Environmental and Parental Influences on Offspring Health and Growth in Great Tits (Parus major)

Abstract

Sexual selection requires both that there is heritable variation in traits related to fitness, and that either some of this variation is linked to traits of the parents, and/or that there are direct benefits of choosing particular individuals as mates. This suggests that if direct benefits are important offspring performance should be predicted by traits of the rearing adults. But if indirect benefits are more significant offspring performance should be predicted by traits of the adults at the nest-of-origin. We conducted cross-fostering experiments in great tits (Parus major) over four years, in two of which we manipulated environmental conditions by providing supplemental food. In a third year, some nestlings were directly supplemented with carotenoids. Nestlings in broods whose rearing adults received supplemental food were heavier and had improved immune responses even when controlling for body mass. Nestling immune function was related to measures of the yellow plumage color of both the rearing male and the putative father. Nestling body mass was influenced by the coloration of both the rearing female and the genetic mother. Our results suggest that features of both their social and putative genetic parents influence nestling health and growth. From this it would appear that females could be gaining both direct and indirect benefits through mate choice of male plumage traits and that it would be possible for males to similarly gain through mate choice of female traits.

Relationships among plumage coloration, blood selenium concentrations, and immune responses of adult and nestling tree swallows

“…Because of these different sources of selection, similar ornaments expressed in both sexes could relate to different aspects of quality, though only a few recent studies have found such differences (Kelly et al, 2012;Pickett et al, 2013). Here, we demonstrate that plumage coloration in female and social male tree swallows is similarly related to nestling immunity, while different aspects of coloration are related to bactericidal capacity in adults.…”

“…Female ornamentation is more likely maintained by social selection, competition among conspecific females for resources other than mates (LeBas, 2006;Tobias et al, 2012). Because different selective pressures maintain ornamentation in each sex, it is possible that similar ornaments are related to different aspects of individual and/or offspring quality in each sex (Massaro et al, 2003;Kekäläinen et al, 2010;Kelly et al, 2012;Pickett et al, 2013).…”

“…Transgenerational epigenetic effects can also enhance offspring immunity (Grindstaff et al, 2003;Hasselquist and Nilsson, 2009;Clairardin et al, 2011) and could be associated with parental coloration. Alternatively, more colorful adults may provide greater or higher quality resources to their young (Linville et al, 1998;Siefferman and Hill, 2003;Garcia-Navas et al, 2012), which could enhance offspring immunity because mounting an immune response can be energetically costly and influenced by condition (Norris and Evans, 2000;Lifjeld et al, 2002;Palacios et al, 2012;Pickett et al, 2013).…”

Tail colour signals performance in blue tit nestlings

“…In the blue‐footed booby ( Sula nebouxii ), Velando, Torres, and Espinosa () found no correlation between nestling PHA and father's foot colouration, whereas in great tits, Pickett et al. () found a positive correlation between nestlings’ PHA and genetic father's but not mother's yellow plumage brightness. In the same species, Remeš and Matysioková () found that females with more immaculate white cheeks produce offspring with a higher PHA.…”

“…In great tits (Parus major) for example, such experiments have provided support for direct and indirect benefits of carotenoid and melanin-based colouration in males and females. Indeed, great tits with a larger black breast stripe were found to produce more viable or heavier young (Norris, 1993;Remeš & Matysioková, 2013), whereas yellower males and females with a blacker breast stripe were found to raise heavier nestlings (Pickett, Weber, Mcgraw, Norris, & Evans, 2013).…”