Avian egg colour and sexual selection: does eggshell pigmentation reflect female condition and genetic quality?
نویسندگان
چکیده
Juan Moreno* and José Luis Osorno Departamento de Ecologı́a Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, J. Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain Permanent address: Departamento de Ecologı́a Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecologı́a, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70-275, México D.F., 04510 México *Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Avian egg colour has been explained as mainly serving crypsis or mimetism, although the function of certain colours (e.g. blue and green) has not yet been demonstrated. We interpret egg colour as a sexually selected signal of the laying female’s genetic quality to its mate in order to induce a higher allocation of paternal care. The blue–green pigment biliverdin is an antioxidant, the deposition of which may signal antioxidant capacity whereas the deposition of the brown pigment protoporphyrin, a pro-oxidant, may signal tolerance of oxidative stress. Egg ground colour is presumably heritable and phylogenetically labile. The hypothesis can be applied to animals with colourful eggs and paternal care.
منابع مشابه
Condition-dependent strategies of eggshell pigmentation: an experimental study of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).
A relationship has been suggested between eggshell colour and female body condition based on the opposing antioxidant properties of the two main eggshell pigments: the antioxidant biliverdin (blue-green) and the pro-oxidant protoporphyrin (brown). We hypothesized that experimentally food-restricted females with low antioxidant capacity would deposit more protoporphyrin and less biliverdin in th...
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