Evidence for intraspecific phenotypic variation in songbirds along elevation gradients in central Europe

Sander, Martha Maria; Chamberlain, Dan

doi:10.1111/ibi.12843

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This predicts that small-bodied birds should show a stronger response to cold temperatures, in this case higher elevation, than large birds which may be better able to withstand cooler temperatures. Although evidence for within-species variation in body size along the elevational gradient to offset constraints of cold-stress is scant for birds (Freeman 2017, Sander andChamberlain 2020), we found that thermo-insulative feather structure was significantly driven by body size. The weak association between relative feather length and elevation (Fig.…”

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confidence: 48%

Elevation and body size drive convergent variation in thermo‐insulative feather structure of Himalayan birds

et al. 2021

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Globally, high elevation habitats have been independently colonized by taxa separated by millions of years of evolution. Mountains thus represent excellent systems to study how distantly related species adapt to the same environmental challenges. Cold temperatures influence the elevational distribution of birds along montane gradients. Yet the eco-physiological adaptations that may explain this pattern, such as variation in insulative feather structure across high elevation and low elevation species has not been quantified. We used a comparative approach to understand if elevation, evolutionary history and body size drive variation in thermo-insulative feather traits across 1715 specimens of 249 Himalayan passerines. Controlling for phylogenetic relationships between species, we found that the proportion of the feather's plumulaceous (downy) section increased with elevation. Body size also had a predictable effect on thermo-insulative variables with small birds having relatively longer feathers and thus a more insulative plumage than large birds. We show that an increase in the proportion of the feather's downy section at colder temperatures is an evolutionarily widespread response across temperate and tropical taxa, and overall, smaller-bodied birds tend to have longer and more insulative feathers. Our results reveal convergent patterns in feather structure variation as a response to cold temperatures across species separated by millions of years of evolution.

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confidence: 48%

Elevation and body size drive convergent variation in thermo‐insulative feather structure of Himalayan birds

et al. 2021

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“…1, 2A). Increasing evidence supports that the environmental heterogeneity caused by orography produces altitudinal displacements whose effects on bird biology have often been overlooked (Boyle et al 2016, Boyle 2017, Sander and Chamberlain 2020. These movements could strongly affect the moult of the Eurasian blackcap populations, a partially migratory species in which migratory and sedentary individuals can coexist in a small geographical area (Chapman et al 2011).…”

Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Feather traits in four southern populations of the Eurasian blackcapSylvia atricapilla: do altitudinal movements explain the differences?

Hernández‐Téllez

Aguirre

Hera

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Moult of birds is shaped by environmental and genetic drivers whose relative contribution to the structure of feathers may differ within and between populations. In this study, we compare some traits of tail feathers (growth bars, mass, rachis width and barb length) between four populations of the Eurasian blackcap Sylvia atricapilla breeding at different elevations within the southwestern Palaearctic. We tested if these traits were related to the primary productivity of habitats (a surrogate of food availability) or were better explained as an adaptation to altitudinal movements. The distribution of primary productivity was positively related to blackcap abundance suggesting that the species tracked the most productive areas to breed. In this environmental setting, wing morphology (wing length, concavity and pointedness) suggested that lowland blackcaps were sedentary while blackcaps from highland areas were involved in altitudinal movements. The feathers of blackcaps inhabiting the highlands showed wider growth bars and rachis than those of the most productive lowland areas but did not differ in feather mass and barb length. Fast feather growth has been related to time constraints to moult and wider rachis to improve flight efficiency in migratory birds. Our results therefore suggest that differences in feather characteristics between southern populations of the Eurasian blackcap are better interpreted as an adaptive response to altitudinal migration than as a consequence of regional food availability.

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“…wing size) are related to individual quality and thus, fitness (Mérő et al 2020). While studies considering habitat characteristics like vegetation/land cover in relation to wing morphology are very scarce, the influence of elevation has been more intensively investigated, mostly in relation to wing length (Laiolo and Rolando 2001, Lu et al 2009, Wilson et al 2010, Boyce et al 2019, Sander and Chamberlain 2020). These studies have given partly contrasting results, often indicating the lack of elevational patterns, or a positive wing length–elevation relationship in different studies/species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies have given partly contrasting results, often indicating the lack of elevational patterns, or a positive wing length–elevation relationship in different studies/species. Such cases of positive relationships could be interpreted as a need for a more efficient flight in conditions of lower air pressure and higher hypoxia risk associated with higher elevations (Sander and Chamberlain 2020). While these studies provided extremely valuable information, the lack of consideration of other environmental factors in addition to elevation, such as vegetation or land cover, complicates interpretation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in wing morphology is related to breeding environment in a high‐elevation specialist bird

Ceresa

Vitulano

Pes

et al. 2022

Journal of Avian Biology

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The morphology of bird wings is subject to a variety of selective pressures, including migration, predation, habitat structure and sexual selection. Variation in wing morphology also occurs at the intraspecific and intrapopulation level, and can be related to sex, age, migration strategy and environmental factors. The relationship between environment and intraspecific variation in wing morphology is still poorly understood. In this work, we studied the relationship between wing morphology and breeding environment in a high‐elevation specialist bird, the water pipit Anthus spinoletta. We calculated wing isometric size, pointedness and convexity of 84 birds mist‐netted at breeding sites in year 2021 in the European Alps. We then searched for associations between these traits and potentially relevant breeding site characteristics (vegetation structure, elevation, latitude). For all wing traits, sex and one or more environmental factors best explained the variation, with environmental factors explaining between 3 and 8% of the variation. Wing size was negatively related to tree cover and wing convexity was negatively related to bush cover. Elevation contributed to explain variation in wing pointedness, but the direction of its effect was unclear. The negative relationship between wing size and tree cover could be due to intraspecific competition, i.e. to the relegation of smaller winged low‐quality individuals in marginal grassland areas. Higher wing convexity could improve predator escape ability in areas with scarce protecting vegetation, with possible effects on habitat choice. These findings represent one of the few demonstrated cases of wing morphology–environment relationships at the intraspecific level.

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Evidence for intraspecific phenotypic variation in songbirds along elevation gradients in central Europe

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

Elevation and body size drive convergent variation in thermo‐insulative feather structure of Himalayan birds

Elevation and body size drive convergent variation in thermo‐insulative feather structure of Himalayan birds

Feather traits in four southern populations of the Eurasian blackcapSylvia atricapilla: do altitudinal movements explain the differences?

Variation in wing morphology is related to breeding environment in a high‐elevation specialist bird

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