Anomalous coloration in European pine marten Martes martes in Elba Island, Central Italy.
Ecol Evol
; 12(6): e8980, 2022 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35784087
Evidence of abnormal coloration in wild animals provides useful information to better understand its adaptive function and its impact on survival. For this reason, we need to know the frequency and distribution of these abnormal phenotypes in wild populations. Here, we report two records of hypopigmentation in European pine marten Martes martes, obtained during a camera-trapping survey on Elba Island, Central Italy. We do not know what has caused anomalous coloration of pine marten on Elba Island, but it is possible that the inbreeding may have played a role in this isolated population. Although the light coloration certainly entails an increased visibility of pine martens, it is possible that the low predator pressure and the absence of other wild carnivore populations in our study could mitigate the mortality risk due to the light phenotype. The increased use of camera traps across the world can potentially facilitate the discovery of cases of anomalous colorations in wild populations, providing an unprecedented insight into the occurrence of this phenomenon in wild mammal species.
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01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ecol Evol
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido