Conspicuousness is correlated with toxicity in marine opisthobranchs

Abstract

Aposematism is defined as the use of conspicuous colouration to warn predators that an individual is chemically or otherwise defended. Mechanisms that drive the evolution of aposematism are complex. Theoretical and empirical studies show that conspicuousness can be either positively or negatively correlated with toxicity as once aposematism is established, species can allocate resources into becoming more conspicuous and/or increase secondary defences. Here, we investigated the evolution of conspicuousness and toxicity in marine opisthobranchs. Conspicuousness of colour signals was assessed using spectral reflectance measurements and theoretical vision models from the perspective of two reef fish signal receivers. The relative toxicity of chemicals extracted from each opisthobranch species was then determined using toxicity assays. Using a phylogenetic comparative analysis, we found a significant correlation between conspicuousness and toxicity, indicating that conspicuousness acts as an honest signal when signifying level of defence and provides evidence for aposematism in opisthobranchs.