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Mate Choice

Mate Choice

Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

Fixed Action Patterns

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

Testing a Claim about Population Proportion

Testing a Claim about Population Proportion

A complete procedure for testing a claim about a population proportion is provided here.
There are two methods of testing a claim about a population proportion: (1) Using the sample proportion from the data where a binomial distribution is approximated to the normal distribution and (2) Using the binomial probabilities calculated from the data.
The first method uses normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution. The requirements are as follows: sample size is large...

Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Basic Methods for the Study of Reproductive Ecology of Fish in Aquaria

Basic Methods for the Study of Reproductive Ecology of Fish in Aquaria

Published on: July 20, 2017

Factors Driving Background Choice in Scorpionfish.

Leonie John¹, Matteo Santon^2,3, Nico K Michiels¹

¹Animal Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution and Ecology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany.

Ecology and Evolution

|July 31, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mediterranean scorpionfish, crucial for hunting, unexpectedly prefer darker backgrounds for camouflage. This preference enhances their disruptive coloration, allowing them to blend into diverse marine environments effectively.

Keywords:

background matching camouflage disruptive colouration heterogeneous habitat visual modelling

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Area of Science:

Marine Biology
Animal Behavior
Camouflage Ecology

Background:

Marine ambush predators like scorpionfish rely on camouflage for successful hunting.
Effective camouflage in heterogeneous environments often involves selecting backgrounds for crypsis.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate background selection strategies in two Mediterranean scorpionfish species (Scorpaena maderensis and S. porcus).
To determine if scorpionfish choose backgrounds based on luminance similarity or other visual cues.

Main Methods:

Visual modeling using standardized photography of natural substrates to analyze achromatic and chromatic contrast.
Behavioral experiments presenting scorpionfish with background choices (similar vs. different luminance).
Calibrated image analysis of fish coloration and pattern components after background selection.

Main Results:

Scorpionfish visually distinguish substrates using achromatic contrast.
Contrary to expectations, scorpionfish preferentially selected darker backgrounds, not those matching their own luminance.
Darker pattern components of scorpionfish better matched dark backgrounds, with S. porcus increasing pattern contrast.

Conclusions:

Scorpionfish's preference for dark backgrounds enhances camouflage through disruptive coloration.
Background choice, combined with color-changing abilities, allows scorpionfish to achieve effective camouflage across various microhabitats.