Ornamental Throat Feathers Predict Telomere Dynamic and Hatching Success in Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) Males

Azcárate‐García, Manuel; Ruiz‐Rodríguez, Magdalena; Díaz‐Lora, Silvia; Ruiz‐Castellano, Cristina; Martín‐Vivaldi, Manuel; Figuerola, Jordi; Puente, Josué Martínez de la; Tomás, Gustavo; Pérez‐Contreras, Tomás; Soler, Juan José

doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00520

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(106 reference statements)

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“…In birds, Taff and Freeman‐Gallant (2017) reported that males of common yellowthroats ( Geothlypis trichas ) with brighter UV‐yellow bib coloration had longer telomeres and less telomere attrition. On the other hand, spotless starling ( Sturnus unicolor ) males with longer ornamental throat feathers had shorter telomeres and a lower rate of telomere shortening than males with shorter throat feathers, while females with longer throat feathers had longer TL (Azcárate‐García et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere length is highly repeatable and shorter in individuals with more elaborate sexual ornamentation in a short‐lived passerine

et al. 2022

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Quantifying an individual's state as a fitness proxy has proven challenging, but accumulating evidence suggests that telomere length and attrition may indicate individual somatic state and success at self‐maintenance, respectively. Sexual ornamentation is also thought to signal phenotypic quality, but links between telomeres and sexual ornamentation have been little explored. To address this issue, we examined whether telomere length and dynamics are predicted by the expression of a sexually selected ornament, the length of the outermost tail feathers (streamers), using longitudinal data from a population of European barn swallows (Hirundo rustica). In 139 adult individuals, each measured twice, we further assessed associations of telomere length with age, sex, breeding status and survival. Telomere length showed high individual repeatability (R = .97) across years while shortening with age in both sexes. Telomere length and dynamics were not significantly associated with survival to the next year, remaining lifespan or reproduction status (comparing breeding and nonbreeding yearlings). Tail streamer length, a sexually selected trait in barn swallows, was negatively associated with telomere length, independent of sex. Thus, telomere length may reflect the costs of carrying an elaborated sexual ornament, although ornament size did not significantly predict telomere shortening. In conclusion, telomere length in adult barn swallows is a highly consistent trait that shows a negative relationship with sexual ornamentation, suggesting a trade‐off between sexual ornamentation and telomere length.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere length is highly repeatable and shorter in individuals with more elaborate sexual ornamentation in a short‐lived passerine

et al. 2022

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“…We used testosterone to experimentally induce the sexual ornament, as the two are inextricably connected in male superb fairy‐wrens (McQueen, Delhey, Szecsenyi, et al., 2021; Peters et al., 2000). One previous study assessed telomere dynamics in relation to the experimental manipulation of a sexual ornament (Azcárate‐García et al., 2020; Effect ID 12 in Figure 3). As in our study, that study found no significant response of telomere dynamics to ornament manipulation, but power was also limited in that study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only two longitudinal studies experimentally manipulated testosterone levels or sexual ornament expression in free‐living, sexually mature individuals, and with mixed results. While testosterone treatment increased telomere shortening rate in dark‐eyed juncos ( Junco hyemalis ; Heidinger et al., 2021), reduction of ornamental throat feathers did not significantly affect telomere shortening in spotless starlings ( Sturnus unicolor ; Azcárate‐García et al., 2020), highlighting the need for further research. Accordingly, to assess telomere dynamics as a biomarker of the somatic costs of testosterone and sexual ornamentation, we used testosterone implants to experimentally induce the production of a sexual ornament in an Australian songbird, the superb fairy‐wren ( Malurus cyaneus ), and subsequently measured the effect on changes in telomere length.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No effect of testosterone or sexual ornamentation on telomere dynamics: A case study and meta‐analyses

Taylor,

McQueen,

Eastwood

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Life‐history theory predicts that reproductive investments are traded‐off against self‐maintenance. Telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, offer a promising avenue for assessing life‐history trade‐offs, as they shorten in response to stressors and are predictive of the remaining lifespan. In males, testosterone frequently mediates life‐history trade‐offs, in part, through its effects on sexual ornamentation, which is an important aspect of reproductive investment. However, studies of within‐individual associations between telomere dynamics and sexual ornamentation are limited in number and have produced mixed results. Furthermore, most such studies have been observational, making it difficult to discern the nature of any causal relationship. To address this, we used short‐acting testosterone implants in free‐living male superb fairy‐wrens (Malurus cyaneus) to stimulate the production of a sexual ornament: early moult into a costly blue breeding plumage. We found no evidence that elevated testosterone, and the consequent earlier moult into breeding plumage, accelerated telomere shortening. We therefore followed up with a systematic review and two meta‐analyses (28 studies, 54 effect sizes) exploring the associations between telomeres and (1) testosterone and (2) sexual ornamentation. In line with our experimental findings, neither meta‐analysis showed an overall correlation of testosterone or sexual ornamentation with telomere length or telomere dynamics. However, meta‐regression showed that experimental, compared to observational, studies reported greater evidence of trade‐offs. Our meta‐analyses highlight the need for further experimental studies to better understand potential responses of telomere length or telomere dynamics to testosterone or sexual ornamentation.

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“…Then, nests were again visited day 14 after hatching, to count the number of nestlings and estimate the fledging success as number of nestlings that fledged divided by the number of hatched eggs. We assume that nestlings that reached 14 d of age fledge successfully (Azcárate‐García et al ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior to analysis, negative values were set to zero and reflectance curves were corrected for noise by using triangular smoothing (Gómez ). The use of spectral data covering its visual range has been previously proven to be appropriate to characterize existing variability of interest in this species (Navarro et al , Azcárate‐García et al ) and, although it may have some sources of error and variation, the process is highly rigorous and accurate (Stevens ). Since the six colour variables might be related to each other within each of the five measured body parts (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial capacity is related to body colouration and reproductive success in female spotless starlings

Ruiz‐Rodríguez

Azcárate‐García

Ruiz‐Castellano

et al. 2020

Journal of Avian Biology

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Pathogenic microorganisms select for a plethora of defensive mechanisms on their hosts. In males of some species, flashy traits might signal antimicrobial capacity and, thus, they might be favoured in scenarios of sexual selection. Antimicrobial capacity of individuals may predict reproductive success in males, and it could be adapted to changing environments. However, evidence for these associations is still scarce in females. Here, we evaluated antimicrobial capacity of spotless starling Sturnus unicolor females during the mating and nestling-provisioning phase. We did this by measuring 1) the blood plasma inhibition capacity against 12 bacterial strains (antagonistic index), 2) the constitutive innate humoral immunity (lysis and agglutination capacity, a non-specific first barrier of protection of hosts against microbial parasites) and 3) the uropygial gland size and volume of secretion produced, relevant traits in the protection against, among others, feather-degrading bacteria. We also measured colouration of throat and back feathers, and of leg and beak integuments. This information was collected during the pre-laying and nestling stages to compare values from these two periods. We found an increase in the plasma antagonistic index from the pre-laying to the nestling period, while a decrease on the plasma capacity of agglutination of foreign antigens. Both plasma antagonistic index and humoral immune response measured before breeding were positively related to future female reproductive success. In addition, the level of antimicrobial capacity was related to colouration of leg skin and beak integuments and of back feathers. These associations suggest that, similar to males, females might show through their physical appearance their capacity to fight microbial infections; information that could be evaluated by their potential partners and by female competitors.

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Ornamental Throat Feathers Predict Telomere Dynamic and Hatching Success in Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) Males

Cited by 5 publications

References 78 publications

Telomere length is highly repeatable and shorter in individuals with more elaborate sexual ornamentation in a short‐lived passerine

Telomere length is highly repeatable and shorter in individuals with more elaborate sexual ornamentation in a short‐lived passerine

No effect of testosterone or sexual ornamentation on telomere dynamics: A case study and meta‐analyses

Antimicrobial capacity is related to body colouration and reproductive success in female spotless starlings

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