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How the zebra got its stripes: a problem with too many solutions
Brenda Larison1, Ryan J Harrigan1, Henri A Thomassen2
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology , University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA ; Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability , University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East , Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Royal Society Open Science
|June 12, 2015
Summary
Zebra stripe patterns are linked to temperature, not predators or flies. This research suggests complex, multifaceted environmental factors influence zebra striping evolution.
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- The adaptive significance of zebra stripes remains poorly understood.
- Hypotheses include social cohesion, thermoregulation, predation evasion, and biting fly avoidance.
- Regional variations in plains zebra striping patterns exist across Africa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between environmental factors and plains zebra stripe characteristics.
- To test hypotheses regarding the adaptive significance of zebra stripes.
- To identify key environmental predictors of stripe pattern variation.
Main Methods:
- Examined 29 environmental variables across the plains zebra's African range.
- Correlated environmental data with observed variations in stripe characteristics.
- Utilized statistical analysis to determine predictive power of environmental factors.
Main Results:
- No evidence found supporting stripe evolution for predator evasion or biting fly avoidance.
- Temperature was identified as a significant predictor of plains zebra stripe pattern variation.
- Striping patterns showed a strong correlation with regional temperature differences.
Conclusions:
- The study challenges previous hypotheses linking zebra stripes to predation or insect avoidance.
- Temperature is a key environmental factor influencing plains zebra striping.
- The selective pressures driving zebra stripe evolution are likely complex and multifactorial.
