Definition of melanism in English:
melanism
noun ˈmɛlənɪz(ə)mˈmɛləˌnɪzəm
mass nounZoology Darkening of body tissues caused by excessive production of melanin, especially as a form of colour variation in animals.
Example sentencesExamples
- Adaptations to short, cool summers include activity at low temperatures, selection of warm habitats and microhabitats, melanism and hairiness coupled with basking behaviour, and prolonged or abbreviated life cycles.
- Albinism does occur in some populations, but there are no published records of melanism (black fur) in lions.
- However, melanism and amelanism are known to occur in many species of natricine snakes.
- That pattern of morphological convergence includes larger bills, reduced rust coloration in plumage, and increased melanism or dark coloration.
- The work of Burtt and colleagues provides a nice complement to recent work on the genetic basis of melanism in birds.
Derivatives
adjective mɪˈlanɪk
Zoology The majority of studies on melanin ornaments cited in Table 1 measured only the size of discrete patches of melanic feathers.
Example sentencesExamples
- We suggest that, in addition to its other functions, an important selective advantage of melanic plumage is its resistance to degradation by bacteria that are part of every bird's environment.
- There may still be very good mechanistic reasons why melanic plumage color reveals individual quality in European barn swallows, but they should have nothing to do with carotenoid signaling.
- That's a golden cat skin, and that looks like a clouded leopard skin with a very unusual melanic coat variation.
- By the time the George Reserve was revisited in 1994 and 1995, the percentage of melanic specimens had dropped to 18.3%.
Definition of melanism in US English:
melanism
nounˈmeləˌnizəmˈmɛləˌnɪzəm
Zoology Unusual darkening of body tissues caused by excessive production of melanin, especially as a form of color variation in animals.
Example sentencesExamples
- Albinism does occur in some populations, but there are no published records of melanism (black fur) in lions.
- The work of Burtt and colleagues provides a nice complement to recent work on the genetic basis of melanism in birds.
- Adaptations to short, cool summers include activity at low temperatures, selection of warm habitats and microhabitats, melanism and hairiness coupled with basking behaviour, and prolonged or abbreviated life cycles.
- That pattern of morphological convergence includes larger bills, reduced rust coloration in plumage, and increased melanism or dark coloration.
- However, melanism and amelanism are known to occur in many species of natricine snakes.