Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Populations of vertebrate species introduced onto islands regularly develop similar phenotypic changes, e.g., larger or smaller body size, shortened limbs, duller coats, as well as behavioural changes such as increased tameness and reduced flight-initiation distance. These changes overlap in part wi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2019-05-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/6894.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797425492427538432 |
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| author | Alexandra A.E. van der Geer |
| author_facet | Alexandra A.E. van der Geer |
| author_sort | Alexandra A.E. van der Geer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Populations of vertebrate species introduced onto islands regularly develop similar phenotypic changes, e.g., larger or smaller body size, shortened limbs, duller coats, as well as behavioural changes such as increased tameness and reduced flight-initiation distance. These changes overlap in part with those associated with the ‘domestication syndrome’, especially tameness and changes in coat patterns, and might indicate a similar neural crest involvement in the concurrent development of multiple phenotypic traits. Here I examine long-term data on free-living populations of wild Polynesian rats from seven mainland countries and 117 islands (n = 3,034), covering the species’ native and introduced range. Mainland populations showed no aberrant coat patterns, with the exception of one albino, whereas aberrant coat patterns were found in 12 island populations. Observed coat colour polymorphisms consisted of leucistic (including singular white patches), melanistic (darkly pigmented) and piebald (mixed) coat patterns. After isolation for at least seven centuries, wild Polynesian rat populations on islands seem to exhibit a trend towards a higher incidence of aberrant coat patterns. These phenotypic changes are here explained as a neutral, non-adaptive process, likely part of the ‘domestication syndrome’ (via the commensal pathway of domestication), in combination with genetic drift, little or no gene flow between the islands and/or the mainland and a relaxed selection (as a result of the weakening or removal of competitor/predator pressure) under commensality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:16:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a46c94bffd9649c59ea0af841cd1735c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:16:54Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-a46c94bffd9649c59ea0af841cd1735c2023-12-02T22:01:12ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592019-05-017e689410.7717/peerj.6894Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the PacificAlexandra A.E. van der Geer0Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, NetherlandsPopulations of vertebrate species introduced onto islands regularly develop similar phenotypic changes, e.g., larger or smaller body size, shortened limbs, duller coats, as well as behavioural changes such as increased tameness and reduced flight-initiation distance. These changes overlap in part with those associated with the ‘domestication syndrome’, especially tameness and changes in coat patterns, and might indicate a similar neural crest involvement in the concurrent development of multiple phenotypic traits. Here I examine long-term data on free-living populations of wild Polynesian rats from seven mainland countries and 117 islands (n = 3,034), covering the species’ native and introduced range. Mainland populations showed no aberrant coat patterns, with the exception of one albino, whereas aberrant coat patterns were found in 12 island populations. Observed coat colour polymorphisms consisted of leucistic (including singular white patches), melanistic (darkly pigmented) and piebald (mixed) coat patterns. After isolation for at least seven centuries, wild Polynesian rat populations on islands seem to exhibit a trend towards a higher incidence of aberrant coat patterns. These phenotypic changes are here explained as a neutral, non-adaptive process, likely part of the ‘domestication syndrome’ (via the commensal pathway of domestication), in combination with genetic drift, little or no gene flow between the islands and/or the mainland and a relaxed selection (as a result of the weakening or removal of competitor/predator pressure) under commensality.https://peerj.com/articles/6894.pdfDomestication syndromeLeucismRattus exulansIsland syndromePiebaldMelanism |
| spellingShingle | Alexandra A.E. van der Geer Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific PeerJ Domestication syndrome Leucism Rattus exulans Island syndrome Piebald Melanism |
| title | Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific |
| title_full | Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific |
| title_fullStr | Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific |
| title_short | Effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of Polynesian rats in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific |
| title_sort | effect of isolation on coat colour polymorphism of polynesian rats in island southeast asia and the pacific |
| topic | Domestication syndrome Leucism Rattus exulans Island syndrome Piebald Melanism |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/6894.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexandraaevandergeer effectofisolationoncoatcolourpolymorphismofpolynesianratsinislandsoutheastasiaandthepacific |