S2E3: The Camo-Entourage!

Hello listeners! Today on the Entangled Bank Podcast, the Camo-Entourage is here to take questions from different species in the style of Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation. Join Harper, Lexie, and Rachel as they delve into the intricacies of the phenomenon known as camouflage.

It began as a single endosymbiotic relationship between cyanobacteria and a species called Paulinella chromatophora. Over time, the latter lost portions of its genome and became completely reliant upon the former. Through this relationship, cyanobacteria gained the beginnings of a powerful new ability: color change. By shifting either the overall number of chromatophora present, their efficiency, or even the distribution of pigment within them, some modern-day organisms such as chameleons can alter the way that they appear to both allies and enemies alike.

Cape Dwarf Chameleon-- http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Bradypodion&species=pumilum

Contrary to popular belief, the bright, flashy camouflage of male chameleons isn’t always used to blend in with the environment, but rather to stand out from it in order to attract mates--but chameleons, while the most famous of color-changing organisms, are not the only ones with this ability. Many species of cephalopods can also utilize rapid camouflage when they see fit. Organisms such as Abdopus aculeatus, the algae octopus, can use this ability to either evade the gaze of hungry predators or to sneak past large male guards to gain access to the best females. Unfortunately, this ability has a drawback in many cephalopods, as they cannot move quickly and maintain camouflage at the same time. Thus, the organism must decide whether it is best to stay quiet and hope for the best or to shed their coloration and make a mad dash for safety.

Not all camouflage stems from an immediate need for it, however. Sometimes, the ability acts as more of a preemptive measure. In these cases, the color of an organism is controlled not by rapid neural responses, but instead because of natural shifts in the environment that result in different hormonal signaling. The ghost crab, for instance, naturally changes its pigmentation depending on its circadian rhythm, appearing darker when it is dark outside and lighter once there is daylight.

Ghost Crab-- http://www.design42.com/hiltonhead/2017/02/07/ghost-crabs/

Join us in this radio call-in podcast as we challenge our assumptions of what camouflage is and how different species employ it through specialized behaviors and mechanisms they’ve each become well-adapted to use.

References

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and Ecological Significance.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 372, no. 1724, 2017, doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0342.

Freeman, S., Young, P., & Leiser, A. (2011). Cuttlefish: The Chameleon of the Sea.

Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://www.reed.edu/biology/courses/bio342/2011_syllabus/2011_websites/alpysf/phylogeny2.html

Huffard, C. L., Caldwell, R. L., and Boneka, F. (2008). Mating behavior of Abdopus

aculeatus (d'Orbigny 1834) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the wild. Marine Biology 154(2):353-362.

Jeni, Listyorini D, Suarsini E. In situ study on camouflage behavior of Abdopus

aculeatus (Octopodidae) (D’Orbigny, 1834) on the marine water of Panjang island, Buton, Southeast Sulawesi. Journal of Biological Researches. 2018;23(2):57-61. doi:10.23869/bphjbr.23.2.20182.

Judson, O. (2003). Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the

Evolutionary Biology of Sex. New York: Metropolitan/Owl Book.

Ruiz, Juan Francisco, et al. “Behaviour of Robsonella Fontaniana in Response to a

Potential Predator.” Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, vol. 40, no. 2, 2012, pp. 253–258., doi:10.3856/vol40-issue2-fulltext-1.

Stevens, Martin. “Color Change, Phenotypic Plasticity, and Camouflage.” Frontiers in

Ecology and Evolution, vol. 4, 2016, doi:10.3389/fevo.2016.00051.

Stuart-Fox, Devi, and Adnan Moussalli. “Selection for Social Signalling Drives the

Evolution of Chameleon Colour Change.” PLoS Biology, vol. 6, no. 1, Jan. 2008, p. e25. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060025.

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