The geographical variation of colour change in the Arabian killifish (Aphaniops dispar sensu lato) from freshwater and marine ecosystems

Widely distributed animals may exhibit substantial plastic physiological, morphological and behavioural responses to environmental changes. One such extraordinary form of plasticity is colour change, which varies substantially among most taxonomic groups. Most studies on colour change have focused on a single population, which has left a gap in our knowledge of colour change variation between populations. Examining colour change variation across populations of a taxon can shed light on how it evolves. Colour plasticity is influenced by spatial and temporal contextual variables, including visual habitat heterogeneity, predator diversity and their interaction. Using the Arabian killifish (Aphaniops dispar sensu lato) as a model, we examined the geographical variation of colour change in two freshwater and two marine populations from the west of Saudi Arabia, separated by vicariant and distance barriers and that differed in habitat visual characteristics and potentially in predator diversity. We used digital photography and visual modelling to investigate the ability of individuals in each of the populations to change colour when presented with achromatic (black and white) and chromatic (beige, brown and green) backgrounds. When presented with a black background, we found that individuals in all populations were capable of becoming darker at varying rates, but in a similar manner. Becoming lighter was more challenging, with individuals from all populations changing less on white than on black backgrounds and with one freshwater population exhibiting almost no response. However, there were complex interpopulation differences in chromatic responses, with marine populations exhibiting generally greater responses to the given backgrounds than freshwater populations. Here, we discuss the evolutionary and ecological factors possibly underlying these variations and their repercussions.