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Chan IZW, Stevens M, Todd PA. pat‐geom
: A software package for the analysis of animal patterns. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ian Z. W. Chan
- Experimental Marine Ecology LaboratoryDepartment of Biological SciencesNational University of Singapore Singapore
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Peter A. Todd
- Experimental Marine Ecology LaboratoryDepartment of Biological SciencesNational University of Singapore Singapore
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González-García JM, Lara C, Quesada J, Chávez-Zichinelli CA, Serrano-Meneses MA. Superciliums in white-eared hummingbirds as badges of status signaling dominance. Naturwissenschaften 2018; 105:31. [PMID: 29616351 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1553-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The role of badges as indicators of contest ability has been previously described. In hummingbirds, the exhibition of a badge is expected to save energy expenditure in agonistic interactions and to favor energy intake. Here, we investigate whether variable supercilium size in the white-eared hummingbird has a role in dominance status signaling. Firstly, 45 hummingbird males were captured and their superciliums were photographed to investigate variation in size and any possible allometric relationships. Secondly, 42 male birds were used to analyze whether the supercilium has a role in dominance status signaling in a dyadic contest. We found that supercilium size varied continuously but that despite variability between individuals, there was no relationship between supercilium size and body size. However, our dyad experiment indicated that birds with larger badges were able to make more visits to the feeders than individuals with smaller badges. We suggest a status signaling function of the supercilium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Manuel González-García
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Carretera Tlaxcala Km 1.5, 90070, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Carlos Lara
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Km 10.5 Autopista Tlaxcala-San Martín Texmelucan, San Felipe Ixtacuixtla, 90120, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - Javier Quesada
- Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Chordates Laboratory, Passeig Picasso s/n, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
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Møller AP. Experimental manipulation of size and shape of tail spots and sexual selection in barn swallows. Curr Zool 2018; 63:569-572. [PMID: 29492016 PMCID: PMC5804199 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zow098] [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: 05/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Barn swallows Hirundo rustica have white spots on their tail feathers, and they have been hypothesized to be a handicap because white spots are prone to feather breakage, ectoparasites are disproportionately common in white spots, and size of white spots increases with tail length. Here I test for attractiveness of narrow and long tail spots by manipulation of their shape while using complete painting of spots and an absence of treatment as a control. Female barn swallows are known to differentially invest in reproduction when mated to attractive males. Spot manipulation took place during laying of the first clutch, and there were no effects of treatment on clutch size or brood size of first or second broods. In contrast, the incidence of second clutches and the total number of eggs and fledglings produced during the breeding season was larger in males with painting of the side of tail spots rather than painting of the tip of spots, painting of entire spots, or no treatment. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that it is the shape rather than the size of tail spots that affects differential reproductive effort by female barn swallows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders P Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay F-91400, France
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Pérez-Rodríguez L, Jovani R, Stevens M. Shape matters: animal colour patterns as signals of individual quality. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2446. [PMID: 28228513 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Colour patterns (e.g. irregular, spotted or barred forms) are widespread in the animal kingdom, yet their potential role as signals of quality has been mostly neglected. However, a review of the published literature reveals that pattern itself (irrespective of its size or colour intensity) is a promising signal of individual quality across species of many different taxa. We propose at least four main pathways whereby patterns may reliably reflect individual quality: (i) as conventional signals of status, (ii) as indices of developmental homeostasis, (iii) by amplifying cues of somatic integrity and (iv) by amplifying individual investment in maintenance activities. Methodological constraints have traditionally hampered research on the signalling potential of colour patterns. To overcome this, we report a series of tools (e.g. colour adjacency and pattern regularity analyses, Fourier and granularity approaches, fractal geometry, geometric morphometrics) that allow objective quantification of pattern variability. We discuss how information provided by these methods should consider the visual system of the model species and behavioural responses to pattern metrics, in order to allow biologically meaningful conclusions. Finally, we propose future challenges in this research area that will require a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together inputs from genetics, physiology, behavioural ecology and evolutionary-developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Pérez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Roger Jovani
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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Nieminen E, Kervinen M, Lebigre C, Soulsbury C. Flexible timing of reproductive effort as an alternative mating tactic in black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) males. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Alternative reproductive tactics often take the form of dichotomous behavioural phenotypes. Focusing attention on such obvious dichotomy means that flexible patterns of behaviour within tactics is largely ignored. Using a long-term dataset of black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) lek behaviours, we tested whether there were fine-scale differences in reproductive effort (lek attendance, fighting rates) and whether these were related to age and phenotype. Yearling males increased their lek attendance and fighting rate to a peak when adult male effort was declining. Adults and yearlings allocated reproductive effort according to their body mass but this was unrelated to differences in timing of effort. In adult males, different patterns of lek attendance were associated with different costs of reproduction, measured by mass loss or gain. Overall, our work demonstrates that individuals can use flexible patterns of reproductive effort both in terms of their own condition, their age and the likely costs of behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Nieminen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - M. Kervinen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - C. Lebigre
- Earth and Life Institute, Place de la Croix du Sud 4, Carnoy Building, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - C.D. Soulsbury
- School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
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Wang X, O'Connor JK, Zheng X, Wang M, Hu H, Zhou Z. Insights into the evolution of rachis dominated tail feathers from a new basal enantiornithine (Aves: Ornithothoraces). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology; Linyi University; Linyi Shandong 276000 China
- Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong; Pingyi Shandong 273300 China
| | - Jingmai K. O'Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology; Linyi University; Linyi Shandong 276000 China
- Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong; Pingyi Shandong 273300 China
| | - Min Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - Han Hu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - Zhonghe Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
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de Souza AR, Alberto Mourão Júnior C, Santos do Nascimento F, Lino-Neto J. Sexy faces in a male paper wasp. PLoS One 2014; 9:e98172. [PMID: 24849073 PMCID: PMC4029984 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually selected signals are common in many animals, though little reported in social insects. We investigated the occurrence of male visual signals mediating the dominance relationships among males and female choice of sexual partner in the paper wasp Polistes simillimus. Males have three conspicuous, variable and sexually dimorphic traits: black pigmentation on the head, a pair of yellow abdominal spots and body size differences. By conducting behavioral assays, we found that none of the three visual traits are associated with male-male dominance relationship. However, males with higher proportion of black facial pigmentation and bigger yellow abdominal spots are more likely chosen as sexual partners. Also, after experimentally manipulating the proportion of black pigment on males' face, we found that females may evaluate male facial coloration during the choice of a sexual partner. Thus, the black pigmentation on P. simillimus male's head appears to play a role as a sexually selected visual signal. We suggest that sexual selection is a common force in Polistes and we highlight the importance of this group as a model for the study of visual communication in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fabio Santos do Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - José Lino-Neto
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil
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Mikalsen SKR, Folstad I, Yoccoz NG, Laeng B. The spectacular human nose: an amplifier of individual quality? PeerJ 2014; 2:e357. [PMID: 24765588 PMCID: PMC3994647 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Amplifiers are signals that improve the perception of underlying differences in quality. They are cost free and advantageous to high quality individuals, but disadvantageous to low quality individuals, as poor quality is easier perceived because of the amplifier. For an amplifier to evolve, the average fitness benefit to the high quality individuals should be higher than the average cost for the low quality individuals. The human nose is, compared to the nose of most other primates, extraordinary large, fragile and easily broken—especially in male–male interactions. May it have evolved as an amplifier among high quality individuals, allowing easy assessment of individual quality and influencing the perception of attractiveness? We tested the latter by manipulating the position of the nose tip or, as a control, the mouth in facial pictures and had the pictures rated for attractiveness. Our results show that facial attractiveness failed to be influenced by mouth manipulations. Yet, facial attractiveness increased when the nose tip was artificially centered according to other facial features. Conversely, attractiveness decreased when the nose tip was displaced away from its central position. Our results suggest that our evaluation of attractiveness is clearly sensitive to the centering of the nose tip, possibly because it affects our perception of the face’s symmetry and/or averageness. However, whether such centering is related to individual quality remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivar Folstad
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø , Norway
| | | | - Bruno Laeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø , Norway
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Izzo AS, Tibbetts EA. Spotting the top male: sexually selected signals in male Polistes dominulus wasps. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Male achromatic wing colouration is related to body condition and female reproductive investment in a dichromatic species, the upland goose. J ETHOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-010-0247-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Griggio M, Valera F, Casas-Crivillé A, Hoi H, Barbosa A. White tail markings are an indicator of quality and affect mate preference in rock sparrows. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-1067-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Kekäläinen J, Valkama H, Huuskonen H, Taskinen J. RESEARCH PAPER: Multiple Sexual Ornamentation Signals Male Quality and Predicts Female Preference in Minnows. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01802.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Hanssen SA, Bustnes JO, Tveraa T, Hasselquist D, Varpe Ø, Henden JA. Individual quality and reproductive effort mirrored in white wing plumage in both sexes of south polar skuas. Behav Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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DesRochers DW, Reed JM, Awerman J, Kluge JA, Wilkinson J, van Griethuijsen LI, Aman J, Romero LM. Exogenous and endogenous corticosterone alter feather quality. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2009; 152:46-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2008] [Revised: 08/21/2008] [Accepted: 08/21/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Hanssen SA, Hasselquist D, Folstad I, Erikstad KE. A label of health: a previous immune challenge is reflected in the expression of a female plumage trait. Biol Lett 2008; 4:379-81. [PMID: 18477546 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of ornaments as indicators of individual quality have hitherto focused on males, while studies of female ornaments have been almost absent. However, females within the same species may show large variation in both outer appearance and individual quality. We experimentally examined the effect of an immune challenge on the size of white fringes in the wing feathers produced one to two months after the challenge in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima), a long-lived sea duck. Immune-challenged females produced feathers with smaller white fringes, showing that a previous immune challenge may affect the expression of a plumage trait. We also report an unexpected difference in the expression of this white plumage trait within the immune-challenged group, related to the specific immune response against one of the injected antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sveinn A Hanssen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Polar Environmental Centre, Tromsø, Norway.
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Fitzpatrick. Tail length in birds in relation to tail shape, general flight ecology and sexual selection. J Evol Biol 2008. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1999.00009.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fitzpatrick
- School of Applied Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim BT37 0QB, Northern Ireland
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BADYAEV ALEXANDERV, HILL GEOFFREYE. Evolution of sexual dichromatism: contribution of carotenoid- versus melanin-based coloration. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2000.tb01196.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Randler C. Observational and Experimental Evidence for the Function of Tail Flicking in Eurasian Moorhen Gallinula chloropus. Ethology 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01369.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Diet quality affects an attractive white plumage pattern in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0370-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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22
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Gomez D, Théry M. Simultaneous Crypsis and Conspicuousness in Color Patterns: Comparative Analysis of a Neotropical Rainforest Bird Community. Am Nat 2007. [DOI: 10.1086/510138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Karino K, Orita K, Sato A. Long Tails Affect Swimming Performance and Habitat Choice in the Male Guppy. Zoolog Sci 2006; 23:255-60. [PMID: 16603819 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.23.255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection often favors male secondary sexual traits, although in some cases the elaborate traits incur costs to the males with respect to natural selection. Males of the guppy Poecilia reticulata have longer tails (caudal fins) than females, and the long tails contribute to the mating success of the males through female mate choice. We examined the effect of tail length on the swimming performance of male and female guppies. In a laboratory experiment, males with longer tails exhibited poorer swimming performance than those with shorter tails. However, this effect was not apparent in females. In addition, in a feral population, tail length of males was negatively correlated with water flow velocity in their microhabitats. Although body size of females was negatively correlated with water flow velocity in their microhabitats, tail length of females showed no significant correlation with degree of water flow. These results suggest that the long tail of male guppies incurs costs, such as a decrease in swimming performance, to the males with respect to natural selection and consequently limits their choice of habitats to those with slow water flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Karino
- Department of Biology, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan.
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PRYKE SARAHR, ANDERSSON STAFFAN. Experimental evidence for female choice and energetic costs of male tail elongation in red-collared widowbirds. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2005.00522.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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26
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Multiple sexual advertisements honestly reflect health status in peacocks (Pavo cristatus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-005-0958-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Groombridge JJ, Jones CG, Nichols RA, Carlton M, Bruford MW. Molecular phylogeny and morphological change in the Psittacula parakeets. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2004; 31:96-108. [PMID: 15019611 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2003.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2003] [Revised: 06/26/2003] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We reconstruct a phylogeny of the African and Asian Psittacula parakeets using approximately 800bp of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence to examine their evolutionary relationships in reference to their head plumage and major morphological tail innovations. Our phylogeny identifies three groups, whose distinctiveness is also apparent from their possession of three different head plumage characters: a neck ring, a distinctive colouration of the head, and a 'moustache'-shaped pattern that extends from the chin to the cheek. We examine the extent of sexual dimorphism in tail length across the phylogeny and reveal large differences between closely related forms. We apply a range of published avian cytochrome b substitution rates to our data, as an alternative to internal calibration of a molecular clock arising from incomplete paleontological information. An ancestral Psittacula form appears to have evolved during the late Miocene-early Pliocene (3.4-9.7MYA), a time when regional geological processes on the Asian continent may have promoted subsequent diversity at the species level, and many forms diverged relatively early on in the evolutionary history of Psittacula (between 2.5 and 7.7MYA). However, others, such as the derbyan and moustached parakeets, diverged as recently as 0.2MYA. Our phylogeny also suggests that the echo parakeet from Mauritius diverged from the Indian ringneck parakeet as opposed to the African ringneck, and may have done so relatively recently. The molecular results indicate support for a southwards radiation from India across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, where the arrival-date of the echo parakeet appears consistent with the island's volcanic formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim J Groombridge
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
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Grether GF, Kolluru GR, Nersissian K. Individual colour patches as multicomponent signals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2004; 79:583-610. [PMID: 15366764 DOI: 10.1017/s1464793103006390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Colour patches are complex traits, the components of which may evolve independently through a variety of mechanisms. Although usually treated as simple, two-dimensional characters and classified as either structural or pigmentary, in reality colour patches are complicated, three-dimensional structures that often contain multiple pigment types and structural features. The basic dermal chromatophore unit of fishes, reptiles and amphibians consists of three contiguous cell layers. Xanthophores and erythrophores in the outermost layer contain carotenoid and pteridine pigments that absorb short-wave light; iridophores in the middle layer contain crystalline platelets that reflect light back through the xanthophores; and melanophores in the basal layer contain melanins that absorb light across the spectrum. Changes in any one component of a chromatophore unit can drastically alter the reflectance spectrum produced, and for any given adaptive outcome (e.g. an increase in visibility), there may be multiple biochemical or cellular routes that evolution could take, allowing for divergent responses by different populations or species to similar selection regimes. All of the mechanisms of signal evolution that previously have been applied to single ornaments (including whole colour patches) could potentially be applied to the individual components of colour patches. To reach a complete understanding of colour patch evolution, however, it may be necessary to take an explicitly multi-trait approach. Here, we review multiple trait evolution theory and the basic mechanisms of colour production in fishes, reptiles and amphibians, and use a combination of computer simulations and empirical examples to show how multiple trait evolution theory can be applied to the components of single colour patches. This integrative perspective on animal colouration opens up a host of new questions and hypotheses. We offer specific, testable functional hypotheses for the most common pigmentary (carotenoid, pteridine and melanin) and structural components of vertebrate colour patches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Grether
- Department of Organismic Biology, Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA.
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Abstract
An increasing number of studies find females to base their mate choice on several cues. Why this occurs is debated and many different hypotheses have been proposed. Here I review the hypotheses and the evidence in favour of them. At the same time I provide a new categorisation based on the adaptiveness of the preferences and the information content of the cues. A few comparative and empirical studies suggest that most multiple cues are Fisherian attractiveness cues or uninformative cues that occur alongside a viability indicator and facilitate detection, improve signal reception, or are remnants from past selection pressures. However, much evidence exists tor multiple cues providing additional information and serving as multiple messages that either indicate general mate quality or enable females that differ in mate preferences to choose the most suitable male. Less evidence exists for multiple cues serving as back-up signals. The importance of receiver psychology, multiple sensory environments and signal interaction in the evolution of multiple cues and preferences has received surprisingly little attention but may be of crucial importance. Similarly, sexual conflict has been proposed to result in maladaptive preferences for manipulative cues, and in neutral preferences for threshold cues, but no reliable evidence exists so far. An important factor in the evolution of multiple preferences is the cost of using additional cues. Most theoretical work assumes that the cost of choice increases with the number of cues used, which restricts the conditions under which preferences for multiple cues are expected to evolve. I suggest that in contrast to this expectation, the use of multiple cues can reduce mate choice costs by decreasing the number of mates inspected more closely or the time and energy spent inspecting a set of mates. This may be one explanation for why multiple cues are more common than usually expected. Finally I discuss the consequences that the use of multiple cues may have for the process of sexual selection, the maintenance of genetic variation, and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrika Candolin
- Department of Ecology and Systematics, P.O. Box 65, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FIN-00014, Finland.
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Abstract
SUMMARYMelanin has been associated with increased resistance to abrasion,decreased wear and lowered barb breakage in feathers. But, this association was inferred without considering barb position along the rachis as a potentially confounding variable. We examined the cross-sectional area,breaking force, breaking stress, breaking strain and toughness of melanized and unmelanized barbs along the entire rachis of a primary feather from an osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Although breaking force was higher for melanized barbs, breaking stress (force divided by cross-sectional area) was greater for unmelanized barbs. But when position was considered, all mechanical differences between melanized and unmelanized barbs disappeared. Barb breaking stress, breaking strain and toughness decreased, and breaking stiffness increased, distally along the rachis. These proximal-distal material property changes are small and seem unlikely to affect flight performance of barbs. Our observations of barb bending, breaking and morphology, however,lead us to propose a design principle for barbs. We propose that, by being thicker-walled dorso-ventrally, the barb's flexural stiffness is increased during flight; but, by allowing for twisting when loaded with dangerously high forces, barbs firstly avoid failure by bending and secondly avoid complete failure by buckling rather than rupturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Butler
- Biology Department, 6500 College Station, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011, USA
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Badyaev AV, Hill GE. Avian Sexual Dichromatism in Relation to Phylogeny and Ecology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2003. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.011802.132441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V. Badyaev
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721;
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849;
| | - Geoffrey E. Hill
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721;
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849;
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33
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Ferns PN, Lang A. The Value of Immaculate Mates: Relationships between Plumage Quality and Breeding Success in Shelducks. Ethology 2003. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2003.00894.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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34
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PÉREZ-TRIS JAVIER, CARBONELL ROBERTO, TELLERÍA JOSÉLUIS. Parasites and the blackcap's tail: implications for the evolution of feather ornaments. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2002. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00083.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Breuker CJ, Brakefield PM. Female choice depends on size but not symmetry of dorsal eyespots in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Proc Biol Sci 2002; 269:1233-9. [PMID: 12065039 PMCID: PMC1691026 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2002.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The eyespots on the ventral wings of Bicyclus anynana butterflies are exposed when at rest and interact with predators. Those on the dorsal surface are not exposed in this way, and may be involved in courtship and mate choice. In this study, we examined whether the size and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of dorsal eyespots are reliable signals of male quality. High developmental stability is considered to result in low FA, and to be associated with high quality. Individuals of high quality are predicted to produce sexually selected traits that are large and symmetrical, at a relatively low cost. In this study, we manipulated eyespot development to uncouple eyespot size and FA in order to examine their independent roles in signalling to the female. Individual females in cages were given the choice between two or three males differing in eyespot traits. The results indicate that although size per se of the eyespots is used as a signal, FA and wing size are not. We discuss the use of FA in studies of sexual selection and aspects of sexual selection on dorsal eyespot size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper J Breuker
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Evolutionary and Ecological Sciences, Leiden University, PO Box 9516, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Multiple elements of the black-billed magpie's tail correlate with variable honest information on quality in different age/sex classes. Anim Behav 2002. [DOI: 10.1006/anbe.2001.1909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Saether SA, Fiske P, Kålås JA, Gjul JM. Females of the lekking great snipe do not prefer males with whiter tails. Anim Behav 2000; 59:273-280. [PMID: 10675249 DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A previous experimental study of great snipe, Gallinago media, has reported an effect on male mating success of the amount of white in their tails. That result is one of a very limited set of existing experimental results supporting a female mate preference for a morphological trait in animals. However, a later observational study did not find any correlation between amount of white and male mating success. If females sample a limited number of males, their preferences need not result in strong relationships between mating success and trait values in males, possibly explaining the failure to find the predicted correlation. Yet, females of lekking species are thought to have ample opportunities for mate sampling. To resolve these contrasting results, we present in this paper (1) a larger correlational study (several leks during 10 years) showing no relationship between male mating success and whiteness of tails (measured in several ways), and most importantly (2) evidence that individual females do not mate predominantly with males with very white tails among those males that each female samples. These results show that females do not prefer males with whiter tails as mates, within the contemporary natural variation in the trait. They also show that there is no sexual selection of the trait at present. This does not necessarily imply that white tails are not a sexually selected adaptation in males, but the mechanisms are likely to have been different from direct mate choice of whiter tails per se. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- SA Saether
- Department of Zoology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
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Kose M, Mänd R, Møller AP. Sexual selection for white tail spots in the barn swallow in relation to habitat choice by feather lice. Anim Behav 1999; 58:1201-1205. [PMID: 10600140 DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Many bird species have white spots in their tails or wing feathers, and such characters have been hypothesized to be either reliable signals (handicaps) or amplifiers that facilitate the message of a signal. In barn swallows, Hirundo rustica, the size of the white spots in the tail feathers is sexually dimorphic and positively correlated with feather length. We tested whether such spots act as handicaps or amplifiers. These white spots affect sexual selection in barn swallows, as shown by an experiment in which we randomly subjected males to (1) a considerable reduction of the size of all the spots by the use of a black permanent marker pen, (2) a small reduction of the size of the spots, or (3) no reduction. There was a positive association between spot size and the number of offspring produced per season. The white tail spots were preferred by feather-eating Mallophaga as a feeding site: holes made by Mallophaga were more abundant in the white spots than expected by chance. A habitat choice experiment with Mallophaga on barn swallow tail feathers revealed that they preferred white spots over black parts of the tail feathers. We therefore expected long-tailed male barn swallows to have more Mallophaga than short-tailed males. However, the opposite relationship was observed, indicating that long-tailed males may reliably signal their quality by the presence of large white tail spots without parasite damage. Thus white tail spots in barn swallows appear to be a reliable signal of phenotypic quality. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kose
- Estonian Institute of Zoology and Botany
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