Variation in the Visual Habitat May Mediate the Maintenance of Color Polymorphism in a Poeciliid Fish

摘要: The conspicuousness of animal signals is influenced by their contrast against the background. As such, signal will tend to vary in nature because habitats are composed a mosaic backgrounds. Variation attractiveness could result variation conspecific mate choice and risk predation, which, turn, may create opportunities for balancing selection maintain distinct polymorphisms. We quantified male coloration, absorbance spectrum visual pigments photic environment Poecilia parae, fish species with five color morphs: drab (i.e., grey), striped, three colorful blue, red yellow) morphs. Then, using physiological models, we assessed how patterns can be perceived natural females common cichlid predator, Aequidens tetramerus. Our estimates chromatic luminance contrasts suggest that most morphs were consistently conspicuous across all habitats. However, background resulted which morph was at each locality. Likewise, predators. If able discriminate between prospective mates those preferred males also more vulnerable variable influence direction strength sexual selection, thereby allowing persistence polymorphisms environments.