title: Alpine scree plants benefit from cryptic coloration with limited cost.
abstract: Like animals, plants are attacked by enemies (herbivores) that forage using visual cues; however, the defensive coloration type known as cryptic coloration was rarely reported in plants. For most autotrophic plants, because photosynthesis relies on the presence of chlorophyll, a green leaf appearance is standard. However, if having leaves that are not green is more beneficial than costly, such coloration may evolve under certain conditions. Taking advantage of the leaf color dimorphism of Corydalis benecincta, we showed that the cryptically colored leaves confer a clear benefit without obvious cost in natural populations. Based on this study, we try to provide a framework on which to base a cost-benefit analysis to investigate the evolution of cryptic leaf coloration in plants.
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia; Kunming Institute of Botany; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming, Yunnan, PR China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002080:Butterflies / Q000502:physiology; D031311:Corydalis / Q000502:physiology; D060434:Herbivory / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000502:physiology; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D065929:Tundra
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins
keywords: alpine scree plant; cryptic coloration; leaf color dimorphism; plant defense