Melanism:macrophysiology to molecules

In nature, organisms display extreme variation for multiple aspects of pigmentation phenotype; this is commonly observed both within and among populations, as well as among taxa. Among populations across environmental gradients (at the macro-physiological level), pigmentation has been found to be associated with several fitness components such as mating ability, disease resistance, UV tolerance, thermal adaptation, and drought tolerance. From the molecular perspective, a number of genes and causal genetic changes underlying pigmentation phenotype have been identified in multiple taxa. The established connections between molecular variation, physiology, and fitness make this trait ideally suited for addressing fundamental questions at the crossroads of ecology, evolution and physiology.

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