ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2017
Interspecific visual signalling in animals and plants: a functional classification.
Review in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Coevolution of Colour Patterns and Hindwing Shapes on a Large Phylogenetic Scale Reveals Predation-Driven Adaptive Syndromes in Swallowtail Butterflies.Ecology letters · 2026Article
- Biochemical and Genomic Underpinnings of Carotenoid Colour Variation Across a Hybrid Zone Between South Asian Flameback Woodpeckers.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
- Biochemical and Genomic Underpinnings of Carotenoid Colour Variation Across a Hybrid Zone Between South Asian Flameback Woodpeckers.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
- Altitude and ground brightness explain interpopulation variation in dorsal coloration in a lizard.Current zoology · 2025Article
- Variation in Plumage Coloration of Rosy-Faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis): Links to Sex, Age, Nutritional Condition, Viral Infection, and Habitat Urbanization.Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2025Article
- Species recognition and the divergences in the chemical and ultrasonic signals between two coexistingCurrent zoology · 2024Article
- Two-photon excitation fluorescence microspectroscopy protocols for examining fluorophores in fossil plants.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Dynamic colour change as a signalling tool in bluelined goatfish (Ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Sphingid caterpillars conspicuous patches do not function as distractive marks or warning against predators.Ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Structural modification of theMicrobiology (Reading, England) · 2023Article
- The effectiveness of eyespots and masquerade in protecting artificial prey across ontogenetic and seasonal shifts.Current zoology · 2022Article
- Contrasting coloured ventral wings are a visual collision avoidance signal in birds.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2022Article
- Do bovids evolve hindquarter markings for anti-predation?Current zoology · 2022Article
- Review
- Pterin-based pigmentation in animals.Biology letters · 2021Article
- The genomics of coloration provides insights into adaptive evolution.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2020Review
- Body size determines eyespot size and presence in coral reef fishes.Ecology and evolution · 2020Article
- Coloration in Mammals.Trends in ecology & evolution · 2020Review
- Article
- Are the unken reflex and the aposematic colouration of Red-Bellied Toads efficient against bird predation?PloS one · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Organisms frequently gain advantages when they engage in signalling with individuals of other species. Here, we provide a functionally structured framework of the great variety of interspecific visual signals seen in nature, and then describe the different signalling mechanisms that have evolved in response to each of these functional requirements. We propose that interspecific visual signalling can be divided into six major functional categories: anti-predator, food acquisition, anti-parasite, host acquisition, reproductive and agonistic signalling, with each function enabled by several distinct mechanisms. We support our classification by reviewing the ecological and behavioural drivers of interspecific signalling in animals and plants, principally focusing on comparative studies that address large-scale patterns of diversity. Collating diverse examples of interspecific signalling into an organized set of functional and mechanistic categories places anachronistic behavioural and morphological labels in fresh context, clarifies terminology and redirects research effort towards understanding environmental influences driving interspecific signalling in nature.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'.
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