Evolutionary shifts in the melanin-based color system of birds

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
Chad M EliasonJulia A Clarke

Abstract

Melanin pigments contained in organelles (melanosomes) impart earthy colors to feathers. Such melanin-based colors are distributed across birds and thought to be the ancestral color-producing mechanism in birds. However, we have had limited data on melanin-based color and melanosome diversity in Palaeognathae, which includes the flighted tinamous and large-bodied, flightless ratites and is the sister taxon to all other extant birds. Here, we use scanning electron microscopy and spectrophotometry to assess melanosome morphology and quantify reflected color for 19 species within this clade. We find that brown colors in ratites are uniquely associated with elongated melanosomes nearly identical in shape to those associated with black colors. Melanosome and color diversity in large-bodied ratites is limited relative to other birds (including flightless penguins) and smaller bodied basal maniraptoran dinosaur outgroups of Aves, whereas tinamous show a wider range of melanosome forms similar to neognaths. The repeated occurrence of novel melanosome forms in the nonmonophyletic ratites suggests that melanin-based color tracks changes in body size, physiology, or other life history traits associated with flight loss, but not feather mo...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 24, 2018·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Juan J NegroIsmael Galván
Aug 16, 2017·Ecology and Evolution·Rosa A Sánchez-GuillénAdolfo Cordero-Rivera
May 20, 2020·Science Advances·Chad M Eliason, Julia A Clarke
Sep 21, 2019·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Arindam RoyXing Xu
Apr 10, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Chad M Eliason, Julia A Clarke
Feb 8, 2021·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·M E McNamaraA Roulin
Sep 17, 2020·Nano Letters·Ravi ShankerMagnus P Jonsson

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