Journal article
Revealing the biochemical and genetic basis of color variation in a polymorphic lizard
CA McLean, A Lutz, KJ Rankin, D Stuart-Fox, A Moussalli
Molecular Biology and Evolution | OXFORD UNIV PRESS | Published : 2017
Abstract
Determining the mechanistic and genetic basis of animal coloration is essential to understand the costs and constraints on color production, and the evolution and maintenance of phenotypic variation. However, genes underlying structural color and widespread pigment classes apart from melanin remain largely uncharacterized, in part due to restricted taxonomic focus. We combined liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and RNA-seq gene expression analyses to characterize the pigments and genes associated with skin color in the polymorphic lizard, Ctenophorus decresii. Throat coloration in male C. decresii may be a combination of orange, yellow, grey, or ultra-violet blue. We confirmed the prese..
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Awarded by Dravet Syndrome Foundation
Funding Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Adam Elliott, Jessica Hacking, Anna Lewis, Luisa Teasdale and Madeleine Yewers for assistance with field work and sample collection. Metabolite analysis was conducted at Metabolomics Australia (The University of Melbourne), a National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy initiative under Bioplatforms Australia Pty Ltd. Fieldwork was conducted with approval from the South Australia Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (permit: E25861-1) and ethics approvals for all procedures were obtained from the South Australian Wildlife Ethics Committee (18/2010) and The University of Melbourne Animal Ethics Committee (1011760.1). This work was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP150101044) to DSF, and The University of Melbourne, Alfred Nicholas Fellowship to CM.