Multiple Plumage Ornaments as Signals of Intrasexual Communication in Golden‐Winged Warblers

Jones, John Anthony; Tisdale, Anna C.; Bakermans, Marja H.; Larkin, Jeffery L.; Smalling, Curtis; Siefferman, Lynn

doi:10.1111/eth.12581

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Carotenoid-pigmented plumage plays an important role in mate selection and is an honest indicator of male quality [61]. In golden-winged warblers, plumage ornamentation is associated with territory quality and may influence male–male competition [62]; however, the role of plumage colour variation in the reproductive success of admixed individuals has not been studied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between the gut microbiome and carotenoid plumage phenotype in an avian hybrid zone

Baiz,

Wood,

Toews

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Vertebrates host complex microbiomes that impact their physiology. In many taxa, including colourful wood-warblers, gut microbiome similarity decreases with evolutionary distance. This may suggest that as host populations diverge, so do their microbiomes, because of either tight coevolutionary dynamics, or differential environmental influences, or both. Hybridization is common in wood-warblers, but the effects of evolutionary divergence on the microbiome during secondary contact are unclear. Here, we analyse gut microbiomes in two geographically disjunct hybrid zones between blue-winged warblers ( Vermivora cyanoptera ) and golden-winged warblers ( Vermivora chrysoptera ). We performed 16S faecal metabarcoding to identify species-specific bacteria and test the hypothesis that host admixture is associated with gut microbiome disruption. Species identity explained a small amount of variation between microbiomes in only one hybrid zone. Co-occurrence of species-specific bacteria was rare for admixed individuals, yet microbiome richness was similar among admixed and parental individuals. Unexpectedly, we found several bacteria that were more abundant among admixed individuals with a broader deposition of carotenoid-based plumage pigments. These bacteria are predicted to encode carotenoid biosynthesis genes, suggesting birds may take advantage of pigments produced by their gut microbiomes. Thus, host admixture may facilitate beneficial symbiotic interactions which contribute to plumage ornaments that function in sexual selection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between the gut microbiome and carotenoid plumage phenotype in an avian hybrid zone

Baiz,

Wood,

Toews

2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Zuberogoitia et al 2018 ), suggesting a lack of ecological need for such an energetic trade-off. Alternatively, it is prudent to consider that ornamentation can have a complex relationship with reproductive success (Jones et al 2017 ), and some species included in this study may be expressing plumage colouration without incurring a meaningful cost (Koch et al 2019 ). Further studies could therefore usefully examine these various possibilities using data from a greater portion of the world’s bird species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plumage and eggshell colouration covary with the level of sex-specific parental contributions to nest building in birds

Nagy,

Hauber,

Löki

et al. 2024

Sci Nat

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Interspecific variation in sex-specific contributions to prenatal parental care, including avian nest building, is becoming increasingly better understood as we amass more information on more species. We examined whether sex-specific nest building contributions covary with the colouration of parents and their eggs in 521 species of Western Palearctic birds. Having colourful plumage and laying colourful eggs are costly because of the deposition of pigments in feathers and eggs and/or forming costly nanostructural substrates in feathers, and so it might be expected that those costs covary with the costs of nest building at the level of individuals and/or across species to produce of a suite of codivergent traits. Using a phylogenetically informed approach, we tested the hypothesis that species in which females alone invest energy building nests exhibit less sexual plumage dichromatism. However, we found comparative support for the opposite of this prediction. We then tested that species in which females alone build nests lay more colourful, and costlier, eggs because the dual costs of building nests and laying colourful eggs can only be borne by higher quality individuals. As expected, we found that species in which females build nests alone or together with males are more likely to lay colourfully pigmented eggs relative to species in which only males build nests. Finally, stochastic character mapping provided evidence of the repeated evolution of female-only nest building. Interspecific sex differences in plumage colouration therefore covary in a complex manner with female pre- (nest building) and post-copulatory (egg production) investment in reproduction.

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“…Contrasts are reported as ΔS for chromatic differences and ΔL for achromatic differences using units of just‐noticeable differences (JND). Values >1.0 JND indicate distinguishability under the modeled visual system with values >2.0 representing easily distinguishable contrasts (Jones & Siefferman, ; Jones et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent color signals from homologous unfeathered ornaments in two congeneric grouse

Gould

Carter

Augustine

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Color‐based visual signals are important aspects of communication throughout the animal kingdom. Individuals evaluate color to obtain information about age and condition and to behave accordingly. Birds display a variety of striking, conspicuous colors and make ideal subjects for the study of color signaling. While most studies of avian color focus on plumage, bare unfeathered body parts also display a wide range of color signals. Mate choice and intrasexual competitive interactions are easily observed in lekking grouse, which also signal with prominent unfeathered color patches. Most male grouse have one pair of colorful bare part ornaments (combs), and males of several species also have inflatable air sacs in their throat. Previous studies have mostly focused on comb color and size, but little is known about the signaling role of air sac color. We measured comb size and the color properties of combs and air sacs in the Lesser and Greater Prairie‐Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus and T. cupido, respectively), and investigated whether these properties varied with age and mass. We found that mass predicted color properties of air sacs and that age predicted comb size in the Greater Prairie‐Chicken, suggesting that these ornaments indicate condition dependence. No conclusive relationships between color and age or size were detected in the Lesser Prairie‐Chicken. Color properties of both ornaments differed between the two species. Further research is needed to determine mechanisms that link condition to color and whether the information advertised by color signals from these ornaments is intended for males, females, or both.

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Multiple Plumage Ornaments as Signals of Intrasexual Communication in Golden‐Winged Warblers

Cited by 11 publications

References 65 publications

Association between the gut microbiome and carotenoid plumage phenotype in an avian hybrid zone

Association between the gut microbiome and carotenoid plumage phenotype in an avian hybrid zone

Plumage and eggshell colouration covary with the level of sex-specific parental contributions to nest building in birds

Divergent color signals from homologous unfeathered ornaments in two congeneric grouse

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