Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers
Feather quality in birds is considered an honest signal of individual health as feather appearance and function depend on an individual’s ability to maintain them. In addition to flight and insulation, feathers are essential for social interactions and sexual selection in the form of visual signals....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.946624/full |
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| author | Jennifer L. Ellis Alexandra G. Ponette-González Alexandra G. Ponette-González Matthew Fry Matthew Fry Jeff A. Johnson Jeff A. Johnson |
| author_facet | Jennifer L. Ellis Alexandra G. Ponette-González Alexandra G. Ponette-González Matthew Fry Matthew Fry Jeff A. Johnson Jeff A. Johnson |
| author_sort | Jennifer L. Ellis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Feather quality in birds is considered an honest signal of individual health as feather appearance and function depend on an individual’s ability to maintain them. In addition to flight and insulation, feathers are essential for social interactions and sexual selection in the form of visual signals. Airborne particulate matter (PM) can accumulate on feather surfaces and alter feather appearance. We quantified PM accumulation on Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers and analyzed the spectral properties of extracted particulates. Feathers were sampled from two pigeon populations, one rural and one urban, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with 47 and 93% developed land cover, respectively, within 2 km of the populations. We determined accumulated PM gravimetrically after rinsing feathers and then measured the visible-near-infrared diffuse reflectance and color properties of extracted particulates. The rate of PM accumulation on rural birds was higher than on urban birds. However, feather particulates collected from urban pigeons had significantly lower total reflectance, reflectance in the visible portion of the spectrum, lightness, and hue angle compared to those of rural pigeons. The hue angle of rural feather particulates displayed a negative relationship with PM accumulation while total reflectance, reflectance in the visible range, and lightness of urban feather particulates were negatively related to PM accumulation. Our findings suggest that wild birds could incur an urban pollution penalty as PM accumulation has the potential to alter feather properties. Further research is needed to better understand the influence of external PM accumulation on the physiological and behavioral health of birds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:03:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4e18dc59ee684e6ebe98ac6667bc0212 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:03:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-4e18dc59ee684e6ebe98ac6667bc02122023-02-10T06:46:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-02-011110.3389/fevo.2023.946624946624Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathersJennifer L. Ellis0Alexandra G. Ponette-González1Alexandra G. Ponette-González2Matthew Fry3Matthew Fry4Jeff A. Johnson5Jeff A. Johnson6Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United StatesDepartment of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United StatesDepartment of City and Metropolitan Planning, Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesDepartment of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United StatesDepartment of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United StatesWolf Creek Operating Foundation, Wolf, WY, United StatesFeather quality in birds is considered an honest signal of individual health as feather appearance and function depend on an individual’s ability to maintain them. In addition to flight and insulation, feathers are essential for social interactions and sexual selection in the form of visual signals. Airborne particulate matter (PM) can accumulate on feather surfaces and alter feather appearance. We quantified PM accumulation on Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers and analyzed the spectral properties of extracted particulates. Feathers were sampled from two pigeon populations, one rural and one urban, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with 47 and 93% developed land cover, respectively, within 2 km of the populations. We determined accumulated PM gravimetrically after rinsing feathers and then measured the visible-near-infrared diffuse reflectance and color properties of extracted particulates. The rate of PM accumulation on rural birds was higher than on urban birds. However, feather particulates collected from urban pigeons had significantly lower total reflectance, reflectance in the visible portion of the spectrum, lightness, and hue angle compared to those of rural pigeons. The hue angle of rural feather particulates displayed a negative relationship with PM accumulation while total reflectance, reflectance in the visible range, and lightness of urban feather particulates were negatively related to PM accumulation. Our findings suggest that wild birds could incur an urban pollution penalty as PM accumulation has the potential to alter feather properties. Further research is needed to better understand the influence of external PM accumulation on the physiological and behavioral health of birds.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.946624/fullair qualitybirdscitiesfeatherspollution penaltyspectrometry |
| spellingShingle | Jennifer L. Ellis Alexandra G. Ponette-González Alexandra G. Ponette-González Matthew Fry Matthew Fry Jeff A. Johnson Jeff A. Johnson Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution air quality birds cities feathers pollution penalty spectrometry |
| title | Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers |
| title_full | Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers |
| title_fullStr | Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers |
| title_short | Reduced reflectance and altered color: The potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) feathers |
| title_sort | reduced reflectance and altered color the potential cost of external particulate matter accumulation on urban rock pigeon columba livia feathers |
| topic | air quality birds cities feathers pollution penalty spectrometry |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.946624/full |
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