Jonathan Goldenberg, a postdoctoral researcher in evolutionary biology at Lund University in Sweden, stated that research is beginning to uncover why life has evolved colorfully, he explained it all by the evolution of vision, while writing Conversation UK.

Trichromatic Vision
The theory of trichromatic vision suggests that humans and some other animals can detect three distinct wavelengths of light: blue, green, and red. This ability is believed to have originated around 500 to 550 million years ago, during the Cambrian explosion, a period marked by a rapid diversification of life. This era also saw the development of advanced sensory systems, including vision.

Animals with Trichromatic ability
Trichromatic vision emerged in vertebrates approximately 420 to 500 million years ago. The first beings to possess this type of vision were arthropods, which include insects, spiders, and crustaceans. Some marine arthropods developed compound eyes with small lenses that allowed them to capture segments of the visual field and combine these segments to form a mosaic image. This capability enabled them to detect multiple wavelengths of light, providing enhanced visibility and motion detection in the marine environment, as supported by fossil evidence from trilobites.

A colorful world before the colorful body
Thefloragot the first burst of conspicuous color and began to produce visually vibrant fruits and flowers such as red, orange, blue, purple, and orange, to attract animals to help with the dispersal of the seed and pollination. The fruits with vibrant hues emerged over 300-377 million years ago, and flowers and pollinators (bees, butterflies, and birds) emerged vibrant 140-250 years ago.

Muted brown and grey animals began to displayvibrant colorsabout 140 years ago. This change in coloration was influenced by ecological and evolutionary factors, which might have resulted in different outcomes under other circumstances. An example of this evolutionary process is the dinosaur Anchiornis, which had distinctive red plumage derived from fossilized melanosomes, the pigment-containing organelles found in cells.

The emergence of pigment in flora and fauna served a variety of purposes such as attracting a sexual mate, camouflage, dispersal of seeds, or pollination. Poison frogs, for example, exhibit blue, yellow, or red hues to warn predators of their toxicity. In humans, trichromatic vision helped ancestors locate fruits in forests and played a role in social signaling.

Scope for evolution
Human involvement has rapidly altered the path of coloration. For instance, fish surviving inpolluted waterare experiencing changes in their coloration. Additionally, the unstable conditions caused by climate change and habitat loss are also factors affecting coloration patterns.