinnon, J. S. (2016). Male red throat coloration, pelvic spine coloration, and courtship behaviours in threespine stickleback. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 17, 407–418

Background: In addition to exhibiting red nuptial throat coloration, male threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) often possess red coloration on their pelvic spines. Although variation in throat colour has been shown to be associated with... Read More about Male red throat coloration, pelvic spine coloration, and courtship behaviours in threespine stickleback.

The peril of proportions: robust niche indices for categorical data (2016)
Journal Article
Pierotti, M. E., Martín-Fernández, J. A., & Barceló-Vidal, C. (2017). The peril of proportions: robust niche indices for categorical data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 8(2), 223-231. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12656

Indices of niche breadth and niche overlap for categorical data are typically expressed in terms of proportions of resources use. These are unit-sum constrained data; hence, direct application of standard general linear modelling methods to such indi... Read More about The peril of proportions: robust niche indices for categorical data.

Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish (2016)
Journal Article
Selz, O. M., Thommen, R., Pierotti, M. E., Anaya-Rojas, J. M., & Seehausen, O. (2016). Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1830), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0172

Female mating preferences can influence both intraspecific sexual selection and interspecific reproductive isolation, and have therefore been proposed to play a central role in speciation. Here, we investigate experimentally in the African cichlid fi... Read More about Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish.

Metabolism, oxidative stress and territorial behaviour in a female colour polymorphic cichlid fish (2015)
Journal Article
Dijkstra, P. D., Pierotti, M. E., Seehausen, O., & Metcalfe, N. B. (2016). Metabolism, oxidative stress and territorial behaviour in a female colour polymorphic cichlid fish. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70, 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-015-2028-4

Intrasexual selection on body coloration is thought to play an important role in the evolution of colour polymorphism, but its physiological underpinnings have received limited attention. In the colour polymorphic cichlid Neochromis omnicaeruleus, th... Read More about Metabolism, oxidative stress and territorial behaviour in a female colour polymorphic cichlid fish.

Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks (2015)
Journal Article
Yong, L., Woodall, B. E., Pierotti, M. E., & McKinnon, J. S. (2015). Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks. Behavioral Ecology, 26(4), 1030–1038. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv037

Interest in the evolution of female ornaments has been growing but explaining their presence remains a challenge for many animal taxa. Although female ornaments may be sexually selected via male choice, they can also function in female–female competi... Read More about Intrasexual competition and throat color evolution in female three-spined sticklebacks.

Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) (2015)
Journal Article
Wright, D. S., Pierotti, M. E., Rundle, H. D., & McKinnon, J. S. (2015). Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). PloS one, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120723

Sexual selection drives the evolution of exaggerated male ornaments in many animal species. Female ornamentation is now acknowledged also to be common but is generally less well understood. One example is the recently documented red female throat col... Read More about Conspicuous female ornamentation and tests of male mate preference in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Female preference for male color is necessary and sufficient for assortative mating in 2 cichlid sister species (2014)
Journal Article
Selz, O. M., Pierotti, M. E., Maan, M. E., Schmid, C., & Seehausen, O. (2014). Female preference for male color is necessary and sufficient for assortative mating in 2 cichlid sister species. Behavioral Ecology, 25(3), 612–626. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/aru024

A critical step for speciation in the face of gene flow is the origination of reproductive isolation. The evolution of assortative mating greatly facilitates this process. Assortative mating can be mediated by one or multiple cues across an array of... Read More about Female preference for male color is necessary and sufficient for assortative mating in 2 cichlid sister species.

Correlates of red throat coloration in female stickleback and their potential evolutionary significance (2013)
Journal Article
Yong, L., Guo, R., Wright, D. S., Mears, S. A., Pierotti, M. E., & McKinnon, J. S. (2013). Correlates of red throat coloration in female stickleback and their potential evolutionary significance. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 15, 453-472

Background: In two stream-resident populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), females often exhibit male-typical red throat coloration. These fish inhabit the Little Campbell River (British Columbia) and Matadero Creek (Californi... Read More about Correlates of red throat coloration in female stickleback and their potential evolutionary significance.

Compositional analysis in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology (2011)
Book Chapter
Pierotti, M. E., & Martín-Fernández, J. A. (2011). Compositional analysis in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology. In Compositional Data Analysis: Theory and Applications. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119976462.ch16

Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: Genetic mechanisms and evolution (2010)
Journal Article
McKinnon, J., & Pierotti, M. E. (2010). Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: Genetic mechanisms and evolution. Molecular Ecology, 19(23), 5101-5125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04846.x

Colour polymorphisms (CP’s) continue to be of interest to evolutionary biologists because of their general tractability, importance in studies of selection and potential role in speciation. Since some of the earliest studies of CP, it has been eviden... Read More about Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: Genetic mechanisms and evolution.

Mapping individual variation in male mating preference space: Multiple choice in a color polymorphic cichlid fish (2009)
Journal Article
Pierotti, M. E., Martín-Fernández, J. A., & Seehausen, O. (2009). Mapping individual variation in male mating preference space: Multiple choice in a color polymorphic cichlid fish. Evolution, 63(9), 2372–2388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00716.x

Sexual selection theory largely rests on the assumption that populations contain individual variation in mating preferences and that individuals are consistent in their preferences. However, there are few empirical studies of within-population variat... Read More about Mapping individual variation in male mating preference space: Multiple choice in a color polymorphic cichlid fish.

Behavioral dominance between female color morphs of a Lake Victoria cichlid fish (2009)
Journal Article
Dijkstra, P. D., van Dijk, S., Groothuis, T. G., Pierotti, M. E., & Seehausen, O. (2009). Behavioral dominance between female color morphs of a Lake Victoria cichlid fish. Behavioral Ecology, 20(3), 593–600. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arp036

Species that exhibit genetic color polymorphism are suitable for studying the evolutionary forces that maintain heritable phenotypic variation in nature. Male color morphs often differ in behavioral dominance, affecting the evolution of color polymor... Read More about Behavioral dominance between female color morphs of a Lake Victoria cichlid fish.