{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T20:51:29Z","timestamp":1790801489445,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":65,"publisher":"The Royal Society","issue":"1724","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,22]],"date-time":"2017-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1495411200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/royalsociety.org\/journals\/ethics-policies\/data-sharing-mining\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["royalsocietypublishing.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2017,7,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The importance of colour for temperature regulation in animals remains controversial. Colour can affect an animal's temperature because all else being equal, dark surfaces absorb more solar energy than do light surfaces, and that energy is converted into heat. However, in reality, the relationship between colour and thermoregulation is complex and varied because it depends on environmental conditions and the physical properties, behaviour and physiology of the animal. Furthermore, the thermal effects of colour depend as much on absorptance of near-infrared ((NIR), 700\u20132500 nm) as visible (300\u2013700 nm) wavelengths of direct sunlight; yet the NIR is very rarely considered or measured. The few available data on NIR reflectance in animals indicate that the visible reflectance is often a poor predictor of NIR reflectance. Adaptive variation in animal coloration (visible reflectance) reflects a compromise between multiple competing functions such as camouflage, signalling and thermoregulation. By contrast, adaptive variation in NIR reflectance should primarily reflect thermoregulatory requirements because animal visual systems are generally insensitive to NIR wavelengths. Here, we assess evidence and identify key research questions regarding the thermoregulatory function of animal coloration, and specifically consider evidence for adaptive variation in NIR reflectance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>This article is part of the themed issue \u2018Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application\u2019.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2016.0345","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,22]],"date-time":"2017-05-22T20:10:47Z","timestamp":1495483847000},"page":"20160345","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":210,"title":["Thermal consequences of colour and near-infrared reflectance"],"prefix":"10.1098","volume":"372","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3362-1412","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Devi","family":"Stuart-Fox","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Newton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susana","family":"Clusella-Trullas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Botany and Zoology and Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"175","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/1309169"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1650\/7383"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/gcb.12594"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4612-1626-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1890\/08-1502.1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","unstructured":"Burtt EH. 1977 The coloration of wood-warblers (Parulidae) Ph.D. thesis. 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