Zebras of all stripes repel biting flies at close range.
Journal
Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
Titre abrégé: Sci Rep
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101563288
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
03 11 2022
03 11 2022
Historique:
received:
03
06
2022
accepted:
13
10
2022
entrez:
4
11
2022
pubmed:
5
11
2022
medline:
8
11
2022
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The best-supported hypothesis for why zebras have stripes is that stripes repel biting flies. While this effect is well-established, the mechanism behind it remains elusive. Myriad hypotheses have been suggested, but few experiments have helped narrow the field of possible explanations. In addition, the complex visual features of real zebra pelage and the natural range of stripe widths have been largely left out of experimental designs. In paired-choice field experiments in a Kenyan savannah, we found that hungry Stomoxys flies released in an enclosure strongly preferred to land on uniform tan impala pelts over striped zebra pelts but exhibited no preference between the pelts of the zebra species with the widest stripes and the narrowest stripes. Our findings confirm that zebra stripes repel biting flies under naturalistic conditions and do so at close range (suggesting that several of the mechanisms hypothesized to operate at a distance are unnecessary for the fly-repulsion effect) but indicate that interspecific variation in stripe width is associated with selection pressures other than biting flies.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36329147
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-22333-7
pii: 10.1038/s41598-022-22333-7
pmc: PMC9633588
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
18617Subventions
Organisme : Simons Foundation
ID : 638529
Organisme : National Geographic Society
ID : 9994-16
Commentaires et corrections
Type : ErratumIn
Informations de copyright
© 2022. The Author(s).
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