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Colour vision variation in leaf‐nosed bats (Phyllostomidae): Links to cave roosting and dietary specialization
Author(s) -
Kries Kelly,
Barros Marília A. S.,
Duytschaever Gwen,
Orkin Joseph D.,
Janiak Mareike C.,
Pessoa Daniel M. A.,
Melin Amanda D.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.14818
Subject(s) - biology , human echolocation , evolutionary biology , lineage (genetic) , cave , aposematism , pseudogene , zoology , ecology , camouflage , predation , gene , predator , genome , genetics , neuroscience
Bats are a diverse radiation of mammals of enduring interest for understanding the evolution of sensory specialization. Colour vision variation among species has previously been linked to roosting preferences and echolocation form in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera, yet questions remain about the roles of diet and habitat in shaping bat visual ecology. We sequenced OPN 1 SW and OPN 1 LW opsin genes for 20 species of leaf‐nosed bats (family Phyllostomidae; suborder Yangochiroptera) with diverse roosting and dietary ecologies, along with one vespertilionid species ( Myotis lavali ). OPN 1 LW genes appear intact for all species, and predicted spectral tuning of long‐wavelength opsins varied among lineages. OPN 1 SW genes appear intact and under purifying selection for Myotis lavali and most phyllostomid bats, with two exceptions: (a) We found evidence of ancient OPN 1 SW pseudogenization in the vampire bat lineage, and loss‐of‐function mutations in all three species of extant vampire bats; (b) we additionally found a recent, independently derived OPN 1 SW pseudogene in Lonchophylla mordax , a cave‐roosting species. These mutations in leaf‐nosed bats are independent of the OPN 1 SW pseudogenization events previously reported in Yinpterochiropterans. Therefore, the evolution of monochromacy (complete colour blindness) has occurred in both suborders of bats and under various evolutionary drivers; we find independent support for the hypothesis that obligate cave roosting drives colour vision loss. We additionally suggest that haematophagous dietary specialization and corresponding selection on nonvisual senses led to loss of colour vision through evolutionary sensory trade‐off. Our results underscore the evolutionary plasticity of opsins among nocturnal mammals.