Consistency of structural color across molts: The effects of environmental conditions and stress on feather ultraviolet reflectance

Windsor, Rebecca L.

doi:10.1093/auk/ukz019

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 100 publications

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“…Revealing these mechanisms would help us to understand the information conveyed by these traits and their temporal variation. In white plumage areas, studies have described within-individual, between-moult colour changes (see below), similar to those detected for other structural colours (UV-blue: Delhey et al 2006, Windsor et al 2019yellow: del Val et al 2010). In male Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca, J€ arvist€ o et al (2016) found that wing patch UV reflectance was repeatable between two reproductive seasons and it increased if the male grew a larger wing-patch.…”

supporting

confidence: 59%

The meaning of purely structural colour: white plumage reflectance indicates feather condition

Laczi

Balogh

Nardou

et al. 2020

Ibis

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White plumage areas are widespread among birds but the mechanisms generating individual differences in white feather reflectance are poorly known. Additionally, the proximate mechanisms of within‐season feather colour changes in general are also poorly known. Here we explored within‐individual changes in macrostructure and reflectance of the white wing‐patch of female Collared Flycatchers Ficedula albicollis using data from three stages within a breeding season. Changes in brightness and UV chroma were related to changes in the neatness and size of reflective surfaces, respectively. This suggests that white feather reflectance traits may act as indicators of feather intactness and preening activity.

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supporting

confidence: 59%

The meaning of purely structural colour: white plumage reflectance indicates feather condition

Laczi

Balogh

Nardou

et al. 2020

Ibis

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“…Previous studies have shown great differences in the consistency of sexual traits in wild populations, depending, among others, on the ornament measured and the sex of individuals (see Chaine & Lyon 2015, Windsor et al . 2019). Several authors have, however, shown consistent differences among individuals in spite of intra‐individual ornament dynamism (Pérez‐Rodríguez 2008, Chaine & Lyon 2015, Montoya et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studying the consistency of sexual traits across moults is essential for quantifying their phenotypic variation and to understand whether sexually selected traits can be honest signals of intrinsic, long-term individual quality. Previous studies have shown great differences in the consistency of sexual traits in wild populations, depending, among others, on the ornament measured and the sex of individuals (see Chaine & Lyon 2015, Windsor et al 2019. Several authors have, however, shown consistent differences among individuals in spite of intra-individual ornament dynamism (Pérez-Rodríguez 2008, Chaine & Lyon 2015, Montoya et al 2018.…”

Section: Consistency In the Size Of The White Wing Patchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of a consistent trait: The size of the white wing patch in European Stonechats (Saxicola rubicola rubicola)

Oficialdegui

Serrano

2023

Ibis

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Numerous bird species exhibit striking white patches on their plumages that have been reported as signals of individual quality in the context of sexual selection. Whereas differences in white plumage traits between individuals have been well studied, phenotypic variation and the factors affecting their consistency within the individual have received less attention. Here, we studied the consistency in the size of the white wing patch and its components of variation in a Spanish population of European Stonechats Saxicola rubicola rubicola monitored over 6 years (2007–2012). The wing patch was larger in males than in females for all age‐classes, and first‐year individuals exhibited smaller wing patches than older birds, particularly males. This trait also varied within the plumage‐year at both population and individual level, with slight changes from the moulting period to the breeding season and a sharp decrease afterwards. In addition, patch size varied both between and within individuals across years. The daily mean temperature experienced in the month immediately prior to the moult (i.e. May) had a positive effect on male wing patch size. In females, however, no variable was found to explain wing patch variation satisfactorily. Despite being a dynamic trait throughout the moults, baseline and adjusted repeatabilities indicated a moderately high consistency for white wing patch size in both sexes. Therefore, the white wing patch in Stonechats is a dynamic trait that changes throughout individuals' lives, but is also a consistent trait at the individual level. These results indicate that this depigmented patch could convey information about both the long‐term quality and the current state of individuals, harmonizing the existence of intra‐individual changes in the size of sexual traits with its potential role as a genetic quality indicator.

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“…The copyright holder for this preprint (which this version posted July 10, 2023. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.10.546769 doi: bioRxiv preprint (Brotons & Broggi, 2003). In Florida scrub-jays, adults manipulated with supplemental corticosterone had reduced chroma in their plumage (Windsor et al, 2019) while juveniles with artificially reduced plumage reflectance lost more dominance interactions (Tringali & Bowman, 2012), indicating complex interactions between physiology, phenotype, and behaviour. Future work involving experimental manipulations and controls on oxidative status may elucidate the relationships between morphological development, body condition, and prospecting efforts, and how these variables ultimately shape lifetime fitness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological costs of prospecting in a resident cooperative breeder, the Florida scrub-jay

Suh

Taff

Bowman

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Prospecting is an understudied yet pivotal information-gathering process often preceding natal dispersal. While prospecting may enable individuals to optimise dispersal outcomes and obtain high quality territories, it is also likely to incur costs stemming from energy expenditure and predation risks. This trade-off may drive individual differences in prospecting effort. We tested for evidence of costs of prospecting behaviour in a wild population of Florida scrub-jays, Aphelocoma coerulescens, which prospect as nonbreeding helpers. Using random sampling across all helpers, we compared prospecting effort - approximated by frequency, distance, and activity level - with body mass changes and oxidative stress levels. We tested if prospecting incurred costs and if early-life body condition predicted subsequent prospecting effort. Prospecting frequency was positively linked to oxidative damage but not to any loss in body mass during the breeding season, suggesting that extra-territorial movement costs manifest unevenly. Early-stage body condition did not affect subsequent prospecting effort across a large set of helpers, but early-stage body condition and morphometric measures did correlate with subsequent oxidative status of those sampled. Our results suggest that prospecting movement carries some physiological costs, perhaps contributing to individual differences in prospecting. This research highlights how body condition plays a role in trade-offs between information gathering movement and physiological costs of movement itself, ultimately providing insight on the evolution of prospecting in social species.

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Consistency of structural color across molts: The effects of environmental conditions and stress on feather ultraviolet reflectance

Abstract: DEDICATIONThis work is dedicated to the jays, who captured my heart from the start, and who will hopefully continue to capture hearts for decades to come.

Cited by 7 publications

References 100 publications

The meaning of purely structural colour: white plumage reflectance indicates feather condition

The meaning of purely structural colour: white plumage reflectance indicates feather condition

Variability of a consistent trait: The size of the white wing patch in European Stonechats (Saxicola rubicola rubicola)

Physiological costs of prospecting in a resident cooperative breeder, the Florida scrub-jay

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