Animals use color both to conceal and signal their presence, with patterns that match the background, disrupt shape recognition, or highlight features important for communication. The forms that these color patterns take are responses to the visual systems that observe them and the environments within which they are viewed. Increasingly, however, these environments are being affected by human activity. We studied how pattern characteristics and habitat change may affect the detectability of three frog color patterns from the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama: Beige-Striped Brown Allobates talamancae and two spotted morphs of Oophaga pumilio, Black-Spotted Green and Black-Spotted Red. To assess detectability, we used visual modeling of conspecifics and potential predators, along with a computer-based detection experiment with human participants. Although we found no evidence for disruptive camouflage, we did find clear evidence that A. talamancae stripes are inherently more cryptic than O. pumilio spots regardless of color. We found no evidence that color pattern polytypism in O. pumilio is related to differences in the forest floor between natural sites. We did, however, find strong evidence that human disturbance affects the visual environment and modifies absolute and rank order frog detectability. Human-induced environmental change reduces the effectiveness of camouflage in A. talamancae, reduces detectability of Black-Spotted Green O. pumilio, and increases chromatic contrast, but not detectability, in Black-Spotted Red O. pumilio. Insofar as predators may learn about prey defenses and make foraging decisions based on relative prey availability and suitability, such changes may have wider implications for predator–prey dynamics.

中文翻译：

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栖息地干扰改变了颜色对比度以及神秘和无声青蛙的可检测性

动物使用颜色来隐藏和表明它们的存在，其图案与背景相匹配，破坏形状识别，或突出对交流很重要的特征。这些颜色图案所采取的形式是对观察它们的视觉系统和观察它们的环境的反应。然而，这些环境越来越多地受到人类活动的影响。我们研究了模式特征和栖息地变化如何影响巴拿马博卡斯德尔托罗群岛的三种青蛙颜色模式的可检测性：米色条纹棕色 Allobates talamancae 和 Oophaga pumilio、Black-Spotted Green 和 Black-Spotted Red 的两种斑点变形。为了评估可检测性，我们使用了同种动物和潜在捕食者的视觉建模，以及基于计算机的人类参与者检测实验。虽然我们没有发现破坏性伪装的证据，但我们确实找到了明确的证据表明 A. talamancae 条纹本质上比 O. pumilio 斑点更神秘，无论颜色如何。我们没有发现任何证据表明 O. pumilio 的颜色模式多型性与自然地点之间森林地面的差异有关。然而，我们确实发现了强有力的证据表明人为干扰会影响视觉环境并修改绝对和等级顺序的青蛙可检测性。人类引起的环境变化会降低 A. talamancae 的伪装效果，降低黑斑绿 O. pumilio 的可检测性，并增加黑斑红 O. pumilio 的色彩对比度，但不会增加可检测性。只要捕食者可以了解猎物防御并根据相对猎物的可用性和适用性做出觅食决定，