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Liu D, Tong Y, Dong R, Ye X, Yu X. A Breeding Plumage in the Making: The Unique Process of Plumage Coloration in the Crested Ibis in Terms of Chemical Composition and Sex Hormones. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3820. [PMID: 38136856 PMCID: PMC10740519 DOI: 10.3390/ani13243820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) has long fascinated ornithologists with its enigmatic plumage color change. After more than a century of curiosity, the mystery was finally unraveled in the 1970s, unveiling the mechanism behind this remarkable transformation. Unlike other bird species, the Crested Ibis achieves its nuptial plumage coloration through a unique daubing behavior. After a water-bathing, it applies a sticky black substance secreted by a patch of skin in the neck and throat region. However, the chemical components of this black substance have not been studied in detail until now. To address this issue, we conducted a study to detect the components of the black substance and explore the relationship between sex hormone levels and the secretion of the black substance. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure the monthly changes in steroid hormone levels (estradiol E2, testosterone T, and progesterone PROG) levels in feces. We also analyzed the correlation between sex hormone levels and daubing behavior. The results showed that the sex hormone levels are closely related to the secretion and application of the black substance. In addition, we qualitatively analyzed the chemical components of the black substance using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), uncovering the presence of 117 distinct chemical components. We assume that the black coloration results from the polymerization of selected chemical constituents among these components. These findings provide a groundwork for further exploration into the biological significance of the black substance. Overall, our study detected components in the black substance and studied how sex hormone levels relate to its secretion. Understanding the hormone effects on coloration helps in precise habitat management, like wetland preservation, crucial for Crested Ibis survival. Implementing hormone-boosting measures during breeding seasons enhances reproduction and health, vital for their conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danni Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China; (D.L.); (Y.T.); (X.Y.)
| | - Yiwei Tong
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China; (D.L.); (Y.T.); (X.Y.)
| | - Rong Dong
- Research Center for Qinling Giant Panda, Shaanxi Academy of Foresty, Xi’an 710082, China;
| | - Xinping Ye
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China; (D.L.); (Y.T.); (X.Y.)
- Research Center for UAV Remote Sensing, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
| | - Xiaoping Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China; (D.L.); (Y.T.); (X.Y.)
- Shaanxi Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Golden Monkey, Giant Panda and Biodiversity, Xi’an 723400, China
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2
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Terrill RS, Shultz AJ. Feather function and the evolution of birds. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:540-566. [PMID: 36424880 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The ability of feathers to perform many functions either simultaneously or at different times throughout the year or life of a bird is integral to the evolutionary history of birds. Many studies focus on single functions of feathers, but any given feather performs many functions over its lifetime. These functions necessarily interact with each other throughout the evolution and development of birds, so our knowledge of avian evolution is incomplete without understanding the multifunctionality of feathers, and how different functions may act synergistically or antagonistically during natural selection. Here, we review how feather functions interact with avian evolution, with a focus on recent technological and discovery-based advances. By synthesising research into feather functions over hierarchical scales (pattern, arrangement, macrostructure, microstructure, nanostructure, molecules), we aim to provide a broad context for how the adaptability and multifunctionality of feathers have allowed birds to diversify into an astounding array of environments and life-history strategies. We suggest that future research into avian evolution involving feather function should consider multiple aspects of a feather, including multiple functions, seasonal wear and renewal, and ecological or mechanical interactions. With this more holistic view, processes such as the evolution of avian coloration and flight can be understood in a broader and more nuanced context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Terrill
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, 1600 Campus rd., Los Angeles, CA, 90042, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA, 95382, USA
| | - Allison J Shultz
- Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
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3
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Fargevieille A, Grégoire A, Gomez D, Doutrelant C. Evolution of female colours in birds: The role of female cost of reproduction and paternal care. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:579-588. [PMID: 36702760 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Female ornamentation is frequently observed in animal species and is sometimes found as more evolutionary labile than male ornamentation. A complex array of factors may explain its presence and variation. Here we assessed the role of female cost of reproduction and paternal care. Both factors have been pinpointed as important by theoretical studies but have not been investigated yet in details at the interspecific level. We worked on 133 species of North temperate Passeriformes bird species for which both the clutch volume - here taken as the proxy of female cost of reproduction - and amount of paternal care are relatively well known. Using spectrometry, we measured the whole-body coloured plumage patches and quantified three metrics corresponding to brightness (i.e. achromatic component), colour chromaticity (i.e. intensity) and colour volume (i.e. diversity). We found a strong association between male and female colour metrics. Controlling for this association, we found additional small but detectable effects of both cost of reproduction and paternal care. First, females of species with more paternal care were slightly brighter. Second, the interaction between the level of paternal care and egg volume was correlated with female colour intensity: females with more paternal care were more chromatic, with this association mostly present when their investment in reproduction was low. Together these results suggest that female cost of reproduction and paternal care are part of the multiple factors explaining variation of female coloration, besides the strong covariation between male and female coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arnaud Grégoire
- CEFE-CNRS UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Doris Gomez
- CEFE-CNRS UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- CEFE-CNRS UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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4
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Ng EYX, Li S, Zhang D, Garg KM, Song G, Martinez J, Hung LM, Tu VT, Fuchs J, Dong L, Olsson U, Huang Y, Alström P, Rheindt FE, Lei F. Genome‐wide
SNPs
confirm plumage polymorphism and hybridisation within a
Cyornis
flycatcher species complex. ZOOL SCR 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elize Y. X. Ng
- Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
- Discipline of Biological Science, School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Siqi Li
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Life Sciences Shaanxi Normal University Xi'an China
| | - Dezhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Kritika M. Garg
- Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research Ashoka University Sonipat India
- Department of Biology Ashoka University Sonipat India
| | - Gang Song
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | | | - Le Manh Hung
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Graduate University of Science and Technology Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Vuong Tan Tu
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Graduate University of Science and Technology Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Jérôme Fuchs
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS, 22 S U, EPHE, UA CP51 Paris France
| | - Lu Dong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Urban Olsson
- Systematics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Center Göteborg Sweden
| | - Yuan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Per Alström
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Frank E. Rheindt
- Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
| | - Fumin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
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5
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Enbody ED, Sin SYW, Boersma J, Edwards SV, Ketaloya S, Schwabl H, Webster MS, Karubian J. The evolutionary history and mechanistic basis of female ornamentation in a tropical songbird. Evolution 2022; 76:1720-1736. [PMID: 35748580 PMCID: PMC9543242 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Ornamentation, such as the showy plumage of birds, is widespread among female vertebrates, yet the evolutionary pressures shaping female ornamentation remain uncertain. In part this is due to a poor understanding of the mechanistic route to ornamentation in females. To address this issue, we evaluated the evolutionary history of ornament expression in a tropical passerine bird, the White-shouldered Fairywren, whose females, but not males, strongly vary between populations in occurrence of ornamented black-and-white plumage. We first use phylogenomic analysis to demonstrate that female ornamentation is derived and that female ornamentation evolves independently of changes in male plumage. We then use exogenous testosterone in a field experiment to induce partial ornamentation in naturally unornamented females. By sequencing the transcriptome of experimentally induced ornamented and natural feathers, we identify genes expressed during ornament production and evaluate the degree to which female ornamentation in this system is associated with elevated testosterone, as is common in males. We reveal that some ornamentation in females is linked to testosterone and that sexes differ in ornament-linked gene expression. Lastly, using genomic outlier analysis we identify a candidate melanogenesis gene that lies in a region of high genomic divergence among populations that is also differentially expressed in feather follicles of different female plumages. Taken together, these findings are consistent with sex-specific selection favoring the evolution of female ornaments and demonstrate a key role for testosterone in generating population divergence in female ornamentation through gene regulation. More broadly, our work highlights similarities and differences in how ornamentation evolves in the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik D. Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLouisiana70118,Department of Medical Biochemistry and MicrobiologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSE‐75123Sweden
| | - Simon Y. W. Sin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusetts02138,School of Biological SciencesThe University of Hong KongPok Fu Lam RoadHong Kong
| | - Jordan Boersma
- School of Biological Sciences, Center for Reproductive BiologyWashington State UniversityPullmanWashington99164,Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew York14853,Macaulay LibraryCornell Lab of OrnithologyIthacaNew York14850
| | - Scott V. Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusetts02138
| | - Serena Ketaloya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLouisiana70118
| | - Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Center for Reproductive BiologyWashington State UniversityPullmanWashington99164
| | - Michael S. Webster
- Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew York14853,Macaulay LibraryCornell Lab of OrnithologyIthacaNew York14850
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTulane UniversityNew OrleansLouisiana70118
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6
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Earl AD, Simpson RK, Yorzinski JL. Dominant females have brighter ornamentation in a sexually dimorphic lekking species. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis D. Earl
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Texas A&M University College Station, Texas USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Columbia University New York New York USA
| | - Richard K. Simpson
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
| | - Jessica L. Yorzinski
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology Texas A&M University College Station, Texas USA
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7
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McCoy DE, Shultz AJ, Vidoudez C, van der Heide E, Dall JE, Trauger SA, Haig D. Microstructures amplify carotenoid plumage signals in tanagers. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8582. [PMID: 33883641 PMCID: PMC8060279 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88106-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Brilliantly-colored birds are a model system for research into evolution and sexual selection. Red, orange, and yellow carotenoid-colored plumages have been considered honest signals of condition; however, sex differences in feather pigments and microstructures are not well understood. Here, we show that microstructures, rather than carotenoid pigments, seem to be a major driver of male-female color differences in the social, sexually-dimorphic tanager genus Ramphocelus. We comprehensively quantified feather (i) color (using spectrophotometry), (ii) pigments (using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)), and (iii) microstructures (using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) optical modeling). Males have significantly more saturated color patches than females. However, our exploratory analysis of pigments suggested that males and females have concordant carotenoid pigment profiles across all species (MCMCglmm model, female:male ratio = 0.95). Male, but not female, feathers have elaborate microstructures which amplify color appearance. Oblong, expanded feather barbs in males enhance color saturation (for the same amount of pigment) by increasing the transmission of optical power through the feather. Dihedral barbules (vertically-angled, strap-shaped barbules) in males reduce total reflectance to generate "super black" and "velvet red" plumage. Melanin in females explains some, but not all, of the male-female plumage differences. Our results suggest that a widely cited index of honesty, carotenoid pigments, cannot fully explain male appearance. We propose that males are selected to evolve amplifiers-in this case, microstructures that enhance appearance-that are not necessarily themselves linked to quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dakota E McCoy
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Allison J Shultz
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, 38 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
| | - Charles Vidoudez
- Harvard Center for Mass Spectrometry, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street (B2), Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Emma van der Heide
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Jacqueline E Dall
- Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
| | - Sunia A Trauger
- Harvard Center for Mass Spectrometry, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street (B2), Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - David Haig
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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8
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McQueen A, Delhey K, Barzan FR, Naimo AC, Peters A. Male fairy-wrens produce and maintain vibrant breeding colors irrespective of individual quality. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Conspicuous colors may signal individual quality if high-quality individuals produce more elaborate colors or have a greater capacity to invest in color maintenance. We investigate these hypotheses using repeated within-individual observations and experimentally induced color production in a wild bird, the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus). Male superb fairy-wrens undergo an annual molt from brown, nonbreeding plumage to an ultraviolet-blue and black breeding plumage. Color maintenance is especially relevant for this species because structural, ultraviolet-blue plumage colors are particularly susceptible to fading. Further, only the most sexually attractive males molt to breeding plumage early (before spring) and thereby keep their colors for an extended time before the breeding season. Our results show that (i) sexually attractive, early-molting males do not have higher quality breeding colors and (ii) breeding colors are not impacted by experimentally inducing males to molt early and while in low body condition. We found that (iii) breeding colors do not fade but remain consistent or become more saturated within individuals over time. Despite this, (iv) males do not spend more time preening while in breeding plumage. Instead, males keep their colors in pristine condition by re-molting parts of their breeding plumage throughout the breeding season, suggesting an alternative, potential cost of maintaining ornamental colors. We conclude that variation in structural breeding colors is unlikely to indicate individual quality in superb fairy-wrens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra McQueen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Flavia R Barzan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Gestión Ambiental, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) and CONICET, Oro Verde, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Annalise C Naimo
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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9
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Boersma J, Enbody ED, Jones JA, Nason D, Lopez-Contreras E, Karubian J, Schwabl H. Testosterone induces plumage ornamentation followed by enhanced territoriality in a female songbird. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
We know little of the proximate mechanisms underlying the expression of signaling traits in female vertebrates. Across males, the expression of sexual and competitive traits, including ornamentation and aggressive behavior, is often mediated by testosterone. In the white-shouldered fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) of New Guinea, females of different subspecies differ in the presence or absence of white shoulder patches and melanic plumage, whereas males are uniformly ornamented. Previous work has shown that ornamented females circulate more testosterone and exhibit more territorial aggression than do unornamented females. We investigated the degree to which testosterone regulates the expression of ornamental plumage and territorial behavior by implanting free-living unornamented females with testosterone. Every testosterone-treated female produced a male-like cloacal protuberance, and 15 of 20 replaced experimentally plucked brown with white shoulder patch feathers but did not typically produce melanic plumage characteristic of ornamented females. Testosterone treatment did not elevate territorial behavior prior to the production of the plumage ornament or during the active life of the implant. However, females with experimentally induced ornamentation, but exhausted implants, increased the vocal components of territory defense relative to the pretreatment period and also to testosterone-implanted females that did not produce ornamentation. Our results suggest that testosterone induces partial acquisition of the ornamental female plumage phenotype and that ornament expression, rather than testosterone alone, results in elevations of some territorial behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Boersma
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Erik D Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - John Anthony Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Doka Nason
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Porotona Village, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
| | | | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Gruson
- CEFEUniv MontpellierCNRSUniv Paul Valéry Montpellier 3EPHEIRD Montpellier France
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11
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Javůrková VG, Enbody ED, Kreisinger J, Chmel K, Mrázek J, Karubian J. Plumage iridescence is associated with distinct feather microbiota in a tropical passerine. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12921. [PMID: 31501471 PMCID: PMC6733896 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds present a stunning diversity of plumage colors that have long fascinated evolutionary ecologists. Although plumage coloration is often linked to sexual selection, it may impact a number of physiological processes, including microbial resistance. At present, the degree to which differences between pigment-based vs. structural plumage coloration may affect the feather microbiota remains unanswered. Using quantitative PCR and DGGE profiling, we investigated feather microbial load, diversity and community structure among two allopatric subspecies of White-shouldered Fairywren, Malurus alboscapulatus that vary in expression of melanin-based vs. structural plumage coloration. We found that microbial load tended to be lower and feather microbial diversity was significantly higher in the plumage of black iridescent males, compared to black matte females and brown individuals. Moreover, black iridescent males had distinct feather microbial communities compared to black matte females and brown individuals. We suggest that distinctive nanostructure properties of iridescent male feathers or different investment in preening influence feather microbiota community composition and load. This study is the first to point to structural plumage coloration as a factor that may significantly regulate feather microbiota. Future work might explore fitness consequences and the role of microorganisms in the evolution of avian sexual dichromatism, with particular reference to iridescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Gvoždíková Javůrková
- Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Department of Animal Science, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Suchdol, Czech Republic.
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Erik D Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jakub Kreisinger
- Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kryštof Chmel
- Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Mrázek
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 160 00, Prague-Krč, Czech Republic
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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12
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Fan M, D’alba L, Shawkey MD, Peters A, Delhey K. Multiple components of feather microstructure contribute to structural plumage colour diversity in fairy-wrens. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractClosely related species often differ in coloration. Understanding the mechanistic bases of such differences can reveal whether evolutionary changes in colour are driven by single key mechanisms or changes in multiple pathways. Non-iridescent structural plumage colours in birds are a good model in which to test these questions. These colours result from light absorption by pigments, light scattering by the medullary spongy layer (a nanostructure found within barbs) and contributions from other structural elements. Fairy-wrens (Malurus spp.) are a small clade of closely related birds that display a large diversity of ornamental structural colours. Using spectrometry, electron microscopy and Fourier analysis, we show that 30 structural colours, varying from ultraviolet to blue and purple, share a similar barb morphology. Despite this similarity, we find that at the microscopic scale, variation across multiple structural elements, including the size and density of the keratin cortex, spongy layer and melanin, explains colour diversity. These independent axes of morphological variation together account for sizeable amounts of structural colour variability (R2 = 0.21–0.65). The coexistence of many independent, evolutionarily labile mechanisms that generate colour variation suggests that the diversity of structural colours in this clade could be mediated by many independent genetic and environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Fan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Liliana D’alba
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of Biology, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matthew D Shawkey
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Group, Department of Biology, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany
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13
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Lack of conspecific visual discrimination between second-year males and females in the Saffron Finch. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209549. [PMID: 30589869 PMCID: PMC6307699 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually dichromatic birds often show delayed plumage maturation, but second-year (SY) males may or may not be distinguishable from females. In competitive contexts, SY males receive a reduced amount of adult males’ aggression, either by mimicking females or through signaling their sex and inexperience as subordinate males. To the human eye, reproductive dull SY male Saffron Finches are indistinguishable from females, whereas after second-year (ASY) males are golden yellow. Our aim is to establish whether SY males are sexually dichromatic with females to the eye of conspecifics. We describe plumage variation in females, SY and ASY males and, in particular, analyze assortative mating by color by comparing a previously disregarded yellow feather patch shared by the three groups. We measured plumage reflectance of the forehead, breast, belly, and axillaries, and used a two-step avian visual model analysis to estimate the ability of Saffron Finches to distinguish between SY males and females. We find that those groups are indistinguishable to conspecifics by color. Furthermore, we find non-significant evidence of assortative mating directly related to the coloration of comparable feather patches between females and each type of male, though body condition of SY males is associated to that of their mates. Our results are compatible with both the female-mimicry and the status signaling hypotheses of evolution and maintenance of delayed plumage maturation. However, the singing behavior of males reveals their presence within the breeding site; the combined effect of song and dull coloration suggest that SY males are honestly revealing their sex and status to conspecifics.
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Enbody ED, Boersma J, Schwabl H, Karubian J. Female ornamentation is associated with elevated aggression and testosterone in a tropical songbird. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Erik D Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jordan Boersma
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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Hegyi G, Laczi M, Kötél D, Csizmadia T, Lőw P, Rosivall B, Szöllősi E, Török J. Reflectance variation in the blue tit crown in relation to feather structure. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.176727. [PMID: 29615523 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.176727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Structural plumage colour is one of the most enigmatic sexually selected traits. The information content of structural colour variation is debated, and the heterogeneity of the findings is hard to explain because the proximate background of within-species colour differences is very scarcely studied. We combined measurements of feather macrostructure and nanostructure to explain within-population variability in blue tit crown reflectance. We found that sexual dichromatism in aspects of crown reflectance was explained only by feather macrostructure, whereas nanostructural predictors accounted for some of the age-related differences in reflectance. Moreover, we found that both mean reflectance and spectral shape traits reflected a combination of quantity and regularity aspects in macrostructure and nanostructure. This rich proximate background provides ample scope for reflectance to convey various types of information on individual quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Hegyi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Laczi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary.,The Barn Owl Foundation, Temesvári út 8, H-8744 Orosztony, Hungary
| | - Dóra Kötél
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Csizmadia
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Lőw
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Rosivall
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Szöllősi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Török
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary.,Ecology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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16
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Enbody ED, Lantz SM, Karubian J. Production of plumage ornaments among males and females of two closely related tropical passerine bird species. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:4024-4034. [PMID: 28616197 PMCID: PMC5468133 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of elaborate secondary sexual traits (i.e., ornaments) is well‐studied in males but less so in females. Similarity in the appearance of ornaments between males and females supports the view that female ornaments arise as a neutral byproduct of selection on male traits due to genetic correlation between sexes, but recent research suggests an adaptive function of female ornaments in at least some contexts. Information on the degree to which production of ornaments differs between the sexes can shed light on these alternative perspectives. We therefore characterized the structural underpinnings of melanin‐based plumage production in males and females of two closely related passerine bird species (genus Malurus). Importantly, both ornamented and unornamented phenotypes in each sex are present between these two species, providing an opportunity to test the null expectation of equivalent modes of production in male and female ornamented phenotypes. In Malurus alboscapulatus, ornamented females are qualitatively similar to males, but we describe a distinctive ornamented female phenotype that differs from that of males in lacking a blue sheen and in lower feather barbule density. In M. melanocephalus, unornamented males and females are also similar in appearance, and we describe a similarity between unornamented phenotypes of males and females in both color and underlying feather barbule structure and pigment composition. Unornamented male M. melanocephalus can flexibly transition to the ornamented phenotype in weeks, and we found extreme differences in color and feather structure between these two alternative male phenotypes. These results contradict the idea that female ornaments have evolved in this system following a simple switch to male‐like plumage by demonstrating greater complexity in the production of the ornamented phenotype in males than in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik D Enbody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
| | - Samantha M Lantz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
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