Is the peacock’s train an honest signal of genetic quality at the major histocompatibility complex?

Hale, Marie L.; Verduijn, M. H.; Møller, A. P.; Wolff, Kirsten; Petrie, Marion

doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01746.x

Cited by 47 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…A study in white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) found that MHC divergent heterozygous males had larger antlers and body size, which was correlated with lower abundance of abomasal nematodes 122 . Finally, a study on a canonical sexually selected trait, trains in male peacocks ( Pavo cristatus ), showed that the train length reflects genetic diversity at the MHC 36 . The above examples show that MHC-genotype can influence the expression of secondary sexual traits that are used as signals of quality.…”

Section: Mhc and Signals Of Quality In Mate Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

Ruff

Nelson

Kubinak

et al. 2012

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

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The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been known to play a critical role in immune recognition since the 1950s. It was a surprise, then, in the 1970s when the first report appeared indicating MHC might also function in social signaling and in mate choice. Since this seminal discovery, MHC signaling has been found throughout vertebrates and its known functions have expanded beyond mate choice to include a suite of behaviors from kin-biased cooperation, parent-progeny recognition to pregnancy block. The widespread occurrence of MHC in social signaling has revealed conserved behavioral-genetic mechanisms that span vertebrates and includes humans. The identity of the signal’s chemical constituents and the receptors responsible for the perception of the signal have remained elusive, but recent advances have enabled the identification of the key components of the behavioral circuit. In this chapter we organize recent findings from the literature and discuss them in relation to four non-mutually exclusive models wherein MHC functions as a signal of (i) individuality, (ii) relatedness, (iii) genetic compatibility and (iv) quality. We also synthesize current mechanistic studies, showing how knowledge about the molecular basis of MHC signaling can lead to elegant and informative experimental manipulations. Finally, we discuss current evidence relating to the primordial functions of the MHC, including the possibility that its role in social signaling may be ancestral to its central role in adaptive immunity.

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Section: Mhc and Signals Of Quality In Mate Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

Ruff

Nelson

Kubinak

et al. 2012

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

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“…However, while the sexual trait has a negative affect on organismal performance, it is an indicator of overall superior genetic quality and therefore has a net positive effect on fitness [e.g. fecundity or offspring success (Petrie, 1994;Rowe and Houle, 1996;Möller and Alatalo, 1999;Hale et al, 2009;Husak and Swallow, 2011)]. Examples of such traits are found throughout nature, and include the ornate plumage exhibited in the males of some bird species [e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

The elaborate plumage in peacocks is not such a drag

Askew

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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One of the classic examples of an exaggerated sexually selected trait is the elaborate plumage that forms the train in male peafowl Pavo cristatus (peacock). Such ornaments are thought to reduce locomotor performance as a result of their weight and aerodynamic drag, but this cost is unknown. Here, the effect that the train has on take-off flight in peacocks was quantified as the sum of the rates of change of the potential and kinetic energies of the body (P CoM ) in birds with trains and following the train's removal. There was no significant difference between P CoM in birds with and without a train. The train incurs drag during take-off; however, while this produces a twofold increase in parasite drag, parasite power only accounts for 0.1% of the total aerodynamic power. The train represented 6.9% of body weight and is expected to increase induced power. The absence of a detectable effect on take-off performance does not necessarily mean that there is no cost associated with possessing such ornate plumage; rather, it suggests that given the variation in take-off performance per se, the magnitude of any effect of the train has little meaningful functional relevance. KEY WORDS: Sexual selection, Pavo cristatus, Flight, Peafowl, Take-off, Performance INTRODUCTIONSexual selection may favour the evolution of extravagant secondary sexual characteristics that are important in mate choice and confer reproductive benefits (Darwin, 1871). There are several theories about the origin and maintenance of such sexual traits, but central to 'handicap' and 'good genes' models of sexual selection is the assumption that such ornaments incur a cost (Zahavi, 1975;Andersson, 1994). It is hypothesised that exaggerated sexually selected traits negatively affect organismal performance (e.g. endurance or escape response) by directly (e.g. through increased predation risk) or indirectly (e.g. through increased metabolic energy expenditure) incurring costs (Kotiaho, 2001). However, while the sexual trait has a negative affect on organismal performance, it is an indicator of overall superior genetic quality and therefore has a net positive effect on fitness [e.g. fecundity or offspring success (Petrie, 1994;Rowe and Houle, 1996;Möller and Alatalo, 1999;Hale et al., 2009;Husak and Swallow, 2011)]. Examples of such traits are found throughout nature, and include the ornate plumage exhibited in the males of some bird species [e.g. long-tailed widowbirds, Euplectes sp. (Andersson, 1982); peafowl, Pavo sp. (Petrie, 1994); and paradise whydas, Vidua sp. (Alatalo et al., 1988)]. It has been suggested that these structures may impair flight performance (Balmford et al., 1993). However, empirical evidence quantifying the costs associated with sexually selected traits is generally lacking (Kotiaho, 2001). Demonstrating whether sexually selected traits do RESEARCH ARTICLEFaculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. incur a cost is necessary to test current theories in evolutionary biology.Arguably one of the most i...

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“…Studies of MHC variation and phenotypic traits of nonmodel vertebrates are rare (von Schantz et al 1996(von Schantz et al , 1997Ditchkoff et al 2001;Buchholz et al 2004;Jäger et al 2007;Hale et al 2009). This scarcity of published studies, Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…MHC diversity at particular loci often results from specific hostparasite co-adaptation cycles, suggesting that the MHC can be used to measure the genetic basis of mate choice based on costly ornaments. However, to our knowledge only five studies have reported a correlation between MHC genotypes and ornaments: tarsal spurs in the common pheasant Phasianus colchicus (von Schantz et al 1996(von Schantz et al , 1997, antlers in the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus (Ditchkoff et al 2001), snood in the turkey Meleagris gallopavo (Buchholz et al 2004), breeding colouration in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus (Jäger et al 2007) and the train length in the peacock Pavo cristatus (Hale et al 2009). Ornament size generally reflected particular MHC genotypes in all the above studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Are large wattles related to particular MHC genotypes in the male pheasant?

et al. 2010

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In sexually dimorphic species, partners can assess heritable mate quality by analyzing costly sexual ornaments in terms of their dimension and possibly of their symmetry. In vertebrates an important aspect of genetic quality is the efficiency of the immune system, and in particular the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). If ornaments are honest advertisements of pathogen resistance (good genes), in line with the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis, a correlation between ornament expression and MHC profiles should exist. We tested this hypothesis in the common pheasant Phasianus colchicus by comparing male ornament characteristics (wattle and spur size, and wattle fluctuating asymmetry) with a portion of exon 2 of the class IIB MHC genes containing 19 putative antigen recognition sites. A total of 8 new alleles was observed in the MHCPhco exon IIB. We found significant differences in the occurrence of MHC genotypes between males carrying large or small wattles. Homozygous genotypes predicted large wattle males more correctly than small wattle males. The association between the dimension of the spur and the occurrence of MHC genotypes was marginally significant, however, we did not find any significant association between MHC genotypes and asymmetry. Our results suggest that female pheasants may use the ornament size as a cue to evaluate male quality and thus choose males carrying particular MHC profiles.

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Is the peacock’s train an honest signal of genetic quality at the major histocompatibility complex?

Cited by 47 publications

References 55 publications

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

The elaborate plumage in peacocks is not such a drag

Are large wattles related to particular MHC genotypes in the male pheasant?

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