The ability of feathers to perform many functions either simultaneously or at different times
throughout the year or life of a bird is integral to the evolutionary history of birds. Many …

Behavioral ecologists have long studied the role of coloration as a defense against natural
enemies. Recent reviews of defensive coloration have emphasized that these visual signals …

Animal coloration is one of the most conspicuous aspects of human-perceived organismal
diversity, yet also one of the least understood. In particular, explaining why species have …

Bergmann's and Allen's rules state that endotherms should be larger and have shorter
appendages in cooler climates. However, the drivers of these rules are not clear. Both rules …

It has long been suggested that tropical species are generally more colourful than temperate
species, but whether latitudinal gradients in organismal colourfulness exist remains …

The presence of population-specific phenotypes often reflects local adaptation or barriers to
gene flow. The co-occurrence of phenotypic polymorphisms that are restricted within the …

Highlights•Many abiotic and biotic factors in addition to temperature can drive color variation
in insects.•Museum collections and repeated field surveys reveal associations between …

Biological rules describe general morphological, structural and genetic patterns within and
across species. Within these, ecogeographical rules correlate phenotypic variation of …

Models for future environmental change all involve global warming, whether slow or fast.
Predicting how plants and animals will respond to such warming can be aided by using …

Primates are noted for their varied and complex pelage and bare skin coloration but the
significance of this diverse coloration remains opaque. Using new updated information …