Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment
Abstract Plumage color has traditionally been regarded as a static ornamental trait, but evidence is accumulating for significant color changes without molt that typically reduce the conspicuousness of ornamentation. In some species, the social partner seems to increase its reproductive investment i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45348-0 |
| _version_ | 1797636919564173312 |
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| author | Gergely Hegyi Miklós Laczi Gyula Szabó Fanni Sarkadi János Török |
| author_facet | Gergely Hegyi Miklós Laczi Gyula Szabó Fanni Sarkadi János Török |
| author_sort | Gergely Hegyi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Plumage color has traditionally been regarded as a static ornamental trait, but evidence is accumulating for significant color changes without molt that typically reduce the conspicuousness of ornamentation. In some species, the social partner seems to increase its reproductive investment if the color trait is experimentally enhanced, suggesting that color change could act as a signal. However, the information content of this signal is so far unclear. For example, birds in poor condition or making greater effort may deteriorate more severely. We used brood size manipulations to alter the reproductive effort of male and female collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis. Both sexes showed less severe decline in some reflectance attribute of their white breast when their brood was experimentally reduced. In each sex, greater deterioration of the reflectance trait affected by the manipulation was accompanied by increased feeding rate by the partner. These feeding patterns do not prove, but are consistent with, a compensatory response by the partner to induced degradation. The manipulation effects on color change we detected confirm for the first time that plumage color deterioration can indicate current reproductive effort, thereby providing a potential fitness advantage to social partners that react to such deterioration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a9a96e6d338a4b6faeec185d373c1b62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-a9a96e6d338a4b6faeec185d373c1b622023-11-05T12:18:05ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-10-011311910.1038/s41598-023-45348-0Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experimentGergely Hegyi0Miklós Laczi1Gyula Szabó2Fanni Sarkadi3János Török4Behavioral Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityBehavioral Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityBehavioral Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityBehavioral Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityBehavioral Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityAbstract Plumage color has traditionally been regarded as a static ornamental trait, but evidence is accumulating for significant color changes without molt that typically reduce the conspicuousness of ornamentation. In some species, the social partner seems to increase its reproductive investment if the color trait is experimentally enhanced, suggesting that color change could act as a signal. However, the information content of this signal is so far unclear. For example, birds in poor condition or making greater effort may deteriorate more severely. We used brood size manipulations to alter the reproductive effort of male and female collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis. Both sexes showed less severe decline in some reflectance attribute of their white breast when their brood was experimentally reduced. In each sex, greater deterioration of the reflectance trait affected by the manipulation was accompanied by increased feeding rate by the partner. These feeding patterns do not prove, but are consistent with, a compensatory response by the partner to induced degradation. The manipulation effects on color change we detected confirm for the first time that plumage color deterioration can indicate current reproductive effort, thereby providing a potential fitness advantage to social partners that react to such deterioration.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45348-0 |
| spellingShingle | Gergely Hegyi Miklós Laczi Gyula Szabó Fanni Sarkadi János Török Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment Scientific Reports |
| title | Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment |
| title_full | Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment |
| title_fullStr | Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment |
| title_short | Plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort: an experiment |
| title_sort | plumage color degradation indicates reproductive effort an experiment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45348-0 |
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