Flash signal evolution in Photinus fireflies: Character displacement and signal exploitation in a visual communication system

@article{StangerHall2015FlashSE,
  title={Flash signal evolution in Photinus fireflies: Character displacement and signal exploitation in a visual communication system},
  author={Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall and James E. Lloyd},
  journal={Evolution},
  year={2015},
  volume={69}
}
Animal communication is an intriguing topic in evolutionary biology. In this comprehensive study of visual signal evolution, we used a phylogenetic approach to study the evolution of the flash communication system of North American fireflies. The North American firefly genus Photinus contains 35 described species with simple ON–OFF visual signals, and information on habitat types, sympatric congeners, and predators. This makes them an ideal study system to test hypotheses on the evolution of… 
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A day-flashing Photinus firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) from central Panamá: an emergent shift to predator-free space?
TLDR
It is proposed that the adaptive significance of this extraordinary temporal shift in courtship niche is the outcome of a selective landscape that has optimized the trade-off between reduced predation risk and ease of mate-localization.
The evolution of sexual signal modes and associated sensor morphology in fireflies (Lampyridae, Coleoptera)
TLDR
It is found that light signals are associated with larger eyes and shorter antennae in males and females, and following a transition from nocturnal light displays to diurnal pheromones, eye size reductions occur more rapidly than antenna size increases.
Variation in opsin genes correlates with signalling ecology in North American fireflies
TLDR
The results suggest that changes in eye spectral sensitivity are at least partially due to opsin sequence, and fireflies continue to be a promising system in which to investigate the evolution of signals, receptors and signalling environments.
The evolution of adult light emission color in North American fireflies
TLDR
Support is found for both hypotheses: males active early in more vegetated habitats produced yellower flashes in comparison to later‐active males with greener flashes and in two of the eight species with female data, female light emissions were significantly greener as compared to males.
Molecular variation across populations of a widespread North American firefly, Photinus pyralis, reveals that coding changes do not underlie flash color variation or associated visual sensitivity
TLDR
The absence of protein variation at both loci challenges the paradigm that variation in signal color and visual sensitivity in fireflies is exclusively due to coding variation in luciferase and opsin genes.
Species-Specific Flash Patterns Track the Nocturnal Behavior of Sympatric Taiwanese Fireflies
It is highly challenging to evaluate the species’ content and behavior changes in wild fireflies, especially for a sympatric population. Here, the flash interval (FI) and flash duration (FD) of…
Short- and mid-wavelength artificial light influences the flash signals of Aquatica ficta fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
TLDR
Benefits of bioluminescent signal plasticity in a “noisy” signaling environment are demonstrated, long wavelength lighting is less likely to impact firefly courtship, and its use in place of broad spectrum white lighting could augment firefly conservation efforts.
Narrow‐spectrum artificial light silences female fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
The rapid spread of artificial light at night (ALAN) poses myriad problems for nocturnal biodiversity. Bioluminescent taxa that communicate via glowing lures, warning signals, or courtship…
Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals Gene Families Associated with Predatory Behavior in Photuris femme fatale Fireflies
TLDR
Nine gene families were identified under positive selection in the predatory versus non-predatory Photuris comparison, including genes involved in digestion, detoxification, vision, reproduction, and neural processes, and highlight the utility of comparative transcriptomic tools to investigate complex behaviors in non-model systems.
Spatio-temporal reconstruction of emergent flash synchronization in firefly swarms via stereoscopic 360-degree cameras
TLDR
This work develops a method for three-dimensional tracking of firefly flashes, using a stereoscopic set-up of 360-degree cameras, and identifies distinct individual trajectories that hint at additional competitive mechanisms in the swarm.
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