Melanism in Polymorphic Terrestrial Snakes: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Background and Aim

Colour polymorphic populations constitute excellent model systems for testing ecological and evolutionary hypotheses, as alternate colourations are associated with differences in various biological, behavioural and life-history traits. Melanism is the most common and most obvious form of polymorphism. In reptiles in general (and snakes in particular), thermal melanism has been a popular hypothesis used to explain the appearance of black individuals. It suggests that a trade-off exists between superior thermoregulation and reduced protection through the loss of crypsis. Surprisingly, despite the growing body of literature available, to date, there are only two qualitative reviews on the evolutionary significance of melanism in reptiles and no quantitative synthesis. We conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis summarising the current knowledge on melanism in polymorphic terrestrial snakes and synthesised the evidence for an adaptive advantage of the melanistic morph.

Location

Northern Hemisphere.

Taxon

Polymorphic terrestrial snakes.

Results

Mean prevalence of melanism is 31% with no significant differences between species. Annual precipitation was a significant moderator of melanism prevalence. Our results revealed no significant differences in odds ratios of melanism between sexes or in mean body size.

Main Conclusions

Environmental plasticity can be considered the primary cause of melanism, possibly as a result of seasonal climatic variations, a result corroborated by the formal meta-analysis conducted. Conclusions from the meta-analysis are that melanism in snakes follows Gloger's rule, as is the case in birds and mammals, and as opposed to the thermal melanism hypothesis. Further, our findings do not lend support for other predictions from the thermal melanism hypothesis, such as skewed frequency of melanistics in favour of males or females, or larger body sizes in black individuals. Our results hold implications for the future diversity of animal populations, as climate change is predicted to decrease the degree of colour variation.