Hyperspectral imaging in animal coloration research: A user-friendly pipeline for image generation, analysis, and integration with 3D modeling.

Hyperspectral imaging-a technique that combines the high spectral resolution of spectrophotometry with the high spatial resolution of photography-holds great promise for the study of animal coloration. However, applications of hyperspectral imaging to questions about the ecology and evolution of animal color remain relatively rare. The approach can be expensive and unwieldy, and we lack user-friendly pipelines for capturing and analyzing hyperspectral data in the context of animal color.

Evolution of Plumage Patterns in a Pattern Morphospace: A Phylogenetic Analysis of Melanerpine Woodpeckers.

AbstractPlumage patterns of melanerpine (-) woodpeckers are strikingly diverse. Understanding the evolution and function of this diversity is challenging because of the difficulty of quantifying plumage patterns. We use a three-dimensional space to characterize the evolution of melanerpine achromatic plumage patterns.

Repeatable randomness, invariant properties, and the design of biological signatures of identity.

What makes a perfect signature? Optimal signatures should be consistent within individuals and distinctive between individuals. In defense against avian brood parasitism, some host species have evolved "signatures" of identity on their eggs, comprising interindividual variation in color and pattern. Tawny-flanked prinia (Prinia subflava) egg signatures facilitate recognition and rejection of parasitic cuckoo finch (Anomalospiza imberbis) eggs.

Evolution of nest architecture in tyrant flycatchers and allies.

Innovations in nest design are thought to be one potential factor in the evolutionary success of passerine birds (order: Passeriformes), which colonized new ecological niches as they diversified in the Oligocene and Miocene. In particular, tyrant flycatchers and their allies (parvorder: Tyrannida) are an extremely diverse group of New World suboscine passerines occupying a wide range of habitats and exhibiting substantial extant variation in nest design. To explore the evolution of nest architecture in this clade, we first described nest traits across the Tyrannida phylogeny and estimated ancestral nest conditions.

The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach.

Nests, including the enormous structures housing colonies of eusocial insects and the elaborately built nests of some fishes, have long fascinated scientists, yet our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nests has lagged behind our understanding of subsequent reproductive stages. There has, however, been a burgeoning amount of interest in nests over the past decade, and this special issue on 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach' outlines our understanding of the form and function of nests in diverse animal lineages. Papers in 'The function of nests: mechanisms and adaptive benefits' theme examine the various functions of nests, while papers in 'The evolution of nest characteristics' theme examine the evolution of nesting behaviours.

A hypothesis for robust polarization vision: an example from the Australian imperial blue butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras.

The Australian lycaenid butterfly Jalmenus evagoras has iridescent wings that are sexually dimorphic, spectrally and in their degree of polarization, suggesting that these properties are likely to be important in mate recognition. We first describe the results of a field experiment showing that free-flying individuals of J. evagoras discriminate between visual stimuli that vary in polarization content in blue wavelengths but not in others.

Bird eggs.

I once spent a summer studying gulls on Appledore Island in the Gulf of Maine, off the east coast of the United States. The rocky island is a breeding colony for herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus), so I had a front-row seat to the dramas that unfolded as birds paired up, laid and incubated eggs, and raised chicks. I saw chicks hatch from large speckled eggs (Figure 1A), a Herculean feat that took over an hour.

Evolution of brilliant iridescent feather nanostructures.

The brilliant iridescent plumage of birds creates some of the most stunning color displays known in the natural world. Iridescent plumage colors are produced by nanostructures in feathers and have evolved in diverse birds. The building blocks of these structures-melanosomes (melanin-filled organelles)-come in a variety of forms, yet how these different forms contribute to color production across birds remains unclear.

How Signaling Geometry Shapes the Efficacy and Evolution of Animal Communication Systems.

Animal communication is inherently spatial. Both signal transmission and signal reception have spatial biases-involving direction, distance, and position-that interact to determine signaling efficacy. Signals, be they visual, acoustic, or chemical, are often highly directional.

Avian Coloration Genetics: Recent Advances and Emerging Questions.

The colorful phenotypes of birds have long provided rich source material for evolutionary biologists. Avian plumage, beaks, skin, and eggs-which exhibit a stunning range of cryptic and conspicuous forms-inspired early work on adaptive coloration. More recently, avian color has fueled discoveries on the physiological, developmental, and-increasingly-genetic mechanisms responsible for phenotypic variation.

Multimodal mimicry of hosts in a radiation of parasitic finches.

Brood parasites use the parental care of others to raise their young and sometimes employ mimicry to dupe their hosts. The brood-parasitic finches of the genus Vidua are a textbook example of the role of imprinting in sympatric speciation. Sympatric speciation is thought to occur in Vidua because their mating traits and host preferences are strongly influenced by their early host environment.

Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors.

Many animals have the potential to discriminate nonspectral colors. For humans, purple is the clearest example of a nonspectral color. It is perceived when two color cone types in the retina (blue and red) with nonadjacent spectral sensitivity curves are predominantly stimulated.

Egg patterns as identity signals in colonial seabirds: a comparison of four alcid species.

The ability to recognize mates, kin, offspring and neighbors by their individually distinctive traits-individual recognition (IR)-is widespread in animals. Much work has investigated IR from the perspective of the recognizer, but less is known about the extent to which signals have evolved to facilitate IR. To explore this, one approach is to compare putative identity signals among species that differ in life history and extent of IR.

Continuity of Care: Perspectives of Uninsured Free Clinic Patients.

Background: Continuity of care is vital to the success of a health-care system because it improves patient satisfaction and health outcomes, and reduces hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine free clinic patients' perspectives of continuity of care in the United States.

Method: A convenience sample of free clinic patients who were the age of 18 or older and spoke English or Spanish participated in a self-administered survey from January to April in 2017 (N = 580).

Higher-level pattern features provide additional information to birds when recognizing and rejecting parasitic eggs.

Despite a recent explosion of research on pattern recognition, in both neuroscience and computer vision, we lack a basic understanding of how most animals perceive and respond to patterns in the wild. Avian brood parasites and their hosts provide an ideal study system for investigating the mechanisms of pattern recognition. The cuckoo finch, Anomalospiza imberbis, and its host the tawny-flanked prinia, Prinia subflava, lay highly polymorphic eggs with a great deal of variation in colour and patterning, with the cuckoo finch capable of close egg mimicry.

Animal Coloration Patterns: Linking Spatial Vision to Quantitative Analysis.

Animal coloration patterns, from zebra stripes to bird egg speckles, are remarkably varied. With research on the perception, function, and evolution of animal patterns growing rapidly, we require a convenient framework for quantifying their diversity, particularly in the contexts of camouflage, mimicry, mate choice, and individual recognition. Ideally, patterns should be defined by their locations in a low-dimensional pattern space that represents their appearance to their natural receivers, much as color is represented by color spaces.

I see your false colours: how artificial stimuli appear to different animal viewers.

The use of artificially coloured stimuli, especially to test hypotheses about sexual selection and anti-predator defence, has been common in behavioural ecology since the pioneering work of Tinbergen. To investigate the effects of colour on animal behaviour, many researchers use paints, markers and dyes to modify existing colours or to add colour to synthetic models. Because colour perception varies widely across species, it is critical to account for the signal receiver's vision when performing colour manipulations.

Synchronization of speed, sound and iridescent color in a hummingbird aerial courtship dive.

Many animal signals are complex, often combining multimodal components with dynamic motion. To understand the function and evolution of these displays, it is vital to appreciate their spatiotemporal organization. Male broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) perform dramatic U-shaped courtship dives over females, appearing to combine rapid movement and dive-specific mechanical noises with visual signals from their iridescent gorgets.

Health and Well-being of Women Migrating from Predominantly Muslim Countries to the United States.

The purpose of this study was to examine the health and well-being of women migrating from predominantly Muslim countries to the U.S. Women from predominantly Muslim countries completed a paper survey on the following topics from June to December in 2016 (N=102): depression; physical functioning; self-reported general health; experiences with health care; and demographic characteristics.

Knowledge and beliefs about HPV among college students in Vietnam and the United States.

Any sexually active person has the possibility of contracting the human papillomavirus (HPV) sometime in their lifetime. HPV vaccines are effective in preventing HPV if obtained prior to viral exposure. Research on knowledge and beliefs of HPV and HPV vaccination among college students in Vietnam is significantly scarce.

Avian egg shape: Form, function, and evolution.

Avian egg shape is generally explained as an adaptation to life history, yet we currently lack a global synthesis of how egg-shape differences arise and evolve. Here, we apply morphometric, mechanistic, and macroevolutionary analyses to the egg shapes of 1400 bird species. We characterize egg-shape diversity in terms of two biologically relevant variables, asymmetry and ellipticity, allowing us to quantify the observed morphologies in a two-dimensional morphospace.

Colour, vision and coevolution in avian brood parasitism.

The coevolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide a powerful system for investigating the diversity of animal coloration. Specifically, reciprocal selection pressure applied by hosts and brood parasites can give rise to novel forms and functions of animal coloration, which largely differ from those that arise when selection is imposed by predators or mates. In the study of animal colours, avian brood parasite-host dynamics therefore invite special consideration.

Animal coloration research: why it matters.

While basic research on animal coloration is the theme of this special edition, here we highlight its applied significance for industry, innovation and society. Both the nanophotonic structures producing stunning optical effects and the colour perception mechanisms in animals are extremely diverse, having been honed over millions of years of evolution for many different purposes. Consequently, there is a wealth of opportunity for biomimetic and bioinspired applications of animal coloration research, spanning colour production, perception and function.