Experimental trait mismatches uncover specificity of evolutionary links between multiple signaling traits and their interactions in hummingbirds*

Simpson, Richard K.; McGraw, Kevin J.

doi:10.1111/evo.13662

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…In this study, we test this hypothesis for iridescent colours at the community level by looking at phenotypic structure in hummingbird local assemblages across different body parts. Hummingbirds are an interesting study system to test this hypothesis as various published accounts of sexual displays and aggressive encounters among hummingbirds have made clear that certain feather patches such as the crown and throat are consistently used during these displays [46,[75][76][77][78]. On the other hand, colours displayed on the dorsal side of hummingbirds tend to resemble background colours and thus have been suggested to be cryptic [70].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of iridescent colours in hummingbird communities results from the interplay between selection for camouflage and communication

Gruson

Élias

Parra

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Identification errors between closely related, co-occurring, species may lead to misdirected social interactions such as costly interbreeding or misdirected aggression. This selects for divergence in traits involved in species identification among co-occurring species, resulting from character displacement. On the other hand, predation may select for crypsis, potentially leading co-occurring species that share the same environment and predators to have a similar appearance. However, few studies have explored how these antagonistic processes influence colour at the community level. Here, we assess colour clustering and overdispersion in 189 hummingbird communities, tallying 112 species, across Ecuador and suggest possible evolutionary mechanisms at stake by controlling for species phylogenetic relatedness. In hummingbirds, most colours are iridescent structural colours, defined as colours that change with the illumination or observation angle. Because small variations in the underlying structures can have dramatic effects on the resulting colours and because iridescent structures can produce virtually any hue and brightness, we expect iridescent colours to respond finely to selective pressures. Moreover, we predict that hue angular dependence -a specific aspect of iridescent colours -may be used as an additional channel for species recognition. In our hummingbird assemblages in Ecuador, we find support for colour overdispersion in ventral and facial patches at the community level even after controlling for the phylogeny, especially on iridescence-related traits, suggesting character displacement among co-occurring species. We also find colour clustering at the community level on dorsal patches, suspected to be involved in camouflage, suggesting that the same cryptic colours are selected among co-occurring species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of iridescent colours in hummingbird communities results from the interplay between selection for camouflage and communication

Gruson

Élias

Parra

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…In this study, Simpson and McGraw () used data from their previous works at the intraspecific level to investigate how behavior and iridescent plumage interact in five hummingbird species from the “bee” clade (tribe: Mellisugini). These five bee hummingbird species recently diverged (McGuire et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Summary of the protocol used in Simpson and McGraw (). Dashed paths represent shuttle display behavior of each species.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The authors looked at deviations in color appearance during display (average color appearance and flashiness) between natural color appearance (feather and shuttle display from the same species, top block in this figure) and mismatched color appearance (feather and shuttle display from different species, bottom block in this figure). Colors for each species match those used in the original paper (Simpson and McGraw , Fig. 4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, Simpson and McGraw (2019) used data from their previous works at the intraspecific level to investigate how behavior and iridescent plumage interact in five hummingbird species from the "bee" clade (tribe: Mellisugini). These five bee hummingbird species recently diverged (McGuire et al 2014) and have the same kind of courtship behavior (called a "shuttle display"), in which males fly back and forth in front of the female, while at the same time erecting their shiny throat feathers (Clark 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Digest: Disentangling plumage and behavior contributions to iridescent signals*

Gruson

2019

Evolution

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To what extent do plumage properties and behavior interact to produce visual signals? Simpson and McGraw (2019) propose an elegant and novel experimental set‐up to dissociate behavior and color and assess their relative effects in the resulting iridescent signal. They find that modification of either component leads to a modification of the resulting signal as seen by the receiver, suggesting that sexual selection acts simultaneously on both signal components.

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Body condition and poxvirus infection predict circulating glucose levels in a colorful songbird that inhabits urban and rural environments

et al. 2020

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There is widespread contemporary interest in causes and consequences of blood glucose status in humans (e.g., links to diabetes and cardiovascular disease), but we know comparatively less about what underlies variation in glucose levels of wild animals. Several environmental factors, including diet, disease status, and habitat quality, may regulate glucose circulation, and we are in need of work that assesses many organismal traits simultaneously to understand the plasticity and predictability of glucose levels in ecological and evolutionary contexts. Here, we measured circulating glucose levels in a species of passerine bird (the house finch, Haemorhous mexicanus) that has served as a valuable model for research on sexual selection, disease, and urban behavioral ecology, as these animals display sexually dichromatic ornamental coloration, harbor many infectious diseases (e.g., poxvirus, coccidiosis, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis), and reside in both natural habitats and cities. We tested the effects of sex, habitat type, body condition, coccidiosis and poxvirus infections, and expression of carotenoid plumage coloration on blood glucose concentrations and found that the body condition and poxvirus infection significantly predicted circulating glucose levels. Specifically, birds with higher blood glucose levels had higher body condition scores and were infected with poxvirus. This result is consistent with biomedical, domesticated‐animal, and wildlife‐rehabilitation findings, and the premise that glucose elevation is a physiological response to or indicator of infection and relative body weight. The fact that we failed to find links between glucose and our other measurements suggests that blood glucose levels can reveal some but not all aspects of organismal or environmental quality.

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Experimental trait mismatches uncover specificity of evolutionary links between multiple signaling traits and their interactions in hummingbirds*

Cited by 10 publications

References 62 publications

Distribution of iridescent colours in hummingbird communities results from the interplay between selection for camouflage and communication

Distribution of iridescent colours in hummingbird communities results from the interplay between selection for camouflage and communication

Digest: Disentangling plumage and behavior contributions to iridescent signals*

Body condition and poxvirus infection predict circulating glucose levels in a colorful songbird that inhabits urban and rural environments

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