ArticleNature communications2024
Ecological drivers of ultraviolet colour evolution in snakes.
Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Color and Near-Infrared Reflectance Covary in Distinct Ways Across Taxa.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- UV-Induced Fluorescence in the Balance: Mate Choice and Predation Risk in the Female Ornamented Jumping Spiders.Integrative zoology · 2026Article
- Hidden colour signals as key drivers in the evolution of anti-predator coloration and defensive behaviours in snakes.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Lizard polymorphic throat colors are distinguishable by conspecifics and predators across variable light environments.PloS one · 2025Article
- Biologically inspired warning patterns deter a passerine,Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral EcologyArticle
- Snake markings facilitate diverse anti-predator functions depending on habitat and viewing angle.Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral EcologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Ultraviolet (UV) colour patterns invisible to humans are widespread in nature. However, research bias favouring species with conspicuous colours under sexual selection can limit our assessment of other ecological drivers of UV colour, like interactions between predators and prey. Here we demonstrate widespread UV colouration across Western Hemisphere snakes and find stronger support for a predator defence function than for reproduction. We find that UV colouration has evolved repeatedly in species with ecologies most sensitive to bird predation, with no sexual dichromatism at any life stage. By modelling visual systems of potential predators, we find that snake conspicuousness correlates with UV colouration and predator cone number, providing a plausible mechanism for selection. Our results suggest that UV reflectance should not be assumed absent in "cryptically coloured" animals, as signalling beyond human visual capacities may be a key outcome of species interactions in many taxa for which UV colour is likely underreported.
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Registered trials
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