Using computer vision to understand the global biogeography of ant color

• DOI: 10.1111/ecog.06279
• Publication Date: 2023-01-24T11:19:46Z
• Authors: Jacob H. Idec; Tom R. Bishop; Brian L. Fisher
• Keywords: Variation (astronomy); Camouflage; Trait

Organisms use color to serve a variety of biological functions, including camouflage, mate attraction and thermoregulation. The potential adaptive role is often investigated by examining patterns variation across geographic, habitat life‐history gradients. This approach, however, presents data collection trade‐off whereby researchers must either maximize intraspecific detail or taxonomic geographic coverage. limits our ability fully understand entire groups at global scales. We provide solution extracting from more than 44 000 individual specimens ants, representing over 14 species morphospecies, using computer vision algorithm on ant head images. Our analyses this dataset reveal that ants are dominated in the dark‐pale spectrum, much held within species, that, overall, suite popular ecogeographic hypotheses unable explain intra‐ interspecific color. contrast previous work assemblage level other invertebrates demonstrating clear strong links between variables such as temperature average assemblages. applies novel computational approach study large‐scale trait diversity. By doing so, we previously unknown levels variation. Similar approaches may unlock vast amount residing museum specimen databases establish digital platform for revolution functional biogeography.