Rapid colour change in group-hunting teleost predators

• Applicant: Alicia Burns, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564211319

This project will investigate colour change in large teleost predators to test a number of interrelated hypotheses as to its function. We propose two primary, but not mutually exclusive explanations for predatory colour change: communication with conspecifics and manipulation of prey collective defences. Additionally, a potential third function may arise from a need for defence – as most large teleost predators are indeed prey themselves at times. Thus several different pathways may have led to the evolution of colour change in predators. Understanding the mechanisms involved and the context in which colour change occurs in predators is fundamental to understanding its function both ecologically and evolutionarily.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants