Changing rounds into squares or combining stripes: Diversity and formation of checkerboard patterns in Eukaryotes

Abstract

AbstractImportant in many human artistic cultures, checkerboard patterns are rare in nature like many motifs based on squared geometry. Nevertheless, they are expected to be very detectable by the visual networks due to their periodic geometry, and diverse plant and animal species bear them, suggesting specific biological functions. Here, thanks to a biological survey, we first draw the diversity of species bearing checkerboard patterns. Then, we selected two genera, Sarcophaga flies and Fritillaria flowers to perform simulations and functional studies to decipher the mechanisms producing these very peculiar patterns. Although they share a similar geometry, these two genera appear to produce checkered patterns through two very different ways, showing a convergence of shape but not of mechanism. Together, this shows the extent of the mechanisms selected during evolution to generate complex forms, and confirms the importance of describing color patterns through the species diversity