Sex-Dependent Expression and Fitness Consequences of Sunlight-Derived Color Phenotypes

The American Naturalist
Juan A FargalloGuillermo Blanco

Abstract

To understand whether early phenotypes are adaptive, knowledge of the environmental factors involved in their variation and the derived benefits from their expression is needed. Temperature and sunlight are considered two major selective forces influencing phenotypic coloration of birds at a global scale. However, within-population color adaptations in response to sunlight temperature variation have been scarcely investigated, and their acclimatization capacity is currently unknown. In addition, the sexes differ in their sensitivity to environmental factors during growth. This study evaluates how melanin plumage coloration varies in relation to sex and sunlight exposure in developing griffon vultures Gyps fulvus and how this correlates with survival. The results show that individuals grown in nests more exposed to sunlight developed paler plumages, as predicted by the thermal melanism hypothesis. In addition, paler males-but not females-have lower survival probability. Finally, a significant sexual dichromatism in fledgling plumage was observed, with females being paler than males. These results reveal within-population color variation related to sunlight temperature conditions, probably as a capacity for local acclimatization ...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 11, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Pilar Gómez-RamírezAntonio Juan García-Fernández
Apr 4, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Nayden Chakarov, Guillermo Blanco

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