2025/03/17 by Jonathan Goldenberg, Karen Bisschop, Joshua W. Lambert +4 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-57547-6
openalex publication_date 2025/03/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract While the ecological roles of colored integument have been extensively studied, what regulates global patterns of color variation remains poorly understood. Here, using a global dataset of 1249 squamates, we evaluate whether and how six key eco-environmental variables and their interactions shaped the evolutionary history of their coloration. We show that only habitat openness consistently associates with brightness evolution, with brighter integuments favored in open habitats, possibly for enhanced heat reflection. Furthermore, brightness evolution rates likely track δ 18 O (a temperature proxy) changes and increase during global aridification phases, such as those in the Miocene and Pliocene. This trend may be due to the establishment of an arid climate that promoted habitat openness shifts, ultimately inducing adaption to new niches. Our findings suggest that a single environmental variable is associated with color variation in the largest extant tetrapod order.