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Edwards SV, Cloutier A, Cockburn G, Driver R, Grayson P, Katoh K, Baldwin MW, Sackton TB, Baker AJ. A nuclear genome assembly of an extinct flightless bird, the little bush moa. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj6823. [PMID: 38781323 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj6823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
We present a draft genome of the little bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis)-one of approximately nine species of extinct flightless birds from Aotearoa, New Zealand-using ancient DNA recovered from a fossil bone from the South Island. We recover a complete mitochondrial genome at 249.9× depth of coverage and almost 900 megabases of a male moa nuclear genome at ~4 to 5× coverage, with sequence contiguity sufficient to identify more than 85% of avian universal single-copy orthologs. We describe a diverse landscape of transposable elements and satellite repeats, estimate a long-term effective population size of ~240,000, identify a diverse suite of olfactory receptor genes and an opsin repertoire with sensitivity in the ultraviolet range, show that the wingless moa phenotype is likely not attributable to gene loss or pseudogenization, and identify potential function-altering coding sequence variants in moa that could be synthesized for future functional assays. This genomic resource should support further studies of avian evolution and morphological divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alison Cloutier
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Glenn Cockburn
- Evolution of Sensory Systems Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Robert Driver
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, E 5th Street, Greenville, NC 27605, USA
| | - Phil Grayson
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kazutaka Katoh
- Department of Genome Informatics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Maude W Baldwin
- Evolution of Sensory Systems Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Timothy B Sackton
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, 38 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Allan J Baker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcox Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
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2
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Boycott TJ, Sherrard MG, Gall MD, Ronald KL. Deer management influences perception of avian plumage in temperate deciduous forests. Vision Res 2023; 213:108312. [PMID: 37703599 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Many animals use visual signals to communicate; birds use colorful plumage to attract mates and repel intruders. Visual signal conspicuousness is influenced by the lighting environment, which can be altered by human-induced changes. For example, deer-management efforts can affect vegetation structure and light availability. Whether these changes alter animal communication is still unknown. We investigated the effect of deer management on forest light and the contrast of understory birds against the forest background. We modeled visual perception using: (1) an ultraviolet-sensitive (UVS) avian model and plumage parameters representative of red, yellow, and blue birds (2) species-specific turkey visual and plumage parameters, and (3) individual-specific brown-headed cowbird visual and plumage parameters. Deer management led to greater light irradiance and lowered forest background reflectance. Management increased chromatic contrasts in the UVS model, primarily in deciduous forests and low understory, and across all habitat types in turkey and cowbird models. Deer management did not affect achromatic contrasts in the UVS model, but was associated with lower contrast in mixed forests for turkeys and across habitats for cowbirds. Together, this suggests that management of deer browsing is likely to impact visual signaling for a wide range of avian species. However, we also suspect that species- and individual-specific parameters increased the resolution of models, warranting consideration in future studies. Further work should determine if differences in visual perception translate to biologically relevant consequences. Our results suggest that, at least for some species, deer browsing and anthropogenic change may impose an evolutionary driver on visual communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Boycott
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA; New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, 226 Mann Drive, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Morgan G Sherrard
- Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, MI 49423, USA; University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Detroit, MI 48208-2576, USA
| | - Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA; Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Kelly L Ronald
- Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, MI 49423, USA.
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3
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Ferdinand V, Pattenden E, Brightsmith DJ, Hobson EA. Inferring the decision rules that drive co-foraging affiliations in wild mixed-species parrot groups. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220101. [PMID: 37066652 PMCID: PMC10107227 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals gathered around a specific location or resource may represent mixed-species aggregations or mixed-species groups. Patterns of individuals choosing to join these groups can provide insight into the information processing underlying these decisions. However, we still have little understanding of how much information these decisions are based upon. We used data on 12 parrot species to test what kind of information each species may use about others to make decisions about which mixed-species aggregations to participate in. We used co-presence and joining patterns with categorization and model fitting methods to test how these species could be making grouping decisions. Species generally used a simpler lower-category method to choose which other individuals to associate with, rather than basing these decisions on species-level information. We also found that the best-fit models for decision-making differed across the 12 species and included different kinds of information. We found that not only does this approach provide a framework to test hypotheses about why individuals join or leave mixed-species aggregations, it also provides insight into what features each parrot could have been using to make their decisions. While not exhaustive, this approach provides a novel examination of the potential features that species could use to make grouping decisions and could provide a link to the perceptive and cognitive abilities of the animals making these minute-by-minute decisions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Ferdinand
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Elle Pattenden
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Donald J. Brightsmith
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
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4
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Thompson CF, Hodges KE, Mortimer NT, Vrailas-Mortimer AD, Sakaluk SK, Hauber ME. Avian eggshell coloration predicts shell-matrix protoporphyrin content. CAN J ZOOL 2022; 100:77-81. [PMID: 35185156 PMCID: PMC8855982 DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Avian eggshell pigmentation may provide information about a female's physiological condition, in particular her state of oxidative balance. Previously we found that female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, 1809) with lighter, less-maculated, and redder ground-colored shells were older and produced heavier offspring than females laying darker, browner eggs. The strong pro-oxidant protoporphyrin is responsible for this species' eggshell pigmentation, so differences in pigmentary coloration may be related to eggshell protoporphyrin content and reflect female oxidative balance and condition during egg-formation. Therefore, we tested the assumption that egg-surface coloration is related to the amount of protoporphyrin in the shell matrix. We analyzed digital photographs of eggs to determine maculation coverage as a measure of the overall ground coloration of the egg and its red-, green-, and blue-channel pixel values. Pigments were then extracted from these same eggs and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. There was a strong, positive relationship between eggshell redness and protoporphyrin content of eggshells, but no relationship between percent maculation and protoporphyrin content. Thus, when older, larger females deposit more protoporphyrin in their eggshells, this may reflect a tolerance for high levels of circulating protoporphyrin or an effective mechanism for off-loading protoporphyrin into the eggshell matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles F Thompson
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - Kara E Hodges
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - Nathan T Mortimer
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Scott K Sakaluk
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
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5
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Attisano A, Sato NJ, Tanaka KD, Okahisa Y, Ueda K, Gula R, Theuerkauf J. Discrimination and ejection of eggs and nestlings by the fan-tailed gerygone from New Caledonia. Curr Zool 2021; 67:653-663. [PMID: 34805543 PMCID: PMC8599088 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Nestling rejection is a rare type of host defense against brood parasitism compared with egg rejection. Theoretically, host defenses at both egg and nestling stages could be based on similar underlying discrimination mechanisms but, due to the rarity of nestling rejector hosts, few studies have actually tested this hypothesis. We investigated egg and nestling discrimination by the fan-tailed gerygone Gerygone flavolateralis, a host that seemingly accepts nonmimetic eggs of its parasite, the shining bronze-cuckoo Chalcites lucidus, but ejects mimetic parasite nestlings. We introduced artificial eggs or nestlings and foreign gerygone nestlings in gerygone nests and compared begging calls of parasite and host nestlings. We found that the gerygone ejected artificial eggs only if their size was smaller than the parasite or host eggs. Ejection of artificial nestlings did not depend on whether their color matched that of the brood. The frequency of ejection increased during the course of the breeding season mirroring the increase in ejection frequency of parasite nestlings by the host. Cross-fostered gerygone nestlings were frequently ejected when lacking natal down and when introduced in the nest before hatching of the foster brood, but only occasionally when they did not match the color of the foster brood. Begging calls differed significantly between parasite and host nestlings throughout the nestling period. Our results suggest that the fan-tailed gerygone accepts eggs within the size range of gerygone and cuckoo eggs and that nestling discrimination is based on auditory and visual cues other than skin color. This highlights the importance of using a combined approach to study discrimination mechanisms of hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Attisano
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Keita D Tanaka
- Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuji Okahisa
- Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ueda
- Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Roman Gula
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jörn Theuerkauf
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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6
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Olsson P, Lind O, Mitkus M, Delhey K, Kelber A. Lens and cornea limit UV vision of birds - a phylogenetic perspective. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb243129. [PMID: 34581400 PMCID: PMC8601714 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Most vertebrates have UV-sensitive vision, but the UV sensitivity of their eyes is limited by the transmittance of the ocular media, and the specific contribution of the different media (cornea, lens) has remained unclear. Here, we describe the transmittance of all ocular media (OMT), as well as that of lenses and corneas of birds. For 66 species belonging to 18 orders, the wavelength at which 50% of light is transmitted through the ocular media to the retina (λT0.5) ranges from 310 to 398 nm. Low λT0.5 corresponds to more UV light transmitted. Corneal λT0.5 varies only between 300 and 345 nm, whereas lens λT0.5 values are more variable (between 315 and 400 nm) and tend to be the limiting factor, determining OMT in the majority of species. OMT λT0.5 is positively correlated with eye size, but λT0.5 of corneas and lenses are not correlated with their thickness when controlled for phylogeny. Corneal and lens transmittances do not differ between birds with UV- and violet-sensitive SWS1 opsin when controlling for eye size and phylogeny. Phylogenetic relatedness is a strong predictor of OMT, and ancestral state reconstructions suggest that from ancestral intermediate OMT, highly UV-transparent ocular media (low λT0.5) evolved at least five times in our sample of birds. Some birds have evolved in the opposite direction towards a more UV-opaque lens, possibly owing to pigmentation, likely to mitigate UV damage or reduce chromatic aberration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Olsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Olle Lind
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
- Department of Philosophy, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Kaspar Delhey
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Seewiesen, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Almut Kelber
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
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7
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Ausprey IJ, Hauber ME. Host and brood parasite coevolutionary interactions covary with comparative patterns of the avian visual system. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210309. [PMID: 34582733 PMCID: PMC8478515 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In coevolutionary arms-races, reciprocal ecological interactions and their fitness impacts shape the course of phenotypic evolution. The classic example of avian host–brood parasite interactions selects for host recognition and rejection of increasingly mimetic foreign eggs. An essential component of perceptual mimicry is that parasitic eggs escape detection by host sensory systems, yet there is no direct evidence that the avian visual system covaries with parasitic egg recognition or mimicry. Here, we used eye size measurements collected from preserved museum specimens as a metric of the avian visual system for species involved in host–brood parasite interactions. We discovered that (i) hosts had smaller eyes compared with non-hosts, (ii) parasites had larger eyes compared with hosts before but not after phylogenetic corrections, perhaps owing to the limited number of independent evolutionary origins of obligate brood parasitism, (iii) egg rejection in hosts with non-mimetic parasitic eggs positively correlated with eye size, and (iv) eye size was positively associated with increased avian-perceived host–parasite eggshell similarity. These results imply that both host-use by parasites and anti-parasitic responses by hosts covary with a metric of the visual system across relevant bird species, providing comparative evidence for coevolutionary patterns of host and brood parasite sensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Ausprey
- Florida Museum of Natural History and Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7011, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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8
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Rozanski AN, Cini A, Lopreto TE, Gandia KM, Hauber ME, Cervo R, Uy FMK. Differential investment in visual and olfactory brain regions is linked to the sensory needs of a wasp social parasite and its host. J Comp Neurol 2021; 530:756-767. [PMID: 34473851 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Obligate insect social parasites evolve traits to effectively locate and then exploit their hosts, whereas hosts have complex social behavioral repertoires, which include sensory recognition to reject potential conspecific intruders and heterospecific parasites. While social parasites and host behaviors have been studied extensively, less is known about how their sensory systems function to meet their specific selective pressures. Here, we compare investment in visual and olfactory brain regions in the paper wasp Polistes dominula, and its obligate social parasite P. sulcifer, to explore the links among sensory systems,brain and behavior. Our results show significant relative volumetric differences between these two closely related species, consistent with their very different life histories. Social parasites show proportionally larger optic lobes and central complex to likely navigate long-distance migrations and unfamiliar landscapes to locate the specific species of hosts they usurp. Contrastingly, hosts have larger antennal lobes and calyces of the mushroom bodies compared with social parasites, as predicted by their sensory means to maintain social cohesion via olfactory signals, allocate colony tasks, forage, and recognize conspecific and heterospecific intruders. Our work suggests how this tradeoff between visual and olfactory brain regions may facilitate different sensory adaptations needed to perform social and foraging tasks by the host, including recognition of parasites, or to fly long distances and successful host localizing by the social parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Cini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Taylor E Lopreto
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Kristine M Gandia
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Rita Cervo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
| | - Floria M K Uy
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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9
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Turner AM, Hauber ME. The American robin (
Turdus migratorius
): A focal species for anti‐parasitic egg rejection studies among hosts of the brown‐headed cowbird (
Molothrus ater
). Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Abbigail M. Turner
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Integrative Biology University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior School of Integrative Biology University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL USA
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10
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Scharf HM, Abolins-Abols M, Stenstrom KH, Tolman DT, Schelsky WM, Hauber ME. Exposure to a mimetic or non-mimetic model avian brood parasite egg does not produce differential glucocorticoid responses in an egg-accepter host species. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 304:113723. [PMID: 33539900 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Avian obligate brood parasitism, a reproductive strategy where a parasite lays its egg into the nest of another species, imposes significant fitness costs upon host parents and their offspring. To combat brood parasitism, many host species recognize and reject foreign eggs (rejecters), but others are accepters that raise the parasitic progeny. Some accepter hosts may be unable to grasp or pierce parasitic eggs even if they recognize them as foreign eggs in the clutch, whereas other accepters may not have evolved the cognitive skillsets to recognize dissimilar eggs in the nest. Here we assessed the endocrine responses of an accepter host species to model parasitic eggs to address these two alternatives. We experimentally parasitized nests of a locally common host of the brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), the prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea; a cowbird-egg accepter), with a mimetic or non-mimetic model cowbird-sized egg. Our goal was to determine whether they perceived the non-mimetic egg as a greater stressor by measuring circulating corticosterone levels. We added eggs to nests during the incubation stage and obtained blood plasma samples from females on the nest 2 h later, using females with unmanipulated clutches as controls. Incubating females showed no differences in baseline plasma corticosterone levels between our different treatments. We conclude that exposure to foreign eggs does not activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of prothonotary warbler hosts in this experimental paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Scharf
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
| | - M Abolins-Abols
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA; Department of Biology, University of Louisville, KY, USA
| | - K H Stenstrom
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - D T Tolman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - W M Schelsky
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA; Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute for Advanced Study), Delmenhorst 27753, Germany
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11
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Tedore C, Nilsson DE. Ultraviolet vision aids the detection of nutrient-dense non-signaling plant foods. Vision Res 2021; 183:16-29. [PMID: 33639304 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To expand our understanding of what tasks are particularly helped by UV vision and may justify the costs of focusing high-energy light onto the retina, we used an avian-vision multispectral camera to image diverse vegetated habitats in search of UV contrasts that differ markedly from visible-light contrasts. One UV contrast that stood out as very different from visible-light contrasts was that of nutrient-dense non-signaling plant foods (such as young leaves and immature fruits) against their natural backgrounds. From our images, we calculated color contrasts between 62+ species of such foods and mature foliage for the two predominant color vision systems of birds, UVS and VS. We also computationally generated images of what a generalized tetrachromat, unfiltered by oil droplets, would see, by developing a new methodology that uses constrained linear least squares to solve for optimal weighted combinations of avian camera filters to mimic new spectral sensitivities. In all visual systems, we found that nutrient-dense non-signaling plant foods presented a lower, often negative figure-ground contrast in the UV channels, and a higher, often positive figure-ground contrast in the visible channels. Although a zero contrast may sound unhelpful, it can actually enhance color contrast when compared in a color opponent system to other channels with nonzero contrasts. Here, low or negative UV contrasts markedly enhanced color contrasts. We propose that plants may struggle to evolve better UV crypsis since UV reflectance from vegetation is largely specular and thus highly dependent on object orientation, shape, and texture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Tedore
- Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62 Lund, Sweden.
| | - Dan-Eric Nilsson
- Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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12
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Swaddle JP, Emerson LC, Thady RG, Boycott TJ. Ultraviolet-reflective film applied to windows reduces the likelihood of collisions for two species of songbird. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9926. [PMID: 32995088 PMCID: PMC7501805 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Perhaps a billion birds die annually from colliding with residential and commercial windows. Therefore, there is a societal need to develop technologies that reduce window collisions by birds. Many current window films that are applied to the external surface of windows have human-visible patterns that are not esthetically preferable. BirdShades have developed a short wavelength (ultraviolet) reflective film that appears as a slight tint to the human eye but should be highly visible to many bird species that see in this spectral range. We performed flight tunnel tests of whether the BirdShades external window film reduced the likelihood that two species of song bird (zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata and brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater) collide with windows during daylight. We paid particular attention to simulate the lighting conditions that birds will experience while flying during the day. Our results indicate a 75-90% reduction in the likelihood of collision with BirdShades-treated compared with control windows, in forced choice trials. In more ecologically relevant comparison between trials where all windows were either treated or control windows, the estimated reduction in probability of collision was 30-50%. Further, both bird species slow their flight by approximately 25% when approaching windows treated with the BirdShades film, thereby reducing the force of collisions if they were to happen. Therefore, we conclude that the BirdShades external window film will be effective in reducing the risk of and damage caused to populations and property by birds' collision with windows. As this ultraviolet-reflective film has no human-visible patterning to it, the product might be an esthetically more acceptable low cost solution to reducing bird-window collisions. Further, we call for testing of other mitigation technologies in lighting and ecological conditions that are more similar to what birds experience in real human-built environments and make suggestions for testing standards to assess collision-reducing technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Swaddle
- Institute for Integrative Conservation, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA.,Biology Department, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
| | | | - Robin G Thady
- Biology Department, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
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13
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Hanley D, López AV, Fiorini VD, Reboreda JC, Grim T, Hauber ME. Variation in multicomponent recognition cues alters egg rejection decisions: a test of the optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180195. [PMID: 30967077 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis provides a general predictive framework for testing behavioural responses to discrimination challenges. Decision-makers should respond to a stimulus when the perceived difference between that stimulus and a comparison template surpasses an acceptance threshold. We tested how individual components of a relevant recognition cue (experimental eggs) contributed to behavioural responses of chalk-browed mockingbirds, Mimus saturninus, a frequent host of the parasitic shiny cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis. To do this, we recorded responses to eggs that varied with respect to two components: colour, ranging from bluer to browner than the hosts' own eggs, and spotting, either spotted like their own or unspotted. Although tests of this hypothesis typically assume that decisions are based on perceived colour dissimilarity between own and foreign eggs, we found that decisions were biased toward rejecting browner eggs. However, as predicted, hosts tolerated spotted eggs more than unspotted eggs, irrespective of colour. These results uncover how a single component of a multicomponent cue can shift a host's discrimination threshold and illustrate how the optimal acceptance threshold hypothesis can be used as a framework to quantify the direction and amount of the shift (in avian perceptual units) of the response curve across relevant phenotypic ranges. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hanley
- 1 Department of Biology, Long Island University - Post , Brookville, NY 11548 , USA
| | - Analía V López
- 2 Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Vanina D Fiorini
- 2 Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina.,3 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Juan C Reboreda
- 2 Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina.,3 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires , C1428EGA Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Tomáš Grim
- 4 Department of Zoology, Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University , Olomouc 77146 , Czech Republic
| | - Mark E Hauber
- 5 Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801 , USA
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14
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Kraemer AC, Philip CW, Rankin AM, Parent CE. Trade-offs direct the evolution of coloration in Galápagos land snails. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182278. [PMID: 30963863 PMCID: PMC6367191 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, multiple selective factors are recognized as jointly contributing to the evolution of morphology. What is not clear is how these forces vary across communities to promote morphological diversification among related species. In this study of Galápagos endemic snails (genus Naesiotus), we test several hypotheses of colour evolution. We observe mockingbirds (genus Mimus) predating live snails and find that avian predation selects against conspicuous shells. The evolutionary outcome of this selection is a diversity of shell colours across snails of the archipelago, each closely matching local backgrounds. We also find that snails more regularly exposed to the hot, equatorial sun reflect more light than shells of species from shadier habitats, suggesting a role for thermoregulatory constraints directing colour evolution. The signature of thermoregulatory selection is most clear in comparatively young communities (on the youngest islands), while the signature of selection from predators is most evident in older communities (on the older islands). Together, our findings point to a scenario of shifting selective forces along island ontogeny and community maturity that lead to the distribution of snail coloration we observe in Galápagos. Complex selective regimes such as these may have more responsibility for morphological diversity than is currently recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. C. Kraemer
- Department Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - C. W. Philip
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
| | - A. M. Rankin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - C. E. Parent
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
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15
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Visual discrimination of polymorphic nestlings in a cuckoo-host system. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10359. [PMID: 29985476 PMCID: PMC6037703 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28710-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Mimicry by avian brood parasites favours uniformity over variation within a breeding attempt as host defence against parasitism. In a cuckoo-host system from New Caledonia, the arms race resulted in both host (Gerygone flavolateralis) and parasite (Chalcites lucidus) having nestlings of two discrete skin colour phenotypes, bright and dark. In our study sites, host nestlings occurred in monomorphic and polymorphic broods, whereas cuckoo nestlings only occurred in the bright morph. Irrespective of their brood colour, host parents recognised and ejected parasite nestlings but never ejected their own. We investigated whether host parents visually recognised their own nestlings by using colour, luminance and pattern of multiple body regions. We found that the parasite mimicked multiple visual features of both host morphs and that the visual difference between host morphs was larger than the difference between the parasite and the mimicked host morph. Visual discrimination alone may result in higher chances of recognition errors in polymorphic than in monomorphic host broods. Host parents may rely on additional sensorial cues, not only visual, to assess nestling identity. Nestling polymorphism may be a trace of evolutionary past and may only have a marginal role in true-recognition of nestlings in the arms race in New Caledonia.
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16
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Stoddard MC, Hauber ME. Colour, vision and coevolution in avian brood parasitism. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0339. [PMID: 28533456 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The coevolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide a powerful system for investigating the diversity of animal coloration. Specifically, reciprocal selection pressure applied by hosts and brood parasites can give rise to novel forms and functions of animal coloration, which largely differ from those that arise when selection is imposed by predators or mates. In the study of animal colours, avian brood parasite-host dynamics therefore invite special consideration. Rapid advances across disciplines have paved the way for an integrative study of colour and vision in brood parasite-host systems. We now know that visually driven host defences and host life history have selected for a suite of phenotypic adaptations in parasites, including mimicry, crypsis and supernormal stimuli. This sometimes leads to vision-based host counter-adaptations and increased parasite trickery. Here, we review vision-based adaptations that arise in parasite-host interactions, emphasizing that these adaptations can be visual/sensory, cognitive or phenotypic in nature. We highlight recent breakthroughs in chemistry, genomics, neuroscience and computer vision, and we conclude by identifying important future directions. Moving forward, it will be essential to identify the genetic and neural bases of adaptation and to compare vision-based adaptations to those arising in other sensory modalities.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Caswell Stoddard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, NY, USA.,Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
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17
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Hart NS, Mountford JK, Davies WIL, Collin SP, Hunt DM. Visual pigments in a palaeognath bird, the emu Dromaius novaehollandiae: implications for spectral sensitivity and the origin of ultraviolet vision. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1063. [PMID: 27383819 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive description of the spectral characteristics of retinal photoreceptors in palaeognaths is lacking. Moreover, controversy exists with respect to the spectral sensitivity of the short-wavelength-sensitive-1 (SWS1) opsin-based visual pigment expressed in one type of single cone: previous microspectrophotometric (MSP) measurements in the ostrich (Struthio camelus) suggested a violet-sensitive (VS) SWS1 pigment, but all palaeognath SWS1 opsin sequences obtained to date (including the ostrich) imply that the visual pigment is ultraviolet-sensitive (UVS). In this study, MSP was used to measure the spectral properties of visual pigments and oil droplets in the retinal photoreceptors of the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). Results show that the emu resembles most other bird species in possessing four spectrally distinct single cones, as well as double cones and rods. Four cone and a single rod opsin are expressed, each an orthologue of a previously identified pigment. The SWS1 pigment is clearly UVS (wavelength of maximum absorbance [λmax] = 376 nm), with key tuning sites (Phe86 and Cys90) consistent with other vertebrate UVS SWS1 pigments. Palaeognaths would appear, therefore, to have UVS SWS1 pigments. As they are considered to be basal in avian evolution, this suggests that UVS is the most likely ancestral state for birds. The functional significance of a dedicated UVS cone type in the emu is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Hart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Jessica K Mountford
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Wayne I L Davies
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Shaun P Collin
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - David M Hunt
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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18
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Time to Spread Your Wings: A Review of the Avian Ancient DNA Field. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8070184. [PMID: 28718817 PMCID: PMC5541317 DOI: 10.3390/genes8070184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Ancient DNA (aDNA) has the ability to inform the evolutionary history of both extant and extinct taxa; however, the use of aDNA in the study of avian evolution is lacking in comparison to other vertebrates, despite birds being one of the most species-rich vertebrate classes. Here, we review the field of “avian ancient DNA” by summarising the past three decades of literature on this topic. Most studies over this time have used avian aDNA to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and clarify taxonomy based on the sequencing of a few mitochondrial loci, but recent studies are moving toward using a comparative genomics approach to address developmental and functional questions. Applying aDNA analysis with more practical outcomes in mind (such as managing conservation) is another increasingly popular trend among studies that utilise avian aDNA, but the majority of these have yet to influence management policy. We find that while there have been advances in extracting aDNA from a variety of avian substrates including eggshell, feathers, and coprolites, there is a bias in the temporal focus; the majority of the ca. 150 studies reviewed here obtained aDNA from late Holocene (100–1000 yBP) material, with few studies investigating Pleistocene-aged material. In addition, we identify and discuss several other issues within the field that require future attention. With more than one quarter of Holocene bird extinctions occurring in the last several hundred years, it is more important than ever to understand the mechanisms driving the evolution and extinction of bird species through the use of aDNA.
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19
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Werner SJ, DeLiberto ST, Baldwin RA, Witmer GW. Repellent application strategy for wild rodents and cottontail rabbits. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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20
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Šulc M, Procházka P, Capek M, Honza M. Common cuckoo females are not choosy when removing an egg during parasitism. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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21
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Abernathy VE, Peer BD. Mechanisms of egg recognition in brown-headed cowbird hosts: the role of ultraviolet reflectance. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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22
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Borges R, Khan I, Johnson WE, Gilbert MTP, Zhang G, Jarvis ED, O'Brien SJ, Antunes A. Gene loss, adaptive evolution and the co-evolution of plumage coloration genes with opsins in birds. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:751. [PMID: 26438339 PMCID: PMC4595237 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1924-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The wide range of complex photic systems observed in birds exemplifies one of their key evolutionary adaptions, a well-developed visual system. However, genomic approaches have yet to be used to disentangle the evolutionary mechanisms that govern evolution of avian visual systems. RESULTS We performed comparative genomic analyses across 48 avian genomes that span extant bird phylogenetic diversity to assess evolutionary changes in the 17 representatives of the opsin gene family and five plumage coloration genes. Our analyses suggest modern birds have maintained a repertoire of up to 15 opsins. Synteny analyses indicate that PARA and PARIE pineal opsins were lost, probably in conjunction with the degeneration of the parietal organ. Eleven of the 15 avian opsins evolved in a non-neutral pattern, confirming the adaptive importance of vision in birds. Visual conopsins sw1, sw2 and lw evolved under negative selection, while the dim-light RH1 photopigment diversified. The evolutionary patterns of sw1 and of violet/ultraviolet sensitivity in birds suggest that avian ancestors had violet-sensitive vision. Additionally, we demonstrate an adaptive association between the RH2 opsin and the MC1R plumage color gene, suggesting that plumage coloration has been photic mediated. At the intra-avian level we observed some unique adaptive patterns. For example, barn owl showed early signs of pseudogenization in RH2, perhaps in response to nocturnal behavior, and penguins had amino acid deletions in RH2 sites responsible for the red shift and retinal binding. These patterns in the barn owl and penguins were convergent with adaptive strategies in nocturnal and aquatic mammals, respectively. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that birds have evolved diverse opsin adaptations through gene loss, adaptive selection and coevolution with plumage coloration, and that differentiated selective patterns at the species level suggest novel photic pressures to influence evolutionary patterns of more-recent lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Borges
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Imran Khan
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Warren E Johnson
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA.
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Guojie Zhang
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzen, 518083, China.
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, Universitetsparken 15, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center Durham, Box 3209, North Carolina, 27710, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, 20815, USA.
| | - Stephen J O'Brien
- Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199004, Russia.
- Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 N. Ocean Drive, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, 33004, USA.
| | - Agostinho Antunes
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
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23
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Flores EE, Stevens M, Moore AJ, Rowland HM, Blount JD. Body size but not warning signal luminance influences predation risk in recently metamorphosed poison frogs. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:4603-16. [PMID: 26668726 PMCID: PMC4670055 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
During early development, many aposematic species have bright and conspicuous warning appearance, but have yet to acquire chemical defenses, a phenotypic state which presumably makes them vulnerable to predation. Body size and signal luminance in particular are known to be sensitive to variation in early nutrition. However, the relative importance of these traits as determinants of predation risk in juveniles is not known. To address this question, we utilized computer‐assisted design (CAD) and information on putative predator visual sensitivities to produce artificial models of postmetamorphic froglets that varied in terms of body size and signal luminance. We then deployed the artificial models in the field and measured rates of attack by birds and unknown predators. Our results indicate that body size was a significant predictor of artificial prey survival. Rates of attack by bird predators were significantly higher on smaller models. However, predation by birds did not differ between artificial models of varying signal luminance. This suggests that at the completion of metamorphosis, smaller froglets may be at a selective disadvantage, potentially because predators can discern they have relatively low levels of chemical defense compared to larger froglets. There is likely to be a premium on efficient foraging, giving rise to rapid growth and the acquisition of toxins from dietary sources in juvenile poison frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E Flores
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK ; Sistema Nacional de Investigacion de Panama (SNI) Panama
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK
| | - Allen J Moore
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK ; Department of Genetics University of Georgia 30602 Athens Georgia
| | | | - Jonathan D Blount
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK
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24
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Bleiweiss R. Extrinsic Versus Intrinsic Control of Avian Communication Based on Colorful Plumage Porphyrins. Evol Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-015-9343-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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25
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Croston R, Hauber ME. Experimental shifts in intraclutch egg color variation do not affect egg rejection in a host of a non-egg-mimetic avian brood parasite. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121213. [PMID: 25831051 PMCID: PMC4382172 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and impose the costs associated with rearing parasitic young onto these hosts. Many hosts of brood parasites defend against parasitism by removing foreign eggs from the nest. In systems where parasitic eggs mimic host eggs in coloration and patterning, extensive intraclutch variation in egg appearances may impair the host's ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs, but experimental investigation of this effect has produced conflicting results. The cognitive mechanism by which hosts recognize parasitic eggs may vary across brood parasite hosts, and this may explain variation in experimental outcome across studies investigating egg rejection in hosts of egg-mimicking brood parasites. In contrast, for hosts of non-egg-mimetic parasites, intraclutch egg color variation is not predicted to co-vary with foreign egg rejection, irrespective of cognitive mechanism. Here we tested for effects of intraclutch egg color variation in a host of nonmimetic brood parasite by manipulating egg color in American robins (Turdus migratorius), hosts of brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). We recorded robins' behavioral responses to simulated cowbird parasitism in nests where color variation was artificially enhanced or reduced. We also quantified egg color variation within and between unmanipulated robin clutches as perceived by robins themselves using spectrophotometric measures and avian visual modeling. In unmanipulated nests, egg color varied more between than within robin clutches. As predicted, however, manipulation of color variation did not affect rejection rates. Overall, our results best support the scenario wherein egg rejection is the outcome of selective pressure by a nonmimetic brood parasite, because robins are efficient rejecters of foreign eggs, irrespective of the color variation within their own clutch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Croston
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Subprogram in Biology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Mark E. Hauber
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Subprogram in Biology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
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26
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Aidala Z, Croston R, Schwartz J, Tong L, Hauber ME. The role of egg-nest contrast in the rejection of brood parasitic eggs. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:1126-36. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Hosts of avian brood parasites can avoid the reproductive costs of raising genetically unrelated offspring by rejecting parasitic eggs. The perceptual cues and controls mediating parasitic egg discrimination and ejection are well studied: hosts are thought to use differences in egg color, brightness, maculation, size, and shape to discriminate between own and foreign eggs. Most models of brood parasitism implicitly assume that the primary criteria to which hosts attend when discriminating eggs are differences between the eggs themselves. However, this assumption is confounded by the degree to which chromatic and achromatic characteristics of the nest lining co-vary with egg coloration, in that egg-nest contrast per se might be the recognition cue driving parasitic egg detection. Here we systematically tested whether and how egg-nest contrast itself contributes to foreign egg discrimination. In an artificial parasitism experiment, we independently manipulated egg color and nest lining color of the egg-ejector American robin (Turdus migratorius), a host of the obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). We hypothesized that the degree of contrast between foreign eggs and the nest background would affect host egg rejection behavior. We predicted that experimentally decreasing egg-nest chromatic and achromatic contrast (i.e. rendering parasitic eggs more cryptic against the nest lining) would decrease rejection rates, while increasing egg-nest contrast would increase rejection rates. In contrast to our predictions, egg-nest contrast was not a significant predictor of egg ejection patterns. Instead, egg color significantly predicted responses to parasitism. We conclude that egg-egg differences are the primary drivers of egg rejection in this system. Future studies should test for the effects of egg-nest contrast per se in predicting parasitic egg recognition in other host-parasite systems, including those hosts building enclosed nests and parasites laying cryptic eggs, as an alternative to hypothesized effects of egg-egg contrasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Aidala
- City University of New York; Bloomfield College, United States
| | - Rebecca Croston
- City University of New York; University of Nevada - Reno, United States
| | | | | | - Mark E. Hauber
- City University of New York; Bloomfield College, United States
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Hauser FE, van Hazel I, Chang BSW. Spectral tuning in vertebrate short wavelength-sensitive 1 (SWS1) visual pigments: Can wavelength sensitivity be inferred from sequence data? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2014; 322:529-39. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Frances E. Hauser
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Ilke van Hazel
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Belinda S. W. Chang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & Function; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
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28
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Price JJ, Eaton MD. RECONSTRUCTING THE EVOLUTION OF SEXUAL DICHROMATISM: CURRENT COLOR DIVERSITY DOES NOT REFLECT PAST RATES OF MALE AND FEMALE CHANGE. Evolution 2014; 68:2026-37. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Jordan Price
- Department of Biology; St. Mary's College of Maryland; St. Mary's City Maryland 20686
| | - Muir D. Eaton
- Department of Biology; Drake University; Des Moines Iowa 50311
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29
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Samas P, Hauber ME, Cassey P, Grim T. Host responses to interspecific brood parasitism: a by-product of adaptations to conspecific parasitism? Front Zool 2014; 11:34. [PMID: 24834103 PMCID: PMC4022367 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-11-34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Why have birds evolved the ability to reject eggs? Typically, foreign egg discrimination is interpreted as evidence that interspecific brood parasitism (IP) has selected for the host’s ability to recognize and eliminate foreign eggs. Fewer studies explore the alternative hypothesis that rejection of interspecific eggs is a by-product of host defenses, evolved against conspecific parasitism (CP). We performed a large scale study with replication across taxa (two congeneric Turdus thrushes), space (populations), time (breeding seasons), and treatments (three types of experimental eggs), using a consistent design of egg rejection experiments (n = 1057 nests; including controls), in areas with potential IP either present (Europe; native populations) or absent (New Zealand; introduced populations). These comparisons benefited from the known length of allopatry (one and a half centuries), with no gene flow between native and introduced populations, which is rarely available in host-parasite systems. Results Hosts rejected CP at unusually high rates for passerines (up to 60%). CP rejection rates were higher in populations with higher conspecific breeding densities and no risks of IP, supporting the CP hypothesis. IP rejection rates did not covary geographically with IP risk, contradicting the IP hypothesis. High egg rejection rates were maintained in the relatively long-term isolation from IP despite non-trivial rejection costs and errors. Conclusions These egg rejection patterns, combined with recent findings that these thrushes are currently unsuitable hosts of the obligate parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), are in agreement with the hypothesis that the rejection of IP is a by-product of fine-tuned egg discrimination evolved due to CP. Our study highlights the importance of considering both IP and CP simultaneously as potential drivers in the evolution of egg discrimination, and illustrates how populations introduced to novel ecological contexts can provide critical insights into brood parasite-host coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Samas
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Phillip Cassey
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Tomas Grim
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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Moskát C, Zölei A, Bán M, Elek Z, Tong L, Geltsch N, Hauber ME. How to Spot a Stranger's Egg? A Mimicry-Specific Discordancy Effect in the Recognition of Parasitic Eggs. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group; Biological Institute; Eötvös Lóránd University; Budapest Hungary
- Hungarian Natural History Museum; Budapest Hungary
| | - Anikó Zölei
- Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology; Eötvös Loránd University; Budapest Hungary
| | - Miklós Bán
- MTA-DE ‘Lendület’ Behavioural Ecology Research Group; Department of Evolutionary Zoology; University of Debrecen; Debrecen Hungary
| | - Zoltán Elek
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group; Biological Institute; Eötvös Lóránd University; Budapest Hungary
- Hungarian Natural History Museum; Budapest Hungary
| | - Lainga Tong
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center; The City University of New York; New York NY USA
| | | | - Márk E. Hauber
- Department of Psychology; Hunter College and the Graduate Center; The City University of New York; New York NY USA
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Krasheninnikova A. Patterned-string tasks: relation between fine motor skills and visual-spatial abilities in parrots. PLoS One 2013; 8:e85499. [PMID: 24376885 PMCID: PMC3871688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
String-pulling and patterned-string tasks are often used to analyse perceptual and cognitive abilities in animals. In addition, the paradigm can be used to test the interrelation between visual-spatial and motor performance. Two Australian parrot species, the galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) and the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), forage on the ground, but only the galah uses its feet to manipulate food. I used a set of string pulling and patterned-string tasks to test whether usage of the feet during foraging is a prerequisite for solving the vertical string pulling problem. Indeed, the two species used techniques that clearly differed in the extent of beak-foot coordination but did not differ in terms of their success in solving the string pulling task. However, when the visual-spatial skills of the subjects were tested, the galahs outperformed the cockatiels. This supports the hypothesis that the fine motor skills needed for advanced beak-foot coordination may be interrelated with certain visual-spatial abilities needed for solving patterned-string tasks. This pattern was also found within each of the two species on the individual level: higher motor abilities positively correlated with performance in patterned-string tasks. This is the first evidence of an interrelation between visual-spatial and motor abilities in non-mammalian animals.
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The contribution of private and public information in foraging by Australasian gannets. Anim Cogn 2013; 17:849-58. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-013-0716-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Revised: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Friedman NR, McGraw KJ, Omland KE. EVOLUTION OF CAROTENOID PIGMENTATION IN CACIQUES AND MEADOWLARKS (ICTERIDAE): REPEATED GAINS OF RED PLUMAGE COLORATION BY CAROTENOID C4-OXYGENATION. Evolution 2013; 68:791-801. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2012] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas R. Friedman
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Baltimore Maryland 21250
- Department of Zoology & Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacký University; Olomouc 77900 Czech Republic
| | - Kevin J. McGraw
- School of Life Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona 85287
| | - Kevin E. Omland
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Baltimore Maryland 21250
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Croston R, Hauber ME. Spectral tuning and perceptual differences do not explain the rejection of brood parasitic eggs by American robins (Turdus migratorius). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1649-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Honza M, Šulc M, Jelínek V, Požgayová M, Procházka P. Brood parasites lay eggs matching the appearance of host clutches. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 281:20132665. [PMID: 24258721 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific brood parasitism represents a prime example of the coevolutionary arms race where each party has evolved strategies in response to the other. Here, we investigated whether common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) actively select nests within a host population to match the egg appearance of a particular host clutch. To achieve this goal, we quantified the degree of egg matching using the avian vision modelling approach. Randomization tests revealed that cuckoo eggs in naturally parasitized nests showed lower chromatic contrast to host eggs than those assigned randomly to other nests with egg-laying date similar to naturally parasitized clutches. Moreover, egg matching in terms of chromaticity was better in naturally parasitized nests than it would be in the nests of the nearest active non-parasitized neighbour. However, there was no indication of matching in achromatic spectral characteristics whatsoever. Thus, our results clearly indicate that cuckoos select certain host nests to increase matching of their own eggs with host clutches, but only in chromatic characteristics. Our results suggest that the ability of cuckoos to actively choose host nests based on the eggshell appearance imposes a strong selection pressure on host egg recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Honza
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, , v. v. i., Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, , Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic
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van Hazel I, Sabouhanian A, Day L, Endler JA, Chang BSW. Functional characterization of spectral tuning mechanisms in the great bowerbird short-wavelength sensitive visual pigment (SWS1), and the origins of UV/violet vision in passerines and parrots. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:250. [PMID: 24499383 PMCID: PMC4029201 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 11/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background One of the most striking features of avian vision is the variation in spectral sensitivity of the short wavelength sensitive (SWS1) opsins, which can be divided into two sub-types: violet- and UV- sensitive (VS & UVS). In birds, UVS has been found in both passerines and parrots, groups that were recently shown to be sister orders. While all parrots are thought to be UVS, recent evidence suggests some passerine lineages may also be VS. The great bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis) is a passerine notable for its courtship behaviours in which males build and decorate elaborate bower structures. Results The great bowerbird SWS1 sequence possesses an unusual residue combination at known spectral tuning sites that has not been previously investigated in mutagenesis experiments. In this study, the SWS1 opsin of C. nuchalis was expressed along with a series of spectral tuning mutants and ancestral passerine SWS1 pigments, allowing us to investigate spectral tuning mechanisms and explore the evolution of UV/violet sensitivity in early passerines and parrots. The expressed C. nuchalis SWS1 opsin was found to be a VS pigment, with a λmax of 403 nm. Bowerbird SWS1 mutants C86F, S90C, and C86S/S90C all shifted λmax into the UV, whereas C86S had no effect. Experimentally recreated ancestral passerine and parrot/passerine SWS1 pigments were both found to be VS, indicating that UV sensitivity evolved independently in passerines and parrots from a VS ancestor. Conclusions Our mutagenesis studies indicate that spectral tuning in C. nuchalis is mediated by mechanisms similar to those of other birds. Interestingly, our ancestral sequence reconstructions of SWS1 in landbird evolution suggest multiple transitions from VS to UVS, but no instances of the reverse. Our results not only provide a more precise prediction of where these spectral sensitivity shifts occurred, but also confirm the hypothesis that birds are an unusual exception among vertebrates where some descendants re-evolved UVS from a violet type ancestor. The re-evolution of UVS from a VS type pigment has not previously been predicted elsewhere in the vertebrate phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary, Biology University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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Abstract
AbstractS cones expressing the short wavelength-sensitive type 1 (SWS1) class of visual pigment generally form only a minority type of cone photoreceptor within the vertebrate duplex retina. Hence, their primary role is in color vision, not in high acuity vision. In mammals, S cones may be present as a constant fraction of the cones across the retina, may be restricted to certain regions of the retina or may form a gradient across the retina, and in some species, there is coexpression of SWS1 and the long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) class of pigment in many cones. During retinal development, SWS1 opsin expression generally precedes that of LWS opsin, and evidence from genetic studies indicates that the S cone pathway may be the default pathway for cone development. With the notable exception of the cartilaginous fishes, where S cones appear to be absent, they are present in representative species from all other vertebrate classes. S cone loss is not, however, uncommon; they are absent from most aquatic mammals and from some but not all nocturnal terrestrial species. The peak spectral sensitivity of S cones depends on the spectral characteristics of the pigment present. Evidence from the study of agnathans and teleost fishes indicates that the ancestral vertebrate SWS1 pigment was ultraviolet (UV) sensitive with a peak around 360 nm, but this has shifted into the violet region of the spectrum (>380 nm) on many separate occasions during vertebrate evolution. In all cases, the shift was generated by just one or a few replacements in tuning-relevant residues. Only in the avian lineage has tuning moved in the opposite direction, with the reinvention of UV-sensitive pigments.
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Ödeen A, Håstad O. The phylogenetic distribution of ultraviolet sensitivity in birds. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:36. [PMID: 23394614 PMCID: PMC3637589 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Colour vision in birds can be categorized into two classes, the ultraviolet (UVS) and violet sensitive (VS). Their phylogenetic distributions have traditionally been regarded as highly conserved. However, the complicated nature of acquiring spectral sensitivities from cone photoreceptors meant that until recently, only a few species had actually been studied. Whether birds are UVS or VS can nowadays be inferred from a wide range of species via genomic sequencing of the UV/violet SWS1 cone opsin gene. Results We present genomic sequencing results of the SWS1 gene from 21 avian orders. Amino acid residues signifying UV sensitivity are found in the two most important spectral tuning sites 86 and 90 of Pteroclidiformes and Coraciiformes, in addition to the major clades, Palaeognathae, Charadriiformes, Trogoniformes, Psittaciformes and Passeriformes, where they where previously known to occur. We confirm that the presumed UVS-conferring amino acid combination F86, C90 and M93 is common to Palaeognathae and unique to this clade, despite available spectrometric evidence showing the ostrich retina to be VS. Conclusions By mapping our results together with data from previous studies on a molecular phylogeny we show that avian colour vision shifted between VS and UVS at least 14 times. Single nucleotide substitutions can explain all these shifts. The common ancestor of birds most likely had a VS phenotype. However, the ancestral state of the avian SWS1 opsin’s spectral tuning sites cannot be resolved, since the Palaeognathae are F86, C90 while the Neognathae are ancestrally S86, S90. The phylogenetic distribution of UVS and VS colour vision in birds is so complex that inferences of spectral sensitivities from closely related taxa should be used with caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Ödeen
- Department of Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala S-752 36, Sweden.
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