Dataset Information

More ornamented females produce higher-quality offspring in a socially monogamous bird: an experimental study in the great tit (Parus major).

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Animals are often conspicuously colored and explanations range from aposematism and mimicry to sexual selection. Although sexual selection explains vivid coloration in males, functional significance of vivid coloration in females of socially monogamous species remains unclear. The hypothesis of mutual mate choice predicts that more ornamented females produce offspring of higher quality. We tested this prediction in the great tit (Parus major), a small, insectivorous, socially monogamous passerine.

Results

In both females and males we quantified three ornaments that have been hypothesized to have signaling role in this species (size of black breast stripe, carotenoid chroma of yellow breast feathers, immaculateness of the white cheek). We swapped broods between nests soon after hatching, thus separating genetic plus pre-hatching vs. post-hatching effects on offspring performance. Body mass of offspring at 14 days of age was positively related to the area of black breast stripe of genetic mothers. Immune response to a novel antigen (phytohaemagglutinin) at 14 days of age was positively related to the immaculateness of the white cheek patch of both genetic and foster mothers.

Conclusions

We showed that females with more elaborate ornaments produced higher-quality offspring and we discuss potential proximate mechanisms of these relationships. We conclude that as more elaborate ornaments were reliable signals of offspring quality, direct selection by male mate choice might have been responsible for the evolution and/or maintenance of these signaling traits in females.

SUBMITTER: Remes V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3617070 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

More ornamented females produce higher-quality offspring in a socially monogamous bird: an experimental study in the great tit (Parus major).

Remeš Vladimír V Matysioková Beata B

Frontiers in zoology 20130325 1

<h4>Introduction</h4>Animals are often conspicuously colored and explanations range from aposematism and mimicry to sexual selection. Although sexual selection explains vivid coloration in males, functional significance of vivid coloration in females of socially monogamous species remains unclear. The hypothesis of mutual mate choice predicts that more ornamented females produce offspring of higher quality. We tested this prediction in the great tit (Parus major), a small, insectivorous, sociall ...[more]

PMID: 23521836

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Dataset Information

More ornamented females produce higher-quality offspring in a socially monogamous bird: an experimental study in the great tit (Parus major).

Introduction

Results

Conclusions

Publications

More ornamented females produce higher-quality offspring in a socially monogamous bird: an experimental study in the great tit (Parus major).

Similar Datasets

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