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The genetic and evolutionary basis of colour variation in vertebrates

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Abstract

Variation in pigmentation is one of the most conspicuous phenotypic traits in vertebrates. Although mammals show less variation in body pigmentation than other vertebrate groups, the genetics of colour determination and variation is best understood for them. More than 150 genes have been identified that influence pigmentation, and in many cases, the cause for variation in pigmentation has been identified down to the underlying nucleotide changes. These studies show that while some genes are often responsible for deviating pigmentation, similar or almost identical phenotypes even in the same species may be due to mutations in different genes. In this review we will first discuss the current knowledge about the genes and their functions underlying the biochemical pathways that determine pigmentation and then give examples where the mutations responsible for colour variation have been determined. Finally, we will discuss potential evolutionary causes for and consequences of differences in pigmentation between individuals.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Brenda Bradley, Hopi Hoekstra and Ole Seehausen for providing pictures and Regina Querner for help with the figure design. This work was funded by the DFG, the Max Planck Society and the University of York.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5YW, UK

    Michael Hofreiter

  2. Research Group Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Michael Hofreiter

  3. Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 30, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Torsten Schöneberg

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  1. Michael Hofreiter
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  2. Torsten Schöneberg
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Correspondence to Michael Hofreiter.

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Hofreiter, M., Schöneberg, T. The genetic and evolutionary basis of colour variation in vertebrates. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 67, 2591–2603 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-010-0333-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-010-0333-7

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