Importance of Facial Pattern to Sexual Selection in Golden-Winged Warbler (Vermivora Chrysoptera)

Leichty, Ellen R.; Grier, James W.

doi:10.1093/auk/123.4.962

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To be effective, signals must be detected by the receiver and distinguished from the other sensory inputs. Biophysical limits on transmission and background noise are likely to affect exaggerated ornaments less than reduced ornaments, whereas comparison between larger ornaments will be easier, particularly from distance (Endler ; Leichty and Grier ; Fawcett et al ). This means that in general, efficacy is likely to increase as ornaments become larger.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signaling Efficacy Drives the Evolution of Larger Sexual Ornaments by Sexual Selection

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Why are there so few small secondary sexual characters? Theoretical models predict that sexual selection should lead to reduction as often as exaggeration, and yet we mainly associate secondary sexual ornaments with exaggerated features such as the peacock's tail. We review the literature on mate choice experiments for evidence of reduced sexual traits. This shows that reduced ornamentation is effectively impossible in certain types of ornamental traits (behavioral, pheromonal, or color-based traits, and morphological ornaments for which the natural selection optimum is no trait), but that there are many examples of morphological traits that would permit reduction. Yet small sexual traits are very rarely seen. We analyze a simple mathematical model of Fisher's runaway process (the null model for sexual selection). Our analysis shows that the imbalance cannot be wholly explained by larger ornaments being less costly than smaller ornaments, nor by preferences for larger ornaments being less costly than preferences for smaller ornaments. Instead, we suggest that asymmetry in signaling efficacy limits runaway to trait exaggeration.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signaling Efficacy Drives the Evolution of Larger Sexual Ornaments by Sexual Selection

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In mammals, studies using phylogenetic techniques similar to ours indicate that dark facial colours may be used in conspecific communication (Stoner et al ., 2003b; Caro & Stankowich, 2010). In birds, dark eye masks, especially their size, are influenced by sexual selection (Tarof et al ., 2005; Leichty & Grier, 2006; Pederson et al ., 2006; Pogány & Székely, 2007; Kingma et al ., 2008). If facial stripes are a sexually selected signal, their loss in arboreal and saxicolous species suggests that signalling is not informative in those habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dark facial markings are found in many vertebrates and several studies suggest that they serve a signalling function, whether to potential predators as an aposematic warning, as suggested for some mammals (Newman, Buesching & Wolff, 2005), or to conspecifics in social interactions (Ortolani, 1999; Stoner, Caro & Graham, 2003b; Caro & Stankowich, 2010). In birds, dark eye masks are influenced by male–male competition, by female mate choice, or by both of these drivers (Tarof, Dunn & Whittingham, 2005; Leichty & Grier, 2006; Pederson, Dunn & Whittingham, 2006; Pogány & Székely, 2007; Kingma et al ., 2008). Because these dark markings are often located near or around the eyes, an alternative explanation is that they function in ecophysiological contexts, such as camouflaging the eye for protection, reducing glare in bright light, or for targeting prey items (see the review by Ficken, Matthiae & Horwich, 1971; Ortolani, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary losses of facial stripes in New World pitvipers

Kwiatkowski

Burt

2011

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Associations between the evolutionary loss or gain of colours and habitat can be informative about how environment drives colour evolution, and provide insight into their functions. Despite a wealth of studies on colours, the function of many colour patches are not well understood. This is especially the case for dark facial markings. Dark facial stripes are common in snakes, including many pitvipers, which possess facial stripes that extend from the eye towards the corner of the mouth. We investigated whether the evolutionary loss or gain of facial stripes in New World pitvipers is associated with activity period and habitat, hoping to shed light on their function. First, we examined whether evolutionary loss or gain of facial stripes is associated with nocturnal or diurnal activity. It has been suggested that facial stripes may protect the venom from ultraviolet radiation, which would be higher in diurnal species. Similarly, snakes in open habitats may experience higher ultraviolet radiation than those in closed habitats. Alternatively, we examined whether evolutionary loss or gain of facial stripes is associated with terrestrial or non-terrestrial habitat use. Studies on similar facial markings in other vertebrates indicated that they have a signalling function. If facial stripes in pitvipers have a signalling function, arboreal or saxicolous habitat use may limit signal effectiveness. Hence, we hypothesized that there may be an association between facial stripe evolution and habitat use. Using combined phylogenies that included almost every New World pitviper species, we tested correlations between facial stripes and ultraviolet exposure (activity period and habitat openness) and habitat use (terrestrial or non-terrestrial) using concentrated-changes tests and Pagel's correlation tests. Our data did not support the hypothesis that ultraviolet exposure influenced facial stripe evolution. Instead, the evolutionary loss of facial stripes was associated with non-terrestrial habitat use, such as arboreal and saxicolous habitats. In these habitats, we suggest the effectiveness of facial stripes as a signal would be limited, leading to their evolutionary loss.

show abstract

“…As a result, many examples of hybrid zones appear to be relatively stable (Barton and Hewitt 1985); however, more and more examples of asymmetric introgression are being discovered (Buggs 2007). Evidence for asymmetry can take a number of forms, including direct observation of pairing-related behaviors of hybridizing forms (Bronson et al 2003; Leichty and Grier 2006; Charpentier et al 2012), population genetic estimates of migration rates (Geraldes et al 2008; Mullen et al 2008; Nevado et al 2011; Charpentier et al 2012), patterns of correlation (or lack thereof) among genetic and phenotypic markers (Parsons et al 1993; Rohwer et al 2001; Roca et al 2005; Wang et al 2011; Hailer et al 2012), and long-term observation of hybrid zone movement (Dasmahapatra et al 2002; Carling and Zuckerberg 2011). Another, less commonly-reported pattern that suggests asymmetric hybridization is the disjunct distribution of a phenotype within the range of a phenotypically distinct form or forms with which it is hybridizing (Weisrock et al 2005; Culumber et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Range dynamics, rather than convergent selection, explain the mosaic distribution of red‐winged blackbird phenotypes

Dufort

Barker

2013

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Geographic distributions of genetic and phenotypic characters can illuminate historical evolutionary processes. In particular, mosaic distributions of phenotypically similar populations can arise from parallel evolution or from irregular patterns of dispersal and colonization by divergent forms. Two phenotypically divergent forms of the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) show a mosaic phenotypic distribution, with a “bicolored” form occurring disjunctly in California and Mexico. We analyzed the relationships among these bicolored populations and neighboring typical populations, using ∼600 bp of mitochondrial DNA sequence data and 10 nuclear short tandem repeat loci. We find that bicolored populations, although separated by ∼3000 km, are genetically more similar to one other than they are to typical populations separated by ∼400 km. We also find evidence of ongoing gene flow among populations, including some evidence of asymmetric gene flow. We conclude that the current distribution of bicolored forms represents incomplete speciation, where recent asymmetric hybridization with typical A. phoeniceus is dividing the range of a formerly widespread bicolored form. This hypothesis predicts that bicolored forms may suffer extinction by hybridization. Future work will use fine-scaled geographical sampling and nuclear sequence data to test for hybrid origins of currently typical populations and to more precisely quantify the directionality of gene flow.

show abstract

Importance of Facial Pattern to Sexual Selection in Golden-Winged Warbler (Vermivora Chrysoptera)

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Signaling Efficacy Drives the Evolution of Larger Sexual Ornaments by Sexual Selection

Signaling Efficacy Drives the Evolution of Larger Sexual Ornaments by Sexual Selection

Evolutionary losses of facial stripes in New World pitvipers

Range dynamics, rather than convergent selection, explain the mosaic distribution of red‐winged blackbird phenotypes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About