After reading the research paper for Hoeksta about The Selective Advantage of Cr

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After reading the research paper for Hoeksta about The Selective Advantage of Crypsis in Mice, the following questions need to be answered:

1.Summarize the main point of the assigned paper:

2. Describe the strengths of this paper:

3. Describe the weaknesses of this paper:

BRIEF COMMUNICATION doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.00976.x THE SELECTIVE ADVANTAGE OF CRYPSIS IN MICE Sacha N. Vignie12 Joanna G. Larson,1 and Hopi E. Hoekstra1 Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and The Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 E-mail: svignieri@oeb.harvard.edu Received October 7, 2009 Accepted January 29, 2010 The light color of mice that inhabit the sandy dunes of Florida's coast have served as a textbook example of adaptation for nearly a century, despite the fact that the selective advantage of crypsis has never been directly tested or quantified in nature. Using plasticine mouse models of light and dark color, we demonstrate a strong selective advantage for mice that match their local background substrate. Further our data suggest that stabilizing selection maintains color matching within a single habitat, as models that are both lighter and darker than their local environment are selected against. These results p in support of the hypothesis that visual hunting predators shape color patterning in Peromyscus mice and suggest a mechanism by which selection drives the pronounced color variation among populations. rovide empirical evid ence KEY WORDS: Adaptation, camouflage, natural selection, Peromyscus, plasticine model, stabilizing selection. One-hundred fifty years ago in The Origin of Species, Charles for color matching in a natural setting is still lacking. Enclosure Darwin famously proposed his theory of evolution by natural se- expeients have been suggestive, albeit contrived-these stud- lection. To build the argument for natural selection, Darwin often es often use unnatural densities of mice, extreme color variants, relied on intuitive examples: "when we see. . .the alpine ptarmi- and/o largely depend on the personalities of one or two individ- gan white in winter, the red grouse the color of heather, and the ual predators ("the long horned owl was very shy and erratic in black-grouse of peaty earth, we must believe that these tints are his behavior" whereas "the barn owl was a much more consistent of service... in preserving them from danger Darwin 1859 rker: Dice 1949). Moreover, even with enclosure experiments Perhaps inspired by Darwin's intuition that camouflage confers and more traditional common-garden approaches, it is difficult to a survival advantage, color variation became the focus of many disentangle direct selection on color (due to crypsis) from selec of the early studies of adaptation. In particular, studies on color tion on other traits (e.g., odor, activity level, or escape behavior) matching in Peromyscus mice were instrumental in documentinghat may be correlated with color. To address these concerns natural selection in the wild strong correlations between loca cent research has taken a novel experimental approach -using soil color and dorsal coat color were repeatedly found among pop- photographs (Wehsteret al. 2009), manipulated prey (Cuhill et al. ulations (e.g., Dice 1940). Further, JBS Haldane (1948) demo2005; loannou and Krause 2009). and computer-generated images strated theoretically that spatially varying sclcction could lcad toKiic and Laine 1992; Chlao ct al. 2007) to cmpirically test and maintain locally adapted phenotypes, again using Peromyscus hypotheses about the adaptive significance and function of an color matching as the prime empirical cxample. Thesc few carly mal color (Stevens and Merilaita 2009). Similar to thesc studics, studies were broadly seen as evidence that selection could drive ere e expose predators to prey models to directly estimate the color matching in a variety of taxa. selective advantage of camouflage in nature. Despite nearly a century of work on this system, however The use of plasticine models to address questions in evo- a direct and empirical quantification of the selective advantage utionary biology was pioneered by Brodie 1993) and since has 2010 The Author(s). 1 Evolution

Explanation / Answer

1] The main point of this paper is to establish a relationship between the use of camouflage [ developing the same colour as their surroundings ] by animals and their survival in that particular habitat. It tries to stress on the importance of adaptation in evolution.

2] The strengths of this paper : there is a strong evidence in nature of how camouflage in animals helps them to survive.

: it tries to prove the theory of ' natural selection' , where animals which can camouflage have greater chances of survival and evolve.

3] The weaknesses of this paper : a direct and empirical quantification of the selective advantage of camouflage in nature is still lacking , even after almost a century of work on this.

Experiments, done in enclosure as well as open systems, have not been able to single out colour as the only trait for evolution. Other traits like odour, escape behaviour, activity level are also related to the colour trait and are interrelated with each other.

4] Evolutionary significance of this paper :This paper tries to estsblish a relationship between camouflage and its selective advantage in nature. Using photographs, computer generated images and manipulated prey are some novel ways which researchers are using to quantify this hypothesis.

Although, more research needs to be done, there is very little doubt that colour or camouflage does play an important role in evolution. There are numerous examples in nature regarding this, so it can not be ruled out.

This paper tries to lay stress on this fact and tries to establish a relationship between camouflage in animals and evolution in nature.

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