Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour
It has been proposed that blue‐green egg coloration is a condition‐dependent female sexual trait that may modify paternal care in a post‐mating sexual selection scenario. This pattern may arise because the pigment responsible for eggshell colouration (biliverdin) may be a costly and limited resource...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Avian Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02913 |
| _version_ | 1818047034320486400 |
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| author | Stefania R. D'Arpa Iraida Redondo Eduardo Gómez‐Llanos Diego Gil Lorenzo Pérez‐Rodríguez |
| author_facet | Stefania R. D'Arpa Iraida Redondo Eduardo Gómez‐Llanos Diego Gil Lorenzo Pérez‐Rodríguez |
| author_sort | Stefania R. D'Arpa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It has been proposed that blue‐green egg coloration is a condition‐dependent female sexual trait that may modify paternal care in a post‐mating sexual selection scenario. This pattern may arise because the pigment responsible for eggshell colouration (biliverdin) may be a costly and limited resource, whose availability is linked to female health state. Thus, it can be predicted that females whose condition is compromised should be constrained in their capacity to deposit biliverdin in the eggshell, thus producing paler clutches. To test this hypothesis, we performed a handicapping experiment by clipping some feathers of female spotless starlings before egg laying and measuring the colour of their clutches. We expected the handicapping treatment to increase flying costs, impairing female overall condition and resulting in paler clutches. Our experiment was successful in lowering the weight gain of handicapped with respect to control females. However, in contrast to our expectations, we found no effect of the treatment on eggshell colouration. Eggshell colour varied along the laying order, with initial eggs of the laying sequence being relatively paler than the rest of the clutch, but this pattern was not different between experimental groups. Despite a very similar methodology, our results differ from a previous study on the same species and offer no support to the post mating sexual selected hypothesis, questioning the general applicability of the sexual selection role of eggshell coloration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T09:59:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb054983d7df477d899a23f413bae99a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0908-8857 1600-048X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T09:59:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Avian Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb054983d7df477d899a23f413bae99a2022-12-22T01:53:24ZengWileyJournal of Avian Biology0908-88571600-048X2022-03-0120223n/an/a10.1111/jav.02913Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colourStefania R. D'Arpa0Iraida Redondo1Eduardo Gómez‐Llanos2Diego Gil3Lorenzo Pérez‐Rodríguez4Depto de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid SpainDepto de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid SpainDepto de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid SpainDepto de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid SpainInst. de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, (IREC‐CSIC, UCLM, JCCM) Ciudad Real SpainIt has been proposed that blue‐green egg coloration is a condition‐dependent female sexual trait that may modify paternal care in a post‐mating sexual selection scenario. This pattern may arise because the pigment responsible for eggshell colouration (biliverdin) may be a costly and limited resource, whose availability is linked to female health state. Thus, it can be predicted that females whose condition is compromised should be constrained in their capacity to deposit biliverdin in the eggshell, thus producing paler clutches. To test this hypothesis, we performed a handicapping experiment by clipping some feathers of female spotless starlings before egg laying and measuring the colour of their clutches. We expected the handicapping treatment to increase flying costs, impairing female overall condition and resulting in paler clutches. Our experiment was successful in lowering the weight gain of handicapped with respect to control females. However, in contrast to our expectations, we found no effect of the treatment on eggshell colouration. Eggshell colour varied along the laying order, with initial eggs of the laying sequence being relatively paler than the rest of the clutch, but this pattern was not different between experimental groups. Despite a very similar methodology, our results differ from a previous study on the same species and offer no support to the post mating sexual selected hypothesis, questioning the general applicability of the sexual selection role of eggshell coloration.https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02913eggshell colorationhandicapping manipulationoxidative stresssexual selection, Sturnus unicolor |
| spellingShingle | Stefania R. D'Arpa Iraida Redondo Eduardo Gómez‐Llanos Diego Gil Lorenzo Pérez‐Rodríguez Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour Journal of Avian Biology eggshell coloration handicapping manipulation oxidative stress sexual selection, Sturnus unicolor |
| title | Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour |
| title_full | Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour |
| title_fullStr | Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour |
| title_short | Experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin‐based egg colour |
| title_sort | experimentally impaired female condition does not affect biliverdin based egg colour |
| topic | eggshell coloration handicapping manipulation oxidative stress sexual selection, Sturnus unicolor |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02913 |
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