Journal article
Haemosporidian parasites and incubation period influence plumage coloration in tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae)
Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, v 289(1987), pp 20221283-20221283
23 Nov 2022
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Abstract
Birds are highly visually oriented and use plumage coloration as an important signalling trait in social communication. Hence, males and females may have different patterns of plumage coloration, a phenomenon known as sexual dichromatism. Because males tend to have more complex plumages, sexual dichromatism is usually attributed to female choice. However, plumage coloration is partly condition-dependent; therefore, other selective pressures affecting individuals' success may also drive the evolution of this trait. Here, we used tanagers as model organisms to study the relationships between dichromatism and plumage coloration complexity in tanagers with parasitism by haemosporidians, investment in reproduction and life-history traits. We screened blood samples from 2849 individual birds belonging to 52 tanager species to detect haemosporidian parasites. We used publicly available data for plumage coloration, bird phylogeny and life-history traits to run phylogenetic generalized least-square models of plumage dichromatism and complexity in male and female tanagers. We found that plumage dichromatism was more pronounced in bird species with a higher prevalence of haemosporidian parasites. Lastly, high plumage coloration complexity in female tanagers was associated with a longer incubation period. Our results indicate an association between haemosporidian parasites and plumage coloration suggesting that parasites impact mechanisms of sexual selection, increasing differences between the sexes, and social (non-sexual) selection, driving females to develop more complex coloration.
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Details
- Title
- Haemosporidian parasites and incubation period influence plumage coloration in tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae)
- Creators
- Victor Aguiar de Souza Penha (Corresponding Author) - Universidade Federal do ParanáFabricius Maia Chaves Bicalho Domingos - Universidade Federal do ParanáAlan Fecchio - National University of Patagonia San Juan BoscoJeffrey A. Bell - University of North DakotaJason D. Weckstein - Drexel UniversityRobert E. Ricklefs - University of Missouri–St. LouisErika Martins Braga - Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisPatrícia de Abreu Moreira - Universidade Federal de Ouro PretoLetícia Soares - National Aviary (United States, Pittsburgh)Steven Latta - Conservation and Field Research, National Aviary, 15212, Pittsburgh, PA, USAGraziela Tolesano-Pascoli - Universidade de BrasíliaRenata Duarte Alquezar - Universidade de BrasíliaKleber Del-Claro - Universidade Federal de UberlândiaLilian Tonelli Manica - Universidade Federal do Paraná
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, v 289(1987), pp 20221283-20221283
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Grant note
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Conselho Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia DEB-1503804 / National Science Foundation (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); Ornithology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000888262700003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85142527867
- Other Identifier
- 991019350685304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biology
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology