Latest News
Content with tag melanin .
Stripes of prey species associated with group living
Grouping is a widespread form of predator defence, with individuals in groups often performing evasive collective movements in response to attack by predators. Individuals in these groups use...
Impairment of mixed melanin-based pigmentation in parrots
Parrots and allies (Order Psittaciformes) have evolved an exclusive capacity to synthesize polyene pigments called psittacofulvins at feather follicles, which allows them to produce a striking...
Physiological compartmentalization as a possible cause of phylogenetic signal loss: an example involving melanin-based pigmentation
Phylogenetic signal is the extent to which phenotypic expression is related to phylogenetic relationships between species, thus reflecting the effect of common ancestry. Signal loss occurs when...
Solar and terrestrial radiations explain continental-scale variation in bird pigmentation
Animals living on the earth's surface are protected from the damaging effects of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation by melanin pigments that color their integument. UV levels that reach the...
Molecular vibration as a novel explanatory mechanism for the expression of animal colouration
Animal colouration is characterized by the concentration of pigments in integumentary structures and by the nanoscale arrangement of constitutive elements. However, the influence of molecular...
— 5 Items per Page