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Subasinghe K, Symonds MRE, Prober SM, Bonnet T, Williams KJ, Ware C, Gardner JL. Spatial variation in avian bill size is associated with temperature extremes in a major radiation of Australian passerines. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232480. [PMID: 38262606 PMCID: PMC10805599 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Morphology is integral to body temperature regulation. Recent advances in understanding of thermal physiology suggest a role of the avian bill in thermoregulation. To explore the adaptive significance of bill size for thermoregulation we characterized relationships between bill size and climate extremes. Most previous studies focused on climate means, ignoring frequencies of extremes, and do not reflect thermoregulatory costs experienced over shorter time scales. Using 79 species (9847 museum specimens), we explore how bill size variation is associated with temperature extremes in a large and diverse radiation of Australasian birds, Meliphagides, testing a series of predictions. Overall, across the continent, bill size variation was associated with both climate extremes and means and was most strongly associated with winter temperatures; associations at the level of climate zones differed from continent-wide associations and were complex, yet consistent with physiology and a thermoregulatory role for avian bills. Responses to high summer temperatures were nonlinear suggesting they may be difficult to detect in large-scale continental analyses using previous methodologies. We provide strong evidence that climate extremes have contributed to the evolution of bill morphology in relation to thermoregulation and show the importance of including extremes to understand fine-scale trait variation across space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalya Subasinghe
- CSIRO Environment, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya 11600, Sri Lanka
| | - Matthew R. E. Symonds
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Suzanne M. Prober
- CSIRO Environment, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Timothée Bonnet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372 Université de la Rochelle-CNRS, 405 route de Prissé la Charrière 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Kristen J. Williams
- CSIRO Environment, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Chris Ware
- CSIRO Environment, University of Tasmania, College Road, Sandy Bay Tas 7005, Australia
| | - Janet L. Gardner
- CSIRO Environment, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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2
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Zuluaga JD, Danner RM. Novel approaches for assessing acclimatization in birds reveal seasonal changes in peripheral heat exchange and thermoregulatory behaviors. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245772. [PMID: 37665269 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245772] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Using thermography and behavioral analyses, we found that heat exchange and thermoregulatory behaviors changed seasonally in chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina). Studies on seasonal acclimatization in birds have primarily involved metabolic measurements, few of which have investigated behaviors, and none have investigated changes in peripheral heat exchange. We captured chipping sparrows in the winter and summer of 2022 in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA, and we collected thermal images of these birds at 15.0, 27.5 and 40.0°C. We found that heat dissipation through the bill and legs changed seasonally, but surprisingly both were higher in winter than in summer. We found that heat dissipating behaviors were more common in winter, whereas heat conserving behaviors were more common in summer, and that behaviors associated with resource costs (e.g. panting) or predation risk (e.g. bill tucking) showed the most distinct differences between seasons. Meanwhile, low-cost and low-risk postural adjustments (e.g. feather adjustments and tarsus exposure) did not vary as strongly between seasons but followed similar trends. The seasonal adjustments to behaviors suggest that non-acclimatized birds must use costly thermoregulatory behaviors more frequently than acclimatized birds. The use of thermography resulted in the discovery of one completely novel behavior, and the first detection of a known behavior in a new species. Both novel behaviors aided in evaporative heat loss and occurred more commonly in winter, supporting the presence of seasonal acclimatization as evidenced by behavioral adjustments. These results provide novel insights into the process of acclimatization and suggest a role for behavioral adjustments in seasonal acclimatization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D Zuluaga
- University of North Carolina Wilmington Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403-5915, USA
| | - Raymond M Danner
- University of North Carolina Wilmington Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403-5915, USA
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3
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Ingle DN, Perez E, Porter ME, Marshall CD. Feeding without teeth: the material properties of rhamphothecae from two species of durophagous sea turtles. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221424. [PMID: 37090964 PMCID: PMC10113817 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The feeding apparatus of sea turtles comprises cornified keratinous rhamphothecae overlaying a bony rostrum. Although keratin is less stiff than the enamel of toothed animals, certain species of sea turtles are capable of withstanding large forces when feeding on hard prey. We aimed to quantify the mineral density, water content and compressive mechanical properties of rhamphothecae from two durophagous species: loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles. Since loggerheads theoretically produce the greater bite forces of these two species, we predicted that keratin from their rhamphothecae would have a greater mineral density and be stiffer, stronger and tougher compared with Kemp's ridley sea turtles. We found that total water weight of hydrated specimens (20%) was consistent between species. Rhamphotheca mineral density ranged between 0 and 0.069 g cm-3; loggerheads had significantly greater mineral density compared with Kemp's ridleys, for which several specimens had no mineral detected. Despite the greater mineral density in loggerheads, we found no significant difference in Young's modulus, yield strength or toughness between these species. In addition to mineral density, our findings suggest that other material components, such as sulfur, may be influencing the material properties of keratin from sea turtle rhamphothecae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle N. Ingle
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77554, USA
- Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Eliza Perez
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77554, USA
| | - Marianne E. Porter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Christopher D. Marshall
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77554, USA
- Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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4
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Benham PM, Bowie RCK. The influence of spatially heterogeneous anthropogenic change on bill size evolution in a coastal songbird. Evol Appl 2021; 14:607-624. [PMID: 33664798 PMCID: PMC7896719 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural history collections provide an unparalleled resource for documenting population responses to past anthropogenic change. However, in many cases, traits measured on specimens may vary temporally in response to a number of different anthropogenic pressures or demographic processes. While teasing apart these different drivers is challenging, approaches that integrate analyses of spatial and temporal series of specimens can provide a robust framework for examining whether traits exhibit common responses to ecological variation in space and time. We applied this approach to analyze bill morphology variation in California Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). We found that bill surface area increased in birds from higher salinity tidal marshes that are hotter and drier. Only the coastal subspecies, alaudinus, exhibited a significant increase in bill size through time. As with patterns of spatial variation, alaudinus populations occupying higher salinity tidal marshes that have become warmer and drier over the past century exhibited the greatest increases in bill surface area. We also found a significant negative correlation between bill surface area and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) and estimated that observed increases in bill size could result in a reduction of up to 16.2% in daily water losses. Together, these patterns of spatial and temporal variation in bill size were consistent with the hypothesis that larger bills are favored in freshwater-limited environments as a mechanism of dissipating heat, reducing reliance on evaporative cooling, and increasing water conservation. With museum collections increasingly being leveraged to understand past responses to global change, this work highlights the importance of considering the influence of many different axes of anthropogenic change and of integrating spatial and temporal analyses to better understand the influence of specific human impacts on population change over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phred M. Benham
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, BerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Rauri C. K. Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, BerkeleyCAUSA
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, BerkeleyCAUSA
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5
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Eliason CM, Straker L, Jung S, Hackett SJ. Morphological innovation and biomechanical diversity in plunge-diving birds. Evolution 2020; 74:1514-1524. [PMID: 32452015 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Innovations in foraging behavior can drive morphological diversity by opening up new ways of interacting with the environment, or limit diversity through functional constraints associated with different foraging behaviors. Several classic examples of adaptive radiations in birds show increased variation in ecologically relevant traits. However, these cases primarily focus on geographically narrow adaptive radiations, consider only morphological evolution without a biomechanical approach, or do not investigate tradeoffs with other non-focal traits that might be affected by use of different foraging habitats. Here, we use X-ray microcomputed tomography, biomechanical modeling, and multivariate comparative methods to explore the interplay between foraging behavior and cranial morphology in kingfishers, a global radiation of birds with variable beaks and foraging behaviors, including the archetypal plunge-dive into water. Our results quantify covariation between the shape of the outer keratin covering (rhamphotheca) and the inner skeletal core of the beak, as well as highlight distinct patterns of morphospace occupation for different foraging behaviors and considerable rate variation among these skull regions. We anticipate these findings will have implications for inferring beak shapes in fossil taxa and inform biomimetic design of novel impact-reducing structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M Eliason
- Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, 60605
| | - Lorian Straker
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Sunghwan Jung
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853
| | - Shannon J Hackett
- Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, 60605.,Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, 60605
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6
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LaBarbera K, Marsh KJ, Hayes KRR, Hammond TT. Context-dependent effects of relative temperature extremes on bill morphology in a songbird. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192203. [PMID: 32431895 PMCID: PMC7211890 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Species increasingly face environmental extremes. Morphological responses to changes in average environmental conditions are well documented, but responses to environmental extremes remain poorly understood. We used museum specimens to investigate relationships between a thermoregulatory morphological trait, bird bill surface area (SA) and a measure of short-term relative temperature extremity (RTE), which quantifies the degree that temperature maxima or minima diverge from the 5-year norm. Using a widespread, generalist species, Junco hyemalis, we found that SA exhibited different patterns of association with RTE depending on the overall temperature regime and on precipitation. While thermoregulatory function predicts larger SA at higher RTE, we found this only when the RTE existed in an environmental context that opposed it: atypically cold minimum temperature in a warm climate, or atypically warm maximum temperature in a cool climate. When environmental context amplified the RTE, we found a negative relationship between SA and RTE. We also found that the strength of associations between SA and RTE increased with precipitation. Our results suggest that trait responses to environmental variation may qualitatively differ depending on the overall environmental context, and that environmental change that extremifies already-extreme environments may produce responses that cannot be predicted from observations in less-extreme contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie LaBarbera
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
| | - Kyle J. Marsh
- Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive, Ste #11, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA
| | - Kia R. R. Hayes
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
| | - Talisin T. Hammond
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
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7
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On the Preservation of the Beak in Confuciusornis (Aves: Pygostylia). DIVERSITY-BASEL 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/d11110212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Confuciusornithiformes represent the most stem-ward avian occurrence of an edentulous rostrum. Although a keratinous beak is widely considered to have covered the rostrum in confuciusornithiforms, this feature is almost never preserved, having been previously reported only in the holotype of Confuciusornis dui and the holotype of Eoconfuciusornis zhengi. This strongly contrasts with the widespread preservation of the keratinous sheaths that cover the manual and pedal ungual phalanges. Here, we report on a third occurrence of a preserved rhamphotheca in a specimen of Confuciusornis sanctus. We illuminated the preserved traces using laser-stimulated fluorescence. Similarly to E. zhengi, the rhamphotheca has been preserved only as a two-dimensional trace, whereas ungual sheaths are preserved in three dimensions. In contrast to the traces preserved in C. dui, the rhamphotheca in the discussed specimen of C. sanctus is straight rather than upturned. This hints towards hidden morphological diversity within the thousands of Confuciusornis specimens, in which species may be further differentiated by soft tissue features or behaviors, much like many living birds, that cannot be detected in fossils, even with exceptional preservation.
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8
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Mohammed BR, Simon MK, Agbede RIS, Arzai AH. Prevalence of intestinal helminth parasites of pigeons (Columba livia domestica Gmelin 1789) in Kano State, North-Western Nigeria. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS 2019; 16:100289. [PMID: 31027594 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In Nigeria, helminths have over the last decades been established as important parasite of poultry including pigeons. However, the prevalence of these parasites of pigeons in Kano State is yet to be established. The prevalence of helminth parasites of domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) in Kano State, Nigeria was investigated in this study. The differences in the prevalence of infection between the pigeons examined on the basis of sex of the pigeon and season of the year were analyzed statistically using the students' "t" -test. The intestinal contents of 144 pigeons were examined for gastrointestinal helminths between February and April representing the dry season and between June and August for the wet season. Pigeons were grouped according to Squabs (chicks) (0-4 weeks), Squeakers (Juveniles) (5-8 weeks) and Youngsters (Adults) (9 weeks onwards). Intestinal parasites found include Cestodes: Raillietina tetragona, 20 (13.80%), R. echinobothrida, 11 (7.64%), Amoebotaenia cuneata, 5 (3.47%), Hymenolopis contaniana, 10 (6.95%), Davainea proglottina, 1(0.69%) and Ornithostrongylus quadriatus 1(0.69%). Nematodes: Capillaria obsignata, 10(6.95%) and Ascaridia columbae, 9(6.25%). Forty-two (29.16%) of the birds had mild infection, 17 (11.81%) had moderate infection, 9 (6.25%) and 2(1.39%) had heavy and severe infection, respectively. The prevalence was higher during the wet season (36.65%) than during the dry season (27.97%). Of all the age groups, only Youngsters, 34 (23.61%) were infected with intestinal helminths. However, there were statistically significant differences between the age, sex and seasons in this study (P < 0.005). Pigeons raised on semi-intensive had the highest rate of infection (37.50%) and those raised on intensive management had the lowest rate of infection (9.03%). A number of measures are recommended for the control of these helminthic parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- B R Mohammed
- Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, P.M.B 117, Abuja, Nigeria; School of Science, Engineering and Technology, Abertay University, Dundee DD1 1HG, United Kingdom.
| | - M K Simon
- Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, P.M.B 117, Abuja, Nigeria; Department of Infection and Host Defense, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Chiba, 8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
| | - R I S Agbede
- Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, P.M.B 117, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - A H Arzai
- Department of Microbiology, Bayero University, P.M.B 3011, Kano, Nigeria.
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9
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Rico-Guevara A, Hurme KJ. Intrasexually selected weapons. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:60-101. [PMID: 29924496 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We propose a practical concept that distinguishes the particular kind of weaponry that has evolved to be used in combat between individuals of the same species and sex, which we term intrasexually selected weapons (ISWs). We present a treatise of ISWs in nature, aiming to understand their distinction and evolution from other secondary sex traits, including from 'sexually selected weapons', and from sexually dimorphic and monomorphic weaponry. We focus on the subset of secondary sex traits that are the result of same-sex combat, defined here as ISWs, provide not previously reported evolutionary patterns, and offer hypotheses to answer questions such as: why have only some species evolved weapons to fight for the opposite sex or breeding resources? We examined traits that seem to have evolved as ISWs in the entire animal phylogeny, restricting the classification of ISW to traits that are only present or enlarged in adults of one of the sexes, and are used as weapons during intrasexual fights. Because of the absence of behavioural data and, in many cases, lack of sexually discriminated series from juveniles to adults, we exclude the fossil record from this review. We merge morphological, ontogenetic, and behavioural information, and for the first time thoroughly review the tree of life to identify separate evolution of ISWs. We found that ISWs are only found in bilateral animals, appearing independently in nematodes, various groups of arthropods, and vertebrates. Our review sets a reference point to explore other taxa that we identify with potential ISWs for which behavioural or morphological studies are warranted. We establish that most ISWs come in pairs, are located in or near the head, are endo- or exoskeletal modifications, are overdeveloped structures compared with those found in females, are modified feeding structures and/or locomotor appendages, are most common in terrestrial taxa, are frequently used to guard females, territories, or both, and are also used in signalling displays to deter rivals and/or attract females. We also found that most taxa lack ISWs, that females of only a few species possess better-developed weapons than males, that the cases of independent evolution of ISWs are not evenly distributed across the phylogeny, and that animals possessing the most developed ISWs have non-hunting habits (e.g. herbivores) or are faunivores that prey on very small prey relative to their body size (e.g. insectivores). Bringing together perspectives from studies on a variety of taxa, we conceptualize that there are five ways in which a sexually dimorphic trait, apart from the primary sex traits, can be fixed: sexual selection, fecundity selection, parental role division, differential niche occupation between the sexes, and interference competition. We discuss these trends and the factors involved in the evolution of intrasexually selected weaponry in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Rico-Guevara
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, U.S.A.,Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Código Postal 11001, Bogotá DC, Colombia
| | - Kristiina J Hurme
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, U.S.A
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10
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Rico-Guevara A, Sustaita D, Gussekloo S, Olsen A, Bright J, Corbin C, Dudley R. Feeding in Birds: Thriving in Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Aerial Niches. FEEDING IN VERTEBRATES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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11
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Urano Y, Tanoue K, Matsumoto R, Kawabe S, Ohashi T, Fujiwara SI. How does the curvature of the upper beak bone reflect the overlying rhinotheca morphology? J Morphol 2018; 279:636-647. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yukine Urano
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Graduate School of Environmental Studies; Nagoya University; Nagoya Japan
| | - Kyo Tanoue
- Department of Earth System Science; Fukuoka University; Fukuoka Japan
| | | | | | - Tomoyuki Ohashi
- Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History; Kitakyushu Japan
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12
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Dalton HA, Wood BJ, Widowski TM, Guerin MT, Torrey S. An analysis of beak shape variation in two ages of domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) using landmark-based geometric morphometrics. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185159. [PMID: 28934330 PMCID: PMC5608350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess beak shape variation in domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and determine the effects of age, sex, and beak size on beak shape variation using geometric morphometrics. Dorsal and right lateral images were taken of 2442 turkeys at 6 and 18.5 weeks of age. Landmarks were digitized in tpsDig in three analyses of the dorsal upper mandible, lateral upper mandible, and lateral lower mandible shape of each turkey at both ages. The coordinate data were then subjected to a principal components analysis (PCA), multivariate regression, and a canonical variates analysis (CVA) with a Procrustes ANOVA in MorphoJ. For the dorsal images, three principal components (PCs) showed beak shape variation ranged from long, narrow, and pointed to short, wide, and blunt upper mandibles at both ages (6 weeks: 95.36%, 18.5 weeks: 92.21%). Three PCs showed the lateral upper mandible shape variation ranged from long, wide beaks with long, curved beak tips to short, narrow beaks with short, pointed beak tips at both ages (6 weeks: 94.91%, 18.5 weeks: 94.33%). Three PCs also explained 97.80% (6 weeks) and 97.11% (18.5 weeks) of the lateral lower mandible shape variation ranging from wide and round to narrow and thin lower mandibles with superior/inferior beak tip shifts. Beak size accounted for varying proportions of the beak shape variation (0.96-54.76%; P < 0.0001) in the three analyses of each age group. For all the analyses, the CVA showed sexual dimorphism in beak shape (P < 0.0001) with female upper mandibles appearing wider and blunter dorsally with long, curved beak tips laterally. Whereas male turkey upper mandibles had a narrow, pointed dorsal appearance and short, pointed beak tips laterally. Future applications of beak shape variability could have a genetic and welfare value by incorporating beak shape variation to select for specific turkey beak phenotypes as an alternative to beak treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillary A. Dalton
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Benjamin J. Wood
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Hybrid Turkeys, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tina M. Widowski
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michele T. Guerin
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephanie Torrey
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Friedman NR, Harmáčková L, Economo EP, Remeš V. Smaller beaks for colder winters: Thermoregulation drives beak size evolution in Australasian songbirds. Evolution 2017; 71:2120-2129. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas R. Friedman
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacký University; Tř. 17 listopadu 50 Olomouc 77900 Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son 904-0495 Okinawa Japan
| | - Lenka Harmáčková
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacký University; Tř. 17 listopadu 50 Olomouc 77900 Czech Republic
| | - Evan P. Economo
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son 904-0495 Okinawa Japan
| | - Vladimír Remeš
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacký University; Tř. 17 listopadu 50 Olomouc 77900 Czech Republic
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14
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Complex relationships among environmental conditions and bill morphology in a generalist songbird. Evol Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-017-9906-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Gardner JL, Symonds MRE, Joseph L, Ikin K, Stein J, Kruuk LEB. Spatial variation in avian bill size is associated with humidity in summer among Australian passerines. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1186/s40665-016-0026-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Tattersall GJ, Arnaout B, Symonds MRE. The evolution of the avian bill as a thermoregulatory organ. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1630-1656. [PMID: 27714923 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 08/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The avian bill is a textbook example of how evolution shapes morphology in response to changing environments. Bills of seed-specialist finches in particular have been the focus of intense study demonstrating how climatic fluctuations acting on food availability drive bill size and shape. The avian bill also plays an important but under-appreciated role in body temperature regulation, and therefore in energetics. Birds are endothermic and rely on numerous mechanisms for balancing internal heat production with biophysical constraints of the environment. The bill is highly vascularised and heat exchange with the environment can vary substantially, ranging from around 2% to as high as 400% of basal heat production in certain species. This heat exchange may impact how birds respond to heat stress, substitute for evaporative water loss at elevated temperatures or environments of altered water availability, or be an energetic liability at low environmental temperatures. As a result, in numerous taxa, there is evidence for a positive association between bill size and environmental temperatures, both within and among species. Therefore, bill size is both developmentally flexible and evolutionarily adaptive in response to temperature. Understanding the evolution of variation in bill size however, requires explanations of all potential mechanisms. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to promote a greater understanding of the role of temperature on shaping bill size over spatial gradients as well as developmental, seasonal, and evolutionary timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn J Tattersall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Bassel Arnaout
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 3A1, Canada.,Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Matthew R E Symonds
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, 3125, Australia
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Moldowan PD, Brooks RJ, Litzgus JD. Turtles with “teeth”: beak morphology of Testudines with a focus on the tomiodonts of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys spp.). ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-015-0288-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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18
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Chiba A, Uchida H, Imanishi S. Physical traits of male Japanese bush warblers (Cettia diphone) in summer and winter: hyperactive aspects of the vocal system and leg muscles in summer males. Zoolog Sci 2014; 31:741-7. [PMID: 25366157 DOI: 10.2108/zs140087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The Japanese bush warbler has a very distinctive song, shows marked sexual size dimorphism, and has a polygynous mating system. However, the physical traits of males and seasonal variation in such traits have remained unknown. Twenty-five anatomical measurements representing physical traits of males in the breeding (summer, n = 5) and non-breeding (winter, n = 5) seasons were examined morphologically and compared statistically. Differences were evident between summer and winter (P < 0.05, t test) in the following seven items: body mass (19.8 ± 0.7 g vs. 15.6 ± 1.2 g [mean ± SD]), mass of male reproductive organs (184.0 ± 25.7 mg vs. 6.0 ± 1.4 mg), hind limb (3789.2 ± 346.2 mg vs. 3003.4 ± 226.8 mg), leg muscles (883.0 ± 63.5 mg vs. 581.4 ± 33.2 mg in either side), skin around the neck/throat (1280 ± 34.9 mg vs. 287.2 ± 84.7 mg), and syrinx (35.8 ± 2.39 mg vs. 25.0 ± 3.24 mg), and circumference of the neck/throat (52.1 ± 2.3 mm vs. 38.3 ± 2.6 mm). In contrast to winter males, summer males had thickened flabby skin prominently in the neck/throat area and an inflatable esophagus, perhaps a morphological basis for the throat sac as a vocal resonator. Also, the remarkable development of the flexor muscles of the legs of summer males suggests that perching and movement using the legs increases during the breeding season. These distinct characteristics of summer males may be related to the polygynous mating system of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Chiba
- 1 Department of Biology, Nippon Dental University, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Niigata 951-8580, Japan
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Rico-Guevara A, Araya-Salas M. Bills as daggers? A test for sexually dimorphic weapons in a lekking hummingbird. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Lees JJ, Folkow LP, Nudds RL, Codd JR. The effects of season and sex upon the morphology and material properties of keratin in the Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea). J Therm Biol 2014; 44:126-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Ebert TA, Hernández JC, Clemente S. Annual reversible plasticity of feeding structures: cyclical changes of jaw allometry in a sea urchin. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132284. [PMID: 24500161 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide variety of organisms show morphologically plastic responses to environmental stressors but in general these changes are not reversible. Though less common, reversible morphological structures are shown by a range of species in response to changes in predators, competitors or food. Theoretical analysis indicates that reversible plasticity increases fitness if organisms are long-lived relative to the frequency of changes in the stressor and morphological changes are rapid. Many sea urchin species show differences in the sizes of jaws (demi-pyramids) of the feeding apparatus, Aristotle's lantern, relative to overall body size, and these differences have been correlated with available food. The question addressed here is whether reversible changes of relative jaw size occur in the field as available food changes with season. Monthly samples of the North American Pacific coast sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus were collected from Gregory Point on the Oregon (USA) coast and showed an annual cycle of relative jaw size together with a linear trend from 2007 to 2009. Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is a long-lived species and under field conditions individuals experience multiple episodes of changes in food resources both seasonally and from year to year. Their rapid and reversible jaw plasticity fits well with theoretical expectations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Ebert
- Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, Department of Biology, Villanova University, , Villanova, PA 19085, USA
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Olsen BJ, Greenberg R, Walters JR, Fleischer RC. Sexual dimorphism in a feeding apparatus is driven by mate choice and not niche partitioning. Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Burness G, Huard JR, Malcolm E, Tattersall GJ. Post-hatch heat warms adult beaks: irreversible physiological plasticity in Japanese quail. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20131436. [PMID: 23884093 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.1436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Across taxa, the early rearing environment contributes to adult morphological and physiological variation. For example, in birds, environmental temperature plays a key role in shaping bill size and clinal trends across latitudinal/thermal gradients. Such patterns support the role of the bill as a thermal window and in thermal balance. It remains unknown whether bill size and thermal function are reversibly plastic. We raised Japanese quail in warm (30°C) or cold (15°C) environments and then at a common intermediate temperature. We predicted that birds raised in cold temperatures would develop smaller bills than warm-reared individuals, and that regulation of blood flow to the bill in response to changing temperatures would parallel the bill's role in thermal balance. Cold-reared birds developed shorter bills, although bill size exhibited 'catch-up' growth once adults were placed at a common temperature. Despite having lived in a common thermal environment as adults, individuals that were initially reared in the warmth had higher bill surface temperatures than cold-reared individuals, particularly under cold conditions. This suggests that blood vessel density and/or the control over blood flow in the bill retained a memory of early thermal ontogeny. We conclude that post-hatch temperature reversibly affects adult bill morphology but irreversibly influences the thermal physiological role of bills and may play an underappreciated role in avian energetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Burness
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8.
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