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Bühler R, Riecke TV, Schalcher K, Roulin A, Almasi B. Individual quality and environmental factors interact to shape reproduction and survival in a resident bird of prey. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231934. [PMID: 39263448 PMCID: PMC11387063 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
Investigating among-individual differences in reproductive success and survival is essential for understanding eco-evolutionary processes. We used 5 years of demographic data from 556 breeding barn owls (Tyto alba) to estimate associations between intrinsic and extrinsic covariates on survival and reproduction throughout the annual cycle. As males and females have distinct roles in reproduction, environmental conditions and individual quality may be differentially linked to their fitness at different time points. Males breeding early and inhabiting prey-rich areas experienced higher reproductive success but faced greater reproductive costs. Indeed, the number of offspring a male cared for was negatively associated with his body condition and survival. However, our results indicate that these influences can be mitigated in males experiencing favourable post-breeding environmental conditions. For female owls, early breeding and high food availability during the breeding period were linked with increased reproductive success. Prey availability during incubation and higher reproductive output were associated with higher survival into the next breeding period in females. Unlike males, females did not exhibit obvious trade-offs between reproductive success and survival. Our research demonstrates trade-offs between fecundity and survival, and that females paired with males able to provide sufficient food experience higher survival and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Bühler
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, Sempach CH-6204, Switzerland
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Building Biophore, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Thomas V Riecke
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, Sempach CH-6204, Switzerland
- Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula MT 59812, USA
| | - Kim Schalcher
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Building Biophore, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Building Biophore, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Bettina Almasi
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, Sempach CH-6204, Switzerland
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2
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Exogenous corticosterone and melanin-based coloration explain variation in juvenile dispersal behaviour in the barn owl (Tyto alba). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256038. [PMID: 34492014 PMCID: PMC8423310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Natal dispersal affects many processes such as population dynamics. So far, most studies have examined the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determine the distance between the place of birth and of first breeding. In contrast, few researchers followed the first steps of dispersal soon after fledging. To study this gap, we radio-tracked 95 barn owl nestlings (Tyto alba) to locate their diurnal roost sites from the fledging stage until December. This was used to test whether the age of nest departure, post-fledging movements and dispersal distance were related to melanin-based coloration, which is correlated to fitness-related traits, as well as to corticosterone, a hormone that mediates a number of life history trade-offs and the physiological and behavioural responses to stressful situations. We found that the artificial administration of corticosterone delayed the age when juveniles left their parental home-range in females but not in males. During the first few months after fledging, longer dispersal distances were reached by females compared to males, by individuals marked with larger black feather spots compared to individuals with smaller spots, by larger individuals and by those experimentally treated with corticosterone. We conclude that the onset and magnitude of dispersal is sensitive to the stress hormone corticosterone, melanin-based coloration and body size.
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Di Bernardi C, Thierry AM, Eide NE, Bowler DE, Rød-Eriksen L, Blumentrath S, Tietgen L, Sandercock BK, Flagstad Ø, Landa A. Fitness and fur colouration: Testing the camouflage and thermoregulation hypotheses in an Arctic mammal. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1328-1340. [PMID: 33660289 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Selection for crypsis has been recognized as an important ecological driver of animal colouration, whereas the relative importance of thermoregulation is more contentious with mixed empirical support. A potential thermal advantage of darker individuals has been observed in a wide range of animal species. Arctic animals that exhibit colour polymorphisms and undergo seasonal colour moults are interesting study subjects for testing the two alternative hypotheses: demographic performance of different colour morphs might be differentially affected by snow cover with a cryptic advantage for lighter morphs, or conversely by winter temperature with a thermal advantage for darker morphs. In this study, we explored whether camouflage and thermoregulation might explain differences in reproduction and survival between the white and blue colour morphs of the Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus under natural conditions. Juvenile and adult survival, breeding propensity and litter size were measured for 798 captive-bred and released or wild-born Arctic foxes monitored during an 11-year period (2007-2017) in two subpopulations in south-central Norway. We investigated the proportion of the two colour morphs and compared their demographic performance in relation to spatial variation in duration of snow cover, onset of snow season and winter temperatures. After population re-establishment, a higher proportion of blue individuals was observed among wild-born Arctic foxes compared to the proportion of blue foxes released from the captive population. Our field study provides the first evidence for an effect of colour morph on the reproductive performance of Arctic foxes under natural conditions, with a higher breeding propensity of the blue morph compared to the white one. Performance of the two colour morphs was not differentially affected by the climatic variables, except for juvenile survival. Blue morph juveniles showed a tendency for higher survival under colder winter temperatures but lower survival under warmer temperatures compared to white morph juveniles. Overall, our findings do not consistently support predictions of the camouflage or the thermoregulation hypotheses. The higher success of blue foxes suggests an advantage of the dark morph not directly related to disruptive selection by crypsis or thermoregulation. Our results rather point to physiological adaptations and behavioural traits not necessarily connected to thermoregulation, such as stress response, immune function, sexual behaviour and aggressiveness. Our findings highlight the need to explore the potential role of genetic linkage or pleiotropy in influencing the fitness of white and blue Arctic foxes as well as other species with colour polymorphisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nina E Eide
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Diana E Bowler
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Lars Rød-Eriksen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Lukas Tietgen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway.,Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Arild Landa
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Bergen, Norway
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Non-Vocal Behaviors Are More Frequent During the Decisive Negotiation Phases in Barn Owl Siblings. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10101777. [PMID: 33019525 PMCID: PMC7601554 DOI: 10.3390/ani10101777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Animal communication can involve the use of multiple types of signals. While vocal communication has been widely studied in natural populations, there is a dearth of knowledge about the possible role of vibrations or noises made by body movements in communication processes. By using experimental settings both under natural conditions and in the laboratory, we showed that barn owl nestlings (Tyto alba) produced various non-vocal noises. Movement noises were particularly frequent when nestlings were involved in the intense vocal interactions they use to negotiate the priority for access to the next food item delivered by parents. Body movements might therefore have a role in reinforcing vocal signals during competitive interactions among siblings. Abstract Animals produce vibrations or noises by means of body movements, which can play a role in communication. These behaviors enhance signal transmission or receiver attention and could be specifically used during turn-taking phases of a reciprocal exchange of signals. In the barn owl Tyto alba, nestlings vocalize one after the other to negotiate which individual will have priority access to the impending prey item to be delivered by the parents. Owlets adjust their vocalization to their own hunger level and to their siblings’ vocalization, withdrawing from the contest in front of highly vocal, and hence hungry, motivated nestmates. As sibling negotiation is a multicomponent display, we examined whether body movements could also be part of the negotiation process. To this end, we analyzed whether the vocalizations of one nestling affected its nestmate’s movements in three separate experiments: in natural nests, in the lab, and using a playback procedure. Nestling barn owls move in a variety of ways, such as repeated tapping of the floor with a foot, scratching the floor with claws, or flapping wings. Body movements were more frequent during the turn-taking phases of vocal interactions, when siblings emitted longer calls and at a greater rate. Once an individual monopolized vocal activity, siblings became less vocal and less active. Moreover, owlets produced more noisy body movements during the phases of vocal interactions which are crucial to prevail in negotiation. Non-vocal physical activities might reinforce vocal signals during sibling to sibling (sib–sib) interactions, or reflect owlets’ arousal, in the critical period during which they vocally settle which individual will dominate the competition.
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Béziers P, Ducrest AL, San-Jose LM, Simon C, Roulin A. Expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor genes co-varies with a stress-related colour signal in barn owls. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 283:113224. [PMID: 31323230 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones are important intermediates between an organism and its environment. They enable an organism to adjust its behavioural and physiological processes in response to environmental changes by binding to mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) expressed in many tissues, including the integument. The regulation of glucocorticoids co-varies with melanin-based colouration in numerous species, an association that might result from pleiotropic effects of genes in the melanocortin system and evolve within a signalling context. Most studies have focused on the circulating levels of glucocorticoids disregarding the receptors that mediate their action, and that might partly account for the covariation between the regulation of stress and melanin-based colouration. We investigated the association of the expression levels of GR and MR genes with melanin-based colouration in the growing feathers of nestling barn owls (Tyto alba). We also explored the association between GR and MR expression levels and the expression of genes related to the melanocortin system and melanogenesis to better understand the origin of the link between the expression of receptors to which corticosterone binds and melanin-based colouration. Nestling barn owls displaying larger eumelanic black feather spots expressed GR and MR at lower levels than smaller-spotted individuals. However, we found that the expression of the GR and MR genes was positively rather than negatively correlated with the expression of genes involved in the deposition of melanin pigments at the time we sampled the nestlings. This provides mixed evidence of the association between melanin-based traits and MR and GR gene expression. The finding that the expression of GR and MR was positively associated with the expression of the PCSK2 gene (encoding one of the protein convertase responsible for the production of hormone peptide ACTH and α-MSH) suggests that the melanocortin system may be implicated in the establishment of the covariation between melanin-based colour and the expression of receptors to which glucocorticoids bind. However, further studies investigating the expression of melanin-based traits with stress-related endpoints at different time points of feather development will be necessary to understand better the proximate mechanism linking melanin-based traits with stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Béziers
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Lyse Ducrest
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luis M San-Jose
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Céline Simon
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Ducouret P, Romano A, Dreiss AN, Marmaroli P, Falourd X, Roulin A. The Art of Diplomacy in Vocally Negotiating Barn Owl Siblings. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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San-Jose LM, Roulin A. Toward Understanding the Repeated Occurrence of Associations between Melanin-Based Coloration and Multiple Phenotypes. Am Nat 2018; 192:111-130. [PMID: 30016163 DOI: 10.1086/698010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Melanin is the most widespread pigment in organisms. Melanin-based coloration has been repeatedly observed to be associated with the same traits and in the same direction in different vertebrate and insect species. However, whether any factors that are common to different taxa account for the repeated evolution of melanin-phenotype associations remains unclear. We propose to approach this question from the perspective of convergent and parallel evolution to clarify to what extent different species have evolved the same associations owing to a shared genetic basis and being subjected to similar selective pressures. Our current understanding of the genetic basis of melanin-phenotype associations allows for both convergent and parallel evolution, but this understanding is still limited. Further research is needed to clarify the generality and interdependencies of the different proposed mechanisms (supergenes, pleiotropy based on hormones, or neural crest cells). The general ecological scenarios whereby melanin-based coloration is under selection-protection from ultraviolet radiation, thermoregulation in cold environments, or as a signal of social status-offer a good opportunity to study how melanin-phenotype associations evolve. Reviewing these scenarios shows that some traits associated with melanin-based coloration might be selected together with coloration by also favoring adaptation but that other associated traits might impede adaptation, which may be indicative of genetic constraints. We therefore encourage further research on the relative roles that selection and genetic constraints play in shaping multiple melanin-phenotype associations. Placed into a phylogenetic context, this will help clarify to what extent these associations result from convergent or parallel evolutionary processes and why melanin-phenotype associations are so common across the tree of life.
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Scriba MF, Henry I, Vyssotski AL, Mueller JC, Rattenborg NC, Roulin A. Ultradian Rhythmicity in Sleep-Wakefulness Is Related to Color in Nestling Barn Owls. J Biol Rhythms 2017; 32:456-468. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730417722250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The possession of a rhythm is usually described as an important adaptation to regular changing environmental conditions such as the light-dark cycle. However, recent studies have suggested plasticity in the expression of a rhythm depending on life history and environmental factors. Barn owl ( Tyto alba) nestlings show variations in behavior and physiology in relation to the size of black feather spots, a trait associated with many behavioral and physiological phenotypes including the circadian expression of corticosterone and the regulation of body mass. This raises the possibility that individual spottiness could be associated with rhythmicity in sleep-wakefulness. Owlets showed ultradian rhythms in sleep-wakefulness, with a period length of 4.5 to 4.9 h. The period length of wakefulness and non-REM sleep was shorter in heavily compared to lightly spotted female nestlings, whereas in males, the opposite result was found. Furthermore, male and female nestlings displaying small black spots showed strong rhythmicity levels in wakefulness and REM sleep. This might be an advantage in a stable environment with predictable periodic changes in light, temperature, or social interactions. Heavily spotted nestlings displayed weak rhythms in wakefulness and REM sleep, which might enable them to be more flexible in reactions to unexpected events such as predation or might be a mechanism to save energy. These findings are consistent with previous findings showing that large-spotted nestlings switch more frequently between wakefulness and sleep, resulting in higher levels of vigilance compared to small-spotted conspecifics. Thus, nestlings with larger black feather spots might differently handle the trade-off between wakefulness and sleep, attention, and social interactions compared to nestlings with smaller black spots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine F. Scriba
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Avian Sleep Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Isabelle Henry
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexei L. Vyssotski
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jakob C. Mueller
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Niels C. Rattenborg
- Avian Sleep Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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9
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Responsiveness to siblings’ need increases with age in vocally negotiating barn owl nestlings. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2342-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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10
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Dreiss AN, Ducouret P, Ruppli CA, Rossier V, Hernandez L, Falourd X, Marmaroli P, Cazau D, Lissek H, Roulin A. No need to shout: Effect of signal loudness on sibling communication in barn owlsTyto alba. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amélie N. Dreiss
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Pauline Ducouret
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Charlène A. Ruppli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Virginie Rossier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
- University Paris 13 - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Villetaneuse France
| | - Lucile Hernandez
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
- Université de Bourgogne; Dijon France
| | | | | | - Dorian Cazau
- ENSTA Bretagne; Lab-STICC (UMR CNRS 6285); Brest Cedex 09 France
| | - Hervé Lissek
- Signal Processing Laboratory; Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
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Dreiss AN, Gaime F, Delarbre A, Moroni L, Lenarth M, Roulin A. Vocal communication regulates sibling competition over food stock. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2114-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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12
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Roulin A, Des Monstiers B, Ifrid E, Da Silva A, Genzoni E, Dreiss AN. Reciprocal preening and food sharing in colour-polymorphic nestling barn owls. J Evol Biol 2015; 29:380-94. [PMID: 26563617 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Barn owl (Tyto alba) siblings preen and offer food items to one another, behaviours that can be considered prosocial because they benefit a conspecific by relieving distress or need. In experimental broods, we analysed whether such behaviours were reciprocated, preferentially exchanged between specific phenotypes, performed to avoid harassment and food theft or signals of hierarchy status. Three of the results are consistent with the hypothesis of direct reciprocity. First, food sharing was reciprocated in three-chick broods but not in pairs of siblings, that is when nestlings could choose a partner with whom to develop a reciprocating interaction. Second, a nestling was more likely to give a prey item to its sibling if the latter individual had preened the former. Third, siblings matched their investment in preening each other. Manipulation of age hierarchy showed that food stealing was directed towards older siblings but was not performed to compensate for a low level of cooperation received. Social behaviours were related to melanin-based coloration, suggesting that animals may signal their propensity to interact socially. The most prosocial phenotype (darker reddish) was also the phenotype that stole more food, and the effect of coloration on prosocial behaviour depended upon rank and sex, suggesting that colour-related prosociality is state dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - B Des Monstiers
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - E Ifrid
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - A Da Silva
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - E Genzoni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - A N Dreiss
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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13
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Social huddling and physiological thermoregulation are related to melanism in the nocturnal barn owl. Oecologia 2015; 180:371-81. [PMID: 26552377 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3491-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Endothermic animals vary in their physiological ability to maintain a constant body temperature. Since melanin-based coloration is related to thermoregulation and energy homeostasis, we predict that dark and pale melanic individuals adopt different behaviours to regulate their body temperature. Young animals are particularly sensitive to a decrease in ambient temperature because their physiological system is not yet mature and growth may be traded-off against thermoregulation. To reduce energy loss, offspring huddle during periods of cold weather. We investigated in nestling barn owls (Tyto alba) whether body temperature, oxygen consumption and huddling were associated with melanin-based coloration. Isolated owlets displaying more black feather spots had a lower body temperature and consumed more oxygen than those with fewer black spots. This suggests that highly melanic individuals display a different thermoregulation strategy. This interpretation is also supported by the finding that, at relatively low ambient temperature, owlets displaying more black spots huddled more rapidly and more often than those displaying fewer spots. Assuming that spot number is associated with the ability to thermoregulate not only in Swiss barn owls but also in other Tytonidae, our results could explain geographic variation in the degree of melanism. Indeed, in the northern hemisphere, barn owls and allies are less spotted polewards than close to the equator, and in the northern American continent, barn owls are also less spotted in colder regions. If melanic spots themselves helped thermoregulation, we would have expected the opposite results. We therefore suggest that some melanogenic genes pleiotropically regulate thermoregulatory processes.
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Almasi B, Roulin A. Signalling value of maternal and paternal melanism in the barn owl: implication for the resolution of the lek paradox. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Almasi
- Swiss Ornithological Institute; CH-6204 Sempach Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Biophore Building CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
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16
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Sirkiä PM, Adamík P, Artemyev AV, Belskii E, Both C, Bureš S, Burgess M, Bushuev AV, Forsman JT, Grinkov V, Hoffmann D, Järvinen A, Král M, Krams I, Lampe HM, Moreno J, Mägi M, Nord A, Potti J, Ravussin PA, Sokolov L, Laaksonen T. Fecundity selection does not vary along a large geographical cline of trait means in a passerine bird. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Päivi M. Sirkiä
- Department of Biology; Section of Ecology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
- Finnish Museum of Natural History; Zoology Unit; University of Helsinki; Helsinki Finland
| | - Peter Adamík
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacky University; Olomouc Czech Republic
| | - Alexandr V. Artemyev
- Institute of Biology, Karelian Research Centre; Russian Academy of Science; Petrozavodsk Russia
| | - Eugen Belskii
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology; Ural Branch; Russian Academy of Science; Ekaterinburg Russia
| | - Christiaan Both
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; Haren The Netherlands
| | - Stanislav Bureš
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacky University; Olomouc Czech Republic
| | - Malcolm Burgess
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour; School of Life & Environmental Sciences; University of Exeter; Exeter UK
| | - Andrey V. Bushuev
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Faculty of Biology; Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
| | | | - Vladimir Grinkov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology; Faculty of Biology; Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
| | | | - Antero Järvinen
- Kilpisjärvi Biological Station; University of Helsinki; Helsinki Finland
| | | | - Indrikis Krams
- Institute of Systematic Biology; University of Daugavpils; Daugavpils Latvia
| | - Helene M. Lampe
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Juan Moreno
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - Marko Mägi
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; Department of Zoology; University of Tartu; Tartu Estonia
| | - Andreas Nord
- Department of Biology; Section of Evolutionary Ecology; Lund University; Lund Sweden
| | - Jaime Potti
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology; Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC; Sevilla Spain
| | | | - Leonid Sokolov
- Biological Station of the Zoological Institute; Russian Academy of Science; Rybachy Russia
| | - Toni Laaksonen
- Department of Biology; Section of Ecology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
- Finnish Museum of Natural History; Zoology Unit; University of Helsinki; Helsinki Finland
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17
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Information Retention During Competitive Interactions: Siblings Need to Constantly Repeat Vocal Displays. Evol Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-014-9299-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Dreiss AN, Ruppli CA, Roulin A. Individual vocal signatures in barn owl nestlings: does individual recognition have an adaptive role in sibling vocal competition? J Evol Biol 2013; 27:63-75. [PMID: 24266879 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Revised: 09/17/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To compete over limited parental resources, young animals communicate with their parents and siblings by producing honest vocal signals of need. Components of begging calls that are sensitive to food deprivation may honestly signal need, whereas other components may be associated with individual-specific attributes that do not change with time such as identity, sex, absolute age and hierarchy. In a sib-sib communication system where barn owl (Tyto alba) nestlings vocally negotiate priority access to food resources, we show that calls have individual signatures that are used by nestlings to recognize which siblings are motivated to compete, even if most vocalization features vary with hunger level. Nestlings were more identifiable when food-deprived than food-satiated, suggesting that vocal identity is emphasized when the benefit of winning a vocal contest is higher. In broods where siblings interact iteratively, we speculate that individual-specific signature permits siblings to verify that the most vocal individual in the absence of parents is the one that indeed perceived the food brought by parents. Individual recognition may also allow nestlings to associate identity with individual-specific characteristics such as position in the within-brood dominance hierarchy. Calls indeed revealed age hierarchy and to a lower extent sex and absolute age. Using a cross-fostering experimental design, we show that most acoustic features were related to the nest of origin (but not the nest of rearing), suggesting a genetic or an early developmental effect on the ontogeny of vocal signatures. To conclude, our study suggests that sibling competition has promoted the evolution of vocal behaviours that signal not only hunger level but also intrinsic individual characteristics such as identity, family, sex and age.
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Affiliation(s)
- A N Dreiss
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - C A Ruppli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - A Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Scriba MF, Ducrest AL, Henry I, Vyssotski AL, Rattenborg NC, Roulin A. Linking melanism to brain development: expression of a melanism-related gene in barn owl feather follicles covaries with sleep ontogeny. Front Zool 2013; 10:42. [PMID: 23886007 PMCID: PMC3734112 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-10-42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Intra-specific variation in melanocyte pigmentation, common in the animal kingdom, has caught the eye of naturalists and biologists for centuries. In vertebrates, dark, eumelanin pigmentation is often genetically determined and associated with various behavioral and physiological traits, suggesting that the genes involved in melanism have far reaching pleiotropic effects. The mechanisms linking these traits remain poorly understood, and the potential involvement of developmental processes occurring in the brain early in life has not been investigated. We examined the ontogeny of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a state involved in brain development, in a wild population of barn owls (Tyto alba) exhibiting inter-individual variation in melanism and covarying traits. In addition to sleep, we measured melanistic feather spots and the expression of a gene in the feather follicles implicated in melanism (PCSK2). Results As in mammals, REM sleep declined with age across a period of brain development in owlets. In addition, inter-individual variation in REM sleep around this developmental trajectory was predicted by variation in PCSK2 expression in the feather follicles, with individuals expressing higher levels exhibiting a more precocial pattern characterized by less REM sleep. Finally, PCSK2 expression was positively correlated with feather spotting. Conclusions We demonstrate that the pace of brain development, as reflected in age-related changes in REM sleep, covaries with the peripheral activation of the melanocortin system. Given its role in brain development, variation in nestling REM sleep may lead to variation in adult brain organization, and thereby contribute to the behavioral and physiological differences observed between adults expressing different degrees of melanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine F Scriba
- Avian Sleep Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-str.11, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Lyse Ducrest
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle Henry
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Alexei L Vyssotski
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Niels C Rattenborg
- Avian Sleep Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-str.11, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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Dreiss AN, Ruppli CA, Oberli F, Antoniazza S, Henry I, Roulin A. Barn owls do not interrupt their siblings. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Almasi B, Roulin A, Jenni L. Corticosterone shifts reproductive behaviour towards self-maintenance in the barn owl and is linked to melanin-based coloration in females. Horm Behav 2013; 64:161-71. [PMID: 23583559 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2012] [Revised: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Trade-offs between the benefits of current reproduction and the costs to future reproduction and survival are widely recognized. However, such trade-offs might only be detected when resources become limited to the point where investment in one activity jeopardizes investment in others. The resolution of the trade-off between reproduction and self-maintenance is mediated by hormones such as glucocorticoids which direct behaviour and physiology towards self-maintenance under stressful situations. We investigated this trade-off in male and female barn owls in relation to the degree of heritable melanin-based coloration, a trait that reflects the ability to cope with various sources of stress in nestlings. We increased circulating corticosterone in breeding adults by implanting a corticosterone-releasing-pellet, using birds implanted with a placebo-pellet as controls. In males, elevated corticosterone reduced the activity (i.e. reduced home-range size and distance covered within the home-range) independently of coloration, while we could not detect any effect on hunting efficiency. The effect of experimentally elevated corticosterone on female behaviour was correlated with their melanin-based coloration. Corticosterone (cort-) induced an increase in brooding behaviour in small-spotted females, while this hormone had no detectable effect in large-spotted females. Cort-females with small eumelanic spots showed the normal body-mass loss during the early nestling period, while large spotted cort-females did not lose body mass. This indicates that corticosterone induced a shift towards self-maintenance in males independently on their plumage, whereas in females this shift was observed only in large-spotted females.
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Nestling barn owls assess short-term variation in the amount of vocally competing siblings. Anim Cogn 2013; 16:993-1000. [PMID: 23604690 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-013-0634-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Revised: 04/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Assessing the amount of rivals is crucial to optimally adjust investment into a contest. If laboratory animals show numerical abilities, little is known about the ecological implications particularly in young animals. The two to nine barn owl (Tyto alba) siblings vocally compete for priority of access to food resources before parents actually deliver them. In dyads, the individual that vocalizes at the highest rate in the absence of parents deters its siblings from competing for next delivered prey. We tested the novel hypothesis that to optimally adjust vocal investment, barn owl nestlings assess how many of their siblings are currently competing. To singleton owlets, we broadcasted a fixed global number of calls emitted by one, two or four pre-recorded unfamiliar nestlings. We could thus distinguish the independent effect on singletons' vocal behavior of the global number of calls produced by a brood from the number of competitors that produced these calls. Overall, nestlings retreated more from vocal contest when facing more competitors. However, in front of one highly motivated competitor, nestlings refrained from vocalizing to a larger extent than when competing against more but less motivated individuals. Therefore, young animals assess variation in the number of currently competing siblings based on individual-specific vocal cues.
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Castella B, Golay J, Monney JC, Golay P, Mebert K, Dubey S. Melanism, body condition and elevational distribution in the asp viper. J Zool (1987) 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B. Castella
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Bld; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - J. Golay
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Bld; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - J.-C. Monney
- karch (Centre de coordination pour la protection des amphibiens et des reptiles de Suisse); Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - P. Golay
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Bld; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - K. Mebert
- Siebeneichenstrasse 31; Merenschwand Switzerland
| | - S. Dubey
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Bld; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
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Viability is associated with melanin-based coloration in the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). PLoS One 2013; 8:e60426. [PMID: 23573254 PMCID: PMC3616026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigmentation of body surface in animals can have multiple determinants and accomplish diverse functions. Eumelanin and pheomelanin are the main animal pigments, being responsible of yellow, brownish-red and black hues, and have partly common biosynthetic pathways. Many populations of vertebrates show individual variation in melanism, putatively with large heritable component. Genes responsible for eu- or pheomelanogenesis have pleiotropic but contrasting effects on life-history traits, explaining the patterns of covariation observed between melanization and physiology (e.g. immunity and stress response), sexual behavior and other characters in diverse taxa. Yet, very few studies in the wild have investigated if eu- and pheomelanization predict major fitness traits like viability or fecundity. In this correlative study, by contrasting adult barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) matched for age, sex, breeding site, and year and date of sampling, we show that males but not females that survived until the next year had paler, relatively more eu- than pheomelanic pigmentation of ventral body feathers. Better performance of individuals that allocate relatively more to eumelanogenesis was expected based on previous evidence on covariation between eumelanic pigmentation and specific traits related to immunity and susceptibility to stress. However, together with the evidence of no covariation between viability and melanization among females, this finding raises the question of the mechanisms that maintain variation in genes for melanogenesis. We discuss the possibility that eu- and pheomelanization are under contrasting viability and sexual selection, as suggested by larger breeding and sperm competition success of darker males from other barn swallow subspecies.
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Dreiss AN, Ruppli CA, Faller C, Roulin A. Big brother is watching you: eavesdropping to resolve family conflicts. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Roulin A, Da Silva A, Ruppli CA. Dominant nestlings displaying female-like melanin coloration behave altruistically in the barn owl. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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28
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Leskinen PK, Laaksonen T, Ruuskanen S, Primmer CR, Leder EH. The proteomics of feather development in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) with different plumage coloration. Mol Ecol 2012; 21:5762-77. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2012] [Revised: 08/28/2012] [Accepted: 08/31/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Toni Laaksonen
- Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku; 20014; Finland
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku; 20014; Finland
| | - Craig R. Primmer
- Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku; 20014; Finland
| | - Erica H. Leder
- Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku; 20014; Finland
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ALMASI B, ROULIN A, KORNER-NIEVERGELT F, JENNI-EIERMANN S, JENNI L. Coloration signals the ability to cope with elevated stress hormones: effects of corticosterone on growth of barn owls are associated with melanism. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:1189-99. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02508.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Jacquin L, Récapet C, Bouche P, Leboucher G, Gasparini J. Melanin-based coloration reflects alternative strategies to cope with food limitation in pigeons. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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31
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Roulin A, Ducrest AL. Association between melanism, physiology and behaviour: A role for the melanocortin system. Eur J Pharmacol 2011; 660:226-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2011.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2010] [Revised: 12/22/2010] [Accepted: 01/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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32
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ROULIN A, ALMASI B, JENNI L. Temporal variation in glucocorticoid levels during the resting phase is associated in opposite way with maternal and paternal melanic coloration. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:2046-2053. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02086.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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