Interpopulation Variation in Contour Feather Structure Is Environmentally Determined in Great Tits

Broggi, Juli; Gamero, Anna; Hohtola, Esa; Orell, Markku; Nilsson, Jan‐Åke

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024942

Cited by 34 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For example, wintering American goldfinches Carduelis tristis have denser plumage and larger proportion of plumulaceous barbs than migrating ones (Middleton ). Broggi et al () found that great tits in northern Finland had denser feather structures than great tits in southern Sweden, with markedly less variation within the populations. A common garden experiment revealed that the population difference was due to environmental effects as great tits from the southern population developed denser feathers when they were raised in the northern population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the denser contour feather structure in pale grey than in pheomelanic brown tawny owlsStrix alucoan adaptation to cold environments?

Koskenpato

Ahola²,

Karstinen

et al. 2015

Journal of Avian Biology

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In colour polymorphic species morphs are considered to be adaptations to different environments, where they have evolved and are maintained because of their differential sensitivity to the environment. In cold environments the plumage insulation capacity is essential for survival and it has been proposed that plumage colour is associated with feather structure and thereby the insulation capacity of the plumage. We studied the structure of contour feathers in the colour polymorphic tawny owl Strix aluco. A previous study of tawny owls in the same population has found strong selection against the brown morph in cold and snowy winters whereas this selection pressure is absent in mild winters. We predicted that grey morphs have a denser and more insulative plumage, enabling them to survive better in cold climate compared to brown ones. The insulative plumulaceous part of the dorsal contour feathers was larger and the fine structure of the plumulaceous part of the feather was denser in grey tawny owls than in brown ones. In the ventral contour feathers the plumulaceous part of the feather was denser in females than in males and in older birds without any differences between morphs. Our study suggests that insulative microscopical feather structures differ between colour morphs and we propose that feather structure may be a trait associated with morph‐specific survival in cold environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the denser contour feather structure in pale grey than in pheomelanic brown tawny owlsStrix alucoan adaptation to cold environments?

Koskenpato

Ahola²,

Karstinen

et al. 2015

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…no difference between replicates) on any morphological and parasitological measures (P > 0.5); therefore, the data of birds from different aviaries within groups were pooled. As a result of the significant associations among different feather quality measures (Broggi et al, 2011), we tested the independent explanatory value of each traits. Data were examined for normality and homogeneity of variance (Bartlett test) and most were found to satisfy these assumptions, necessary for parametric analysis, except some of the repeated measures of the coccidian infestation, uropygial gland size, and wing size (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic coccidian infestation compromises flight feather quality in house sparrowsPasser domesticus

Pap

Vágási

Bărbos

et al. 2013

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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Parasites usurp indispensable resources for birds during a moult, and this is particularly relevant for those parasites residing in host intestines. This might compromise the nutritionally demanding moult and, thus, feather functionality. Although lower feather quality has profound and multifaceted adverse effects on residual fitness, surprisingly, little is known about parasites' effect on feather traits, especially over the longer term. We conducted an aviary experiment by medicating half of a group of naturally infested house sparrows Passer domesticus against intestinal coccidians for 15 months, spanning two consecutive postnuptial moults, whereas the other half was kept infested (i.e. without medication). Coccidian infestation significantly and negatively affected the size of the uropygial gland during the second moulting period compared to the medicated group. Furthermore, wing length was significantly shorter after the second moulting in the non-medicated compared to the medicated female birds, which indicates that the negative effects of coccidians emerge only after a prolonged exposure to parasite infestation. Non-medicated birds grew poorer quality flight feathers detected in a large number of feather traits both after the first and second moults. In the case of non-medicated birds, the primaries were lighter and shorter, and had a smaller vane area, thinner rachis and decreased stiffness, although a higher barb and barbule density, which may have various consequences for fitness through reducing flight performance. Our findings demonstrate that, besides the well-known immediate consequences for host breeding success, parasites might also have serious, long-lasting effects through influencing feather quality and, ultimately, fitness of the host.

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“…Variations in colouration can be caused by a modification of the structure in which pigments are embedded (feathers, hair, cuticle, scales), melanoblast migration and differentiation as well as melanosome structure (Fitzpatrick, ; Roulin & Ducrest, ; D'Alba et al ., ). For instance, poor body condition can negatively affect feather microstructure (DesRochers et al ., ; Broggi et al ., ) and, as a consequence, modify colouration, even if the amount of pigments is not altered (D'Alba et al ., ). Assuming that melanin production occurs in a fixed amount of time, variations in feather growth rates (Dawson et al ., ) may also determine the surface coloured by melanin pigments (Vagasi, Pap & Barta, ).…”

Section: Proximate Mechanisms Of the Covariation Between Melanin‐basementioning

confidence: 99%

Condition‐dependence, pleiotropy and the handicap principle of sexual selection in melanin‐based colouration

2015

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The signalling function of melanin-based colouration is debated. Sexual selection theory states that ornaments should be costly to produce, maintain, wear or display to signal quality honestly to potential mates or competitors. An increasing number of studies supports the hypothesis that the degree of melanism covaries with aspects of body condition (e.g. body mass or immunity), which has contributed to change the initial perception that melanin-based colour ornaments entail no costs. Indeed, the expression of many (but not all) melanin-based colour traits is weakly sensitive to the environment but strongly heritable suggesting that these colour traits are relatively cheap to produce and maintain, thus raising the question of how such colour traits could signal quality honestly. Here I review the production, maintenance and wearing/displaying costs that can generate a correlation between melanin-based colouration and body condition, and consider other evolutionary mechanisms that can also lead to covariation between colour and body condition. Because genes controlling melanic traits can affect numerous phenotypic traits, pleiotropy could also explain a linkage between body condition and colouration. Pleiotropy may result in differently coloured individuals signalling different aspects of quality that are maintained by frequency-dependent selection or local adaptation. Colouration may therefore not signal absolute quality to potential mates or competitors (e.g. dark males may not achieve a higher fitness than pale males); otherwise genetic variation would be rapidly depleted by directional selection. As a consequence, selection on heritable melanin-based colouration may not always be directional, but mate choice may be conditional to environmental conditions (i.e. context-dependent sexual selection). Despite the interest of evolutionary biologists in the adaptive value of melanin-based colouration, its actual role in sexual selection is still poorly understood.

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Interpopulation Variation in Contour Feather Structure Is Environmentally Determined in Great Tits

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Is the denser contour feather structure in pale grey than in pheomelanic brown tawny owlsStrix alucoan adaptation to cold environments?

Is the denser contour feather structure in pale grey than in pheomelanic brown tawny owlsStrix alucoan adaptation to cold environments?

Chronic coccidian infestation compromises flight feather quality in house sparrowsPasser domesticus

Condition‐dependence, pleiotropy and the handicap principle of sexual selection in melanin‐based colouration

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