Journal article
Polarization and reflectance are linked to climate, size and mechanistic constraints in a group of scarab beetles
L Ospina-Rozo, I Medina, A Hugall, KJ Rankin, NW Roberts, A Roberts, A Mitchell, CAM Reid, A Moussalli, D Stuart-Fox
Scientific Reports | Published : 2024
Abstract
Beetles exhibit an extraordinary diversity of brilliant and colourful appearances and optical effects invisible to humans. Their underlying mechanisms have received some attention, but we know little about the ecological variables driving their evolution. Here we investigated environmental correlates of reflectivity and circular polarization in a group of optically diverse beetles (Scarabaeidae–Rutelinae). We quantified the optical properties of 261 specimens representing 46 species using spectrophotometry and calibrated photographs. Then, we examined associations between these properties and environmental variables such as temperature, humidity and vegetation cover, controlling for body siz..
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Grants
Awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Funding Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the team in charge of the beetle division of the Australian National Insect Collection, especially to Bronte Sinclair, Debbie Jennings and Cate Lemann for providing the specimens for this research. We also acknowledge the use of the Atlas of Living Australia, (https://ror.org/018n2ja79). This work was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council (grant numbers DP190102203, FT180100216, CE200100010) and a research grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)/European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD) (grant number FA9550-19-1-7005) to N.W.R.