Environmental constraints for plumage melanization in the northern goshawk <i>Accipiter gentilis</i>

Galván, Ismael; Bijlsma, Rob G.; Negro, Juan J.; Jarén, Manuel; Garrido‐Fernández, Juan

doi:10.1111/j.1600-048x.2010.04998.x

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Migration accompanies more oxidative stress and thus should not develop chestnut, pheomelanin‐predominant coloration that consumes an important antioxidant (glutathione) during pheomelanogenesis (e.g., Galván et al. ; Roulin et al. ; also see Norris et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of tail fork depth in genusHirundo

Hasegawa

Arai

Kutsukake

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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A classic example of a sexually selected trait, the deep fork tail of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica is now claimed to have evolved and be maintained mainly via aerodynamic advantage rather than sexually selected advantage. However, this aerodynamic advantage hypothesis does not clarify which flight habits select for/against deep fork tails, causing diversity of tail fork depth in hirundines. Here, by focusing on the genus Hirundo, we investigated whether the large variation in tail fork depth could be explained by the differential flight habits. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we found that migrant species had deeper fork tails, but less colorful plumage, than the other species, indicating that migration favors a specific trait, deep fork tails. At the same time, tail fork depth but not plumage coloration decreased with increasing bill size – a proxy of prey size, suggesting that foraging on larger prey items favors shallower fork tails. Variation of tail fork depth in the genus Hirundo may be explained by differential flight habits, even without assuming sexual selection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of tail fork depth in genusHirundo

Hasegawa

Arai

Kutsukake

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Melanin precursors ( i.e. , tyrosine, its precursor phenylalanine, and cysteine) and metal ions are acquired with the diet, thus making diet quality a potential influence on melanin pigmentation [ 71 , 72 ]. Furthermore, the fact that cysteine and GSH, which is the most important intracellular antioxidant, play a key role in the melanogenesis pathway makes the synthesis of melanin open to environmental factors that generate oxidative stress, as GSH is depleted under exposure to such factors [ 73 , 74 ].…”

Section: Environmental and Genetic Control On Avian Melanogenesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird Integumentary Melanins: Biosynthesis, Forms, Function and Evolution

Galván

Solano

2016

IJMS

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121

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Melanins are the ubiquitous pigments distributed in nature. They are one of the main pigments responsible for colors in living cells. Birds are among the most diverse animals regarding melanin-based coloration, especially in the plumage, although they also pigment bare parts of the integument. This review is devoted to the main characteristics of bird melanins, including updated views of the formation and nature of melanin granules, whose interest has been raised in the last years for inferring the color of extinct birds and non-avian theropod dinosaurs using resistant fossil feathers. The molecular structure of the two main types of melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin, and the environmental and genetic factors that regulate avian melanogenesis are also presented, establishing the main relationship between them. Finally, the special functions of melanin in bird feathers are also discussed, emphasizing the aspects more closely related to these animals, such as honest signaling, and the factors that may drive the evolution of pheomelanin and pheomelanin-based color traits, an issue for which birds have been pioneer study models.

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“…r p 0.41 F p 2.41 P p 0.093 9, 10 All samples contained both pheomelanin and eumelanin in variable proportions. The relative concentration of both melanin types, calculated as absorbance units (Au) divided by hair mass, was estimated spectrophotometrically as in Toral et al (2008), Negro et al (2009), and Galván et al (2010a).…”

Section: Melanin Content Of Hairmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between Hair Melanization, Glutathione Levels, and Senescence in Wild Boars

Galván¹,

Alonso‐Álvarez²,

Negro³

2012

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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The synthesis of melanins, which are the most common animal pigments, is influenced by glutathione (GSH), a key intracellular antioxidant. At high GSH levels, pheomelanin (the lightest melanin form) is produced, whereas production of eumelanin (the darkest melanin form) does not require GSH. Oxidative damage typically increases with age, and age-related decreases in GSH have accordingly been found in diverse organisms. Therefore, there should be positive associations between the capacity to produce eumelanic traits, GSH levels, and senescence, whereas there should be negative associations between the capacity to produce pheomelanic traits, GSH levels, and senescence. We explored this hypothesis in a free-ranging population of wild boars Sus scrofa of different ages. As expected from the fact that pheomelanogenesis consumes GSH, levels of this antioxidant in muscle tended to be negatively related to pheomelanization and positively related to eumelanization in pelage, and the degree of pelage pheomelanization was positively related to oxidative damage as reflected by levels of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances (TBARS), which is consistent with the hypothesis that pheomelanin synthesis has physiological costs. In our cross-sectional sample, GSH levels did not show senescence effects, and we did not detect senescence effects in pelage melanization. Prime body condition and low TBARS levels were also associated with hair graying, which is attributable to a loss of melanin produced by oxidative stress, thus raising the possibility that hair graying constitutes a signal of resistance to oxidative stress in wild boars. Our results suggest that the degree of melanization is linked to GSH levels in wild boars and that their antioxidant damage shows senescence effects.

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Environmental constraints for plumage melanization in the northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis

Cited by 18 publications

References 51 publications

Evolution of tail fork depth in genusHirundo

Evolution of tail fork depth in genusHirundo

Bird Integumentary Melanins: Biosynthesis, Forms, Function and Evolution

Relationships between Hair Melanization, Glutathione Levels, and Senescence in Wild Boars

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