DOCSLIB.ORG

Function and Evolution of Plumage Traits in Trogons (Aves Trogoniformes), and the Importance of Parameterization in Visual Models

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Function and Evolution of Plumage Traits in Trogons (Aves Trogoniformes), and the Importance of Parameterization in Visual Models University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2015 FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF PLUMAGE TRAITS IN TROGONS (AVES TROGONIFORMES), AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PARAMETERIZATION IN VISUAL MODELS Pierre-Paul Bitton University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Bitton, Pierre-Paul, "FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF PLUMAGE TRAITS IN TROGONS (AVES TROGONIFORMES), AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PARAMETERIZATION IN VISUAL MODELS" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5714. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5714 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF PLUMAGE TRAITS IN TROGONS (AVES TROGONIFORMES), AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PARAMETERIZATION IN VISUAL MODELS by PIERRE-PAUL BITTON A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Department of Biological Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada © 2015 Pierre-Paul Bitton Function and evolution of plumage traits in Trogons (Aves Trogoniformes), and the importance of parameterization in visual models by Pierre-Paul Bitton APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ Dr. Robert Montgomerie, External Examiner Department of Biology, Queen’s University ______________________________________________ Dr. Melania Cristescu, External Departmental Reader Department of Biology, McGill University Adjunct to the Great Lakes Institute of Environmental Research, University of Windsor ______________________________________________ Dr. Trevor Pitcher, Internal Departmental Reader Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor ______________________________________________ Dr. Daniel Mennill, Internal Departmental Reader Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor ______________________________________________ Dr. Stéphanie Doucet, Advisor Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor May 15th, 2015 Declaration of Co-Authorship / Previous Publication I. Co-Authorship Declaration I declare that this thesis incorporates material that is the result of joint research, as follows: I am the sole author of the General Introduction, Chapter 1, and the General Discussion, Chapter 6. I am the principal author of the manuscripts that comprise the four data chapters: Chapters 2 through 5. All six data chapters are co-authored with my supervisor, Dr. Stéphanie M. Doucet. Chapter 4 was co-authored by collaborators Drs. Jeffrey DaCosta and John Klicka, and Chapter 5 was co-authored with Kevyn Janisse who also provided the spectral data for the analyses. For all four data chapters, I conceptualized the research projects and experimental designs, and I am primarily responsible for the experimental execution, data analysis, interpretation, and writing. Dr. Stéphanie Doucet contributed to experimental design, interpretation, and the editing of the manuscripts, as well as providing financial and logistical support. My others collaborators provided data, contributed to the analyses, data interpretation, and/or writing and editing of the manuscripts. I am aware of the University of Windsor Senate Policy on Authorship and I certify that I have properly acknowledged the contribution of other researchers to my thesis, and have obtained written permission from my co-authors to include the above material in my thesis. I certify that, with the above qualification, this thesis, and the research to which it refers, is the product of my own work. Chapter 2 is published in Behavioral Ecology, and is formatted for that journal. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 have been formatted for future submission to Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, and American Naturalist, respectively. iii II. Declaration of Previous Publication This thesis includes one original paper that has been published in a peer reviewed journal, as follows: Thesis Chapter Publication title/full citation Publication status Chapter 2 Published in A multifunctional visual display in elegant trogons Behavioral Ecology targets conspecifics and heterospecifics Chapter 2 is a pre-copyedited, author-produced copy of an article published in Behavioral Ecology following peer review. The version of record “Bitton P-P., and S. M. Doucet. 2014. A multifunctional visual signal in the Elegant trogon Trogon elegans targets conspecifics and heterospecifics. Behavioral Ecology 25: 27-34.” is available online at: http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/1/27.short I certify that the above material describes work completed during my registration as graduate student at the University of Windsor. I declare that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iv Abstract In this dissertation, I investigated the function and evolution of plumage-based visual signals in trogons (Trogoniformes), and assessed the influence of individual parameters in the receptor- noise model of colour discriminability. In Chapter 2, I investigated the function of tail raising in the elegant trogon. For this purpose, I used observational and experimental data collected in Costa Rica. Results demonstrated that tail raising in the elegant trogon is a multifunctional signal that targets both conspecifics and heterospecifics. Specifically, trogons used this behaviour during intra and intersexual interactions, and the experiment confirmed that tail raising is a pursuit-deterrent signal. In Chapter 3, I experimentally tested which plumage patches are used in species recognition in two species of trogons: the black-headed trogon, which is sympatric with a similar-looking congener, and the elegant trogon, which is not sympatric with a similar- looking congener. The results suggested that while both species use the back and belly colour as specie- recognition traits, the black-headed trogon but not the elegant trogon also assessed the tail banding pattern. In Chapter 4, I investigated the relationship between sympatry and plumage divergence in the genus Trogon. My results demonstrated that Trogon taxa diversified more rapidly, and that plumage trait divergence increased with sympatric overlap in South American but not Central American taxa. Together, my findings suggested that the rapid colonization of South America following the Great American Interchange resulted in reinforcement through character displacement or trait sorting. In Chapter 5, I investigated how dichromatism scores are influenced by individual parameters of the receptor-noise model of chromatic contrast threshold, using an avian-based tetrachromatic approach. I systematically tested parameter values for ambient light environment, photoreceptor sensitivities and densities, transmission properties of the ocular media and oil droplets, and compared the v sensory experience of species for which the visual system has been fully characterized. My results demonstrated that oil droplet characteristics, photoreceptor densities, and the sensitivity of the SWS1 photoreceptor (ultraviolet sensitive or not) had the most influence on dichromatism scores. I encourage the complete characterization of visual systems when possible, and my results will inform researchers when making inferences about tetrachromatic visual models. vi Acknowledgements The research presented in this dissertation would not have been possible without the help and support of amazing people. I have met and developed strong relationships with many individuals who will always be remembered. I’d like to thank my supervisor Stéphanie M. Doucet for all her guidance, financial support, comments on manuscripts and grant applications, and giving me a great opportunity to work in the tropics and in museums. Drs. Daniel Mennill, Trevor Pitcher, and Melania Cristescu provided valuable advice throughout my doctoral studies. Much of the data included in this dissertation was obtained
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Redalyc.Coloration Anomaly of a Male Collared Trogon (Trogon Collaris)
    Acta Zoológica Mexicana (nueva serie) ISSN: 0065-1737 [email protected] Instituto de Ecología, A.C. México Eisermann, Knut; Omland, Kevin Coloration anomaly of a male Collared Trogon (Trogon Collaris) Acta Zoológica Mexicana (nueva serie), vol. 23, núm. 2, 2007, pp. 197-200 Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Xalapa, México Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57523211 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 23(2): 197-200 (2007) Nota Científica COLORATION ANOMALY OF A MALE COLLARED TROGON (TROGON COLLARIS) Resumen. Reportamos la observación de un macho adulto de Trogon collaris con vientre amarillo, similar al color del vientre de Trogon violaceus o Trogon melanocephalus. El pico era de color amarillo sucio y el anillo orbital era oscuro. Con base en publicaciones sobre coloración anormal en otras especies, asumimos que fueron alteraciones genéticas o de desarrollo del individuo las que causaron el color amarillo en lugar del rojo usual del plumaje ventral. Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris) occurs in several disjunct areas from central Mexico to the northern half of South America east of the Andes (AOU 1998. Check-list of North American birds. 7th ed. AOU. Washington D.C.). At least eight subspecies are recognized (Dickinson 2003. The Howard and Moore complete checklist of the birds of the world. 3rd ed. Princeton Univ.
    [Show full text]
  • Costa Rica 2020
    Sunrise Birding LLC COSTA RICA TRIP REPORT January 30 – February 5, 2020 Photos: Talamanca Hummingbird, Sunbittern, Resplendent Quetzal, Congenial Group! Sunrise Birding LLC COSTA RICA TRIP REPORT January 30 – February 5, 2020 Leaders: Frank Mantlik & Vernon Campos Report and photos by Frank Mantlik Highlights and top sightings of the trip as voted by participants Resplendent Quetzals, multi 20 species of hummingbirds Spectacled Owl 2 CR & 32 Regional Endemics Bare-shanked Screech Owl 4 species Owls seen in 70 Black-and-white Owl minutes Suzy the “owling” dog Russet-naped Wood-Rail Keel-billed Toucan Great Potoo Tayra!!! Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher Black-faced Solitaire (& song) Rufous-browed Peppershrike Amazing flora, fauna, & trails American Pygmy Kingfisher Sunbittern Orange-billed Sparrow Wayne’s insect show-and-tell Volcano Hummingbird Spangle-cheeked Tanager Purple-crowned Fairy, bathing Rancho Naturalista Turquoise-browed Motmot Golden-hooded Tanager White-nosed Coati Vernon as guide and driver January 29 - Arrival San Jose All participants arrived a day early, staying at Hotel Bougainvillea. Those who arrived in daylight had time to explore the phenomenal gardens, despite a rain storm. Day 1 - January 30 Optional day-trip to Carara National Park Guides Vernon and Frank offered an optional day trip to Carara National Park before the tour officially began and all tour participants took advantage of this special opportunity. As such, we are including the sightings from this day trip in the overall tour report. We departed the Hotel at 05:40 for the drive to the National Park. En route we stopped along the road to view a beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of Brilliant Iridescent Feather Nanostructures
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.31.446390; this version posted May 31, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. 1 Evolution of brilliant iridescent feather nanostructures 2 Klara K. Nordén1, Chad M. Eliason2, Mary Caswell Stoddard1 3 1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 4 08544, USA 5 2Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA 6 7 Abstract 8 The brilliant iridescent plumage of birds creates some of the most stunning color displays 9 known in the natural world. Iridescent plumage colors are produced by nanostructures in 10 feathers and have evolved in a wide variety of birds. The building blocks of these 11 structures—melanosomes (melanin-filled organelles)—come in a variety of forms, yet how 12 these different forms contribute to color production across birds remains unclear. Here, we 13 leverage evolutionary analyses, optical simulations and reflectance spectrophotometry to 14 uncover general principles that govern the production of brilliant iridescence. We find that a 15 key feature that unites all melanosome forms in brilliant iridescent structures is thin melanin 16 layers. Birds have achieved this in multiple ways: by decreasing the size of the melanosome 17 directly, by hollowing out the interior, or by flattening the melanosome into a platelet. The 18 evolution of thin melanin layers unlocks color-producing possibilities, more than doubling 19 the range of colors that can be produced with a thick melanin layer and simultaneously 20 increasing brightness.
    [Show full text]
  • New Mexico Ornithological Society Field Notes
    New Mexico Ornithological Society Field Notes Volume 39, Number 2, Spring 2000 NEW MEXICO ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY FIELD NOTES Volume 39, Number 2, Spring 2000 1 March – 31 May 2000 A quarterly publication of the New Mexico Ornithological Society EDITORIAL STAFF Sartor O. Williams III, Editor William H. Howe, Assistant Editor EDITORIAL OFFICE Southwest Natural History Institute 1819 Meadowview Drive NW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104-2511 ([email protected]) Reporting Observations: All individuals interested in birds in New Mexico are encouraged to submit their observations to NMOS Field Notes. Especially solicited are records of uncommon species, nesting birds, and early, late, or out-of-season/range birds. Records should be submitted in taxonomic order and should include species name, date, exact location, numbers of birds, age, sex, and color morph (if applicable), and name and contact information of observer. Details are necessary for unusual records; these may be submitted on a report form (available from the address above), but any written format is acceptable. Photographic documentation is strongly encouraged. NEW MEXICO ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY (Founded 1962) The New Mexico Ornithological Society was organized to gather and disseminate accurate information concerning the bird life of New Mexico; to promote interest in and appreciation of the value of birds, both aesthetic and economic, to further effective conservation of the state’s avifauna; to facilitate opportunity for acquaintance and fellowship among those interested in birds and nature; and to issue publications as a means of furthering these ends. Membership and Subscriptions: Membership in the New Mexico Ornithological Society is open to anyone with an interest in birds.
    [Show full text]
  • Birdlife International for the Input of Analyses, Technical Information, Advice, Ideas, Research Papers, Peer Review and Comment
    UNEP/CMS/ScC16/Doc.10 Annex 2b CMS Scientific Council: Flyway Working Group Reviews Review 2: Review of Current Knowledge of Bird Flyways, Principal Knowledge Gaps and Conservation Priorities Compiled by: JEFF KIRBY Just Ecology Brookend House, Old Brookend, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, GL13 9SQ, U.K. June 2010 Acknowledgements I am grateful to colleagues at BirdLife International for the input of analyses, technical information, advice, ideas, research papers, peer review and comment. Thus, I extend my gratitude to my lead contact at the BirdLife Secretariat, Ali Stattersfield, and to Tris Allinson, Jonathan Barnard, Stuart Butchart, John Croxall, Mike Evans, Lincoln Fishpool, Richard Grimmett, Vicky Jones and Ian May. In addition, John Sherwell worked enthusiastically and efficiently to provide many key publications, at short notice, and I’m grateful to him for that. I also thank the authors of, and contributors to, Kirby et al. (2008) which was a major review of the status of migratory bird species and which laid the foundations for this work. Borja Heredia, from CMS, and Taej Mundkur, from Wetlands International, also provided much helpful advice and assistance, and were instrumental in steering the work. I wish to thank Tim Jones as well (the compiler of a parallel review of CMS instruments) for his advice, comment and technical inputs; and also Simon Delany of Wetlands International. Various members of the CMS Flyway Working Group, and other representatives from CMS, BirdLife and Wetlands International networks, responded to requests for advice and comment and for this I wish to thank: Olivier Biber, Joost Brouwer, Nicola Crockford, Carlo C. Custodio, Tim Dodman, Roger Jaensch, Jelena Kralj, Angus Middleton, Narelle Montgomery, Cristina Morales, Paul Kariuki Ndang'ang'a, Paul O’Neill, Herb Raffaele and David Stroud.
    [Show full text]
  • 1471-2148-10-132.Pdf
    Shen et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2010, 10:132 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/132 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access AResearch mitogenomic article perspective on the ancient, rapid radiation in the Galliformes with an emphasis on the Phasianidae Yong-Yi Shen1,2,3, Lu Liang1,2,3, Yan-Bo Sun1,2,3, Bi-Song Yue4, Xiao-Jun Yang1, Robert W Murphy1,5 and Ya- Ping Zhang*1,2 Abstract Background: The Galliformes is a well-known and widely distributed Order in Aves. The phylogenetic relationships of galliform birds, especially the turkeys, grouse, chickens, quails, and pheasants, have been studied intensively, likely because of their close association with humans. Despite extensive studies, convergent morphological evolution and rapid radiation have resulted in conflicting hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships. Many internal nodes have remained ambiguous. Results: We analyzed the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes from 34 galliform species, including 14 new mt genomes and 20 published mt genomes, and obtained a single, robust tree. Most of the internal branches were relatively short and the terminal branches long suggesting an ancient, rapid radiation. The Megapodiidae formed the sister group to all other galliforms, followed in sequence by the Cracidae, Odontophoridae and Numididae. The remaining clade included the Phasianidae, Tetraonidae and Meleagrididae. The genus Arborophila was the sister group of the remaining taxa followed by Polyplectron. This was followed by two major clades: ((((Gallus, Bambusicola) Francolinus) (Coturnix, Alectoris)) Pavo) and (((((((Chrysolophus, Phasianus) Lophura) Syrmaticus) Perdix) Pucrasia) (Meleagris, Bonasa)) ((Lophophorus, Tetraophasis) Tragopan))). Conclusions: The traditional hypothesis of monophyletic lineages of pheasants, partridges, peafowls and tragopans was not supported in this study.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands
    Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands - including Sacha Lodge Extension Naturetrek Tour Report 29 January – 20 February 2018 Medium Ground-finch Blue-footed Booby Wire-tailed Manakin Galapagos Penguin Green Sea Turtle Report kindly compiled by Tour participants Sally Wearing, Rowena Tye, Debbie Hardie and Sue Swift Images courtesy of David Griffiths, Sue Swift, Debbie Hardie, Jenny Tynan, Rowena Tye, Nick Blake and Sally Wearing Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf’s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands - including Sacha Lodge Extension Tour Leader in the Galapagos: Juan Tapia with 13 Naturetrek Clients This report has kindly been compiled by tour participants Sally Wearing, Rowena Tye, Debbie Hardie and Sue Swift. Day 1 Monday 29th January UK to Quito People arrived in Quito via Amsterdam with KLM or via Madrid with Iberia, while Tony came separately from the USA. Everyone was met at the airport and taken to the Hotel Vieja Cuba; those who were awake enough went out to eat before a good night’s rest. Day 2 Tuesday 30th January Quito. Weather: Hot and mostly sunny. The early risers saw the first few birds of the trip outside the hotel: Rufous- collared Sparrow, Great Thrush and Eared Doves. After breakfast, an excellent guide took us on a bus and walking tour of Quito’s old town. This started with the Basilica del Voto Nacional, where everyone marvelled at the “grotesques” of native Ecuadorian animals such as frigatebirds, iguanas and tortoises.
    [Show full text]
  • Borneo: Broadbills & Bristleheads
    TROPICAL BIRDING Trip Report: BORNEO June-July 2012 A Tropical Birding Set Departure Tour BORNEO: BROADBILLS & BRISTLEHEADS RHINOCEROS HORNBILL: The big winner of the BIRD OF THE TRIP; with views like this, it’s easy to understand why! 24 June – 9 July 2012 Tour Leader: Sam Woods All but one photo (of the Black-and-yellow Broadbill) were taken by Sam Woods (see http://www.pbase.com/samwoods or his blog, LOST in BIRDING http://www.samwoodsbirding.blogspot.com for more of Sam’s photos) 1 www.tropicalbirding.com Tel: +1-409-515-0514 E-mail: [email protected] TROPICAL BIRDING Trip Report: BORNEO June-July 2012 INTRODUCTION Whichever way you look at it, this year’s tour of Borneo was a resounding success: 297 bird species were recorded, including 45 endemics . We saw all but a few of the endemic birds we were seeking (and the ones missed are mostly rarely seen), and had good weather throughout, with little rain hampering proceedings for any significant length of time. Among the avian highlights were five pitta species seen, with the Blue-banded, Blue-headed, and Black-and-crimson Pittas in particular putting on fantastic shows for all birders present. The Blue-banded was so spectacular it was an obvious shoe-in for one of the top trip birds of the tour from the moment we walked away. Amazingly, despite absolutely stunning views of a male Blue-headed Pitta showing his shimmering cerulean blue cap and deep purple underside to spectacular effect, he never even got a mention in the final highlights of the tour, which completely baffled me; he simply could not have been seen better, and birds simply cannot look any better! However, to mention only the endemics is to miss the mark, as some of the, other, less local birds create as much of a stir, and can bring with them as much fanfare.
    [Show full text]
  • 'RAISED TAIL' BEHAVIOR of the COLLARED TROGON (Trogon
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327919604 "RAISED TAIL" BEHAVIOR OF THE COLLARED TROGON (Trogon collaris) Article · September 2018 CITATION READS 1 126 1 author: Cristina Sainz-Borgo Simon Bolívar University 57 PUBLICATIONS 278 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Censo Neotropical de Aves Acuáticas en Venezuela View project Conteo de bacterias en los alimentadores artificiales de colibries View project All content following this page was uploaded by Cristina Sainz-Borgo on 25 October 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Sainz-Borgo Bolet´ınSAO Vol. 27 - 2018 `Raised Tailed' behavior of the Collared Trogon (No. 1 & 2) { Pag: 1-3 `RAISED TAIL' BEHAVIOR OF THE COLLARED TROGON (Trogon collaris) DESPLIEGUE DE LA COLA LEVANTADA EN EL TROGON ACOLLARADO (Trogon collaris) Cristina Sainz-Borgo1 Abstract The `raised tail' behavior of two pairs of Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris) was observed in the Coastal Range of Venezuela. In both observations, a male and female rapidly raised their tails to a horizontal position and slowly returned them to a vertical hanging position. During these displays, both individuals simultaneously emitted loud calls approximately every 5 seconds, forming a duet. The first display lasted 30 minutes while the second lasted approximately 45 minutes. This `raised tail' behavior has been reported for several species of trogons during courtship and when mobbing a predator. Because there were no predators present during both observations, the described `raised tail' behavior was most likely a courtship display.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Sexual Selection in the American Goldfinch
    Sexual Selection in the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis): Context-Dependent Variation in Female Preference Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Donella S. Bolen, M.S. Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee: Ian M. Hamilton, Advisor J. Andrew Roberts, Advisor Jacqueline Augustine 1 Copyrighted by Donella S. Bolen 2019 2 Abstract Females can vary in their mate choice decisions and this variability can play a key role in evolution by sexual selection. Variability in female preferences can affect the intensity and direction of selection on male sexual traits, as well as explain variation in male reproductive success. I looked at how consistency of female preference can vary for a male sexual trait, song length, and then examined context-dependent situations that may contribute to variation in female preferences. In Chapter 2, I assessed repeatability – a measure of among-individual variation – in preference for male song length in female American goldfinches (Spinus tristis). I found no repeatability in preference for song length but did find an overall preference for shorter songs. I suggest that context, including the social environment, may be important in altering the expression of female preferences. In Chapter 3, I assessed how the choices of other females influence female preference. Mate choice copying, in which female preference for a male increases if he has been observed with other females, has been observed in several non-monogamous birds. However, it is unclear whether mate choice copying occurs in socially monogamous species where there are direct benefits from choosing an unmated male.
    [Show full text]
  • 2011, Article ID 423938, 16 Pages Doi:10.4061/2011/423938
    SAGE-Hindawi Access to Research International Journal of Evolutionary Biology Volume 2011, Article ID 423938, 16 pages doi:10.4061/2011/423938 Research Article A Macroevolutionary Perspective on Multiple Sexual Traits in the Phasianidae (Galliformes) Rebecca T. Kimball, Colette M. St. Mary, and Edward L. Braun Department of Biology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Rebecca T. Kimball, [email protected]fl.edu Received 2 October 2010; Accepted 26 February 2011 Academic Editor: Rob Kulathinal Copyright © 2011 Rebecca T. Kimball et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Traits involved in sexual signaling are ubiquitous among animals. Although a single trait appears sufficient to convey information, many sexually dimorphic species exhibit multiple sexual signals, which may be costly to signalers and receivers. Given that one signal may be enough, there are many microevolutionary hypotheses to explain the evolution of multiple signals. Here we extend these hypotheses to a macroevolutionary scale and compare those predictions to the patterns of gains and losses of sexual dimorphism in pheasants and partridges. Among nine dimorphic characters, including six intersexual signals and three indicators of competitive ability, all exhibited both gains and losses of dimorphism within the group. Although theories of intersexual selection emphasize gain and elaboration, those six characters exhibited greater rates of loss than gain; in contrast, the competitive traits showed a slight bias towards gains. The available models, when examined in a macroevolutionary framework, did not yield unique predictions, making it difficult to distinguish among them.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeography of Finches and Sparrows
    In: Animal Genetics ISBN: 978-1-60741-844-3 Editor: Leopold J. Rechi © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Chapter 1 PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF FINCHES AND SPARROWS Antonio Arnaiz-Villena*, Pablo Gomez-Prieto and Valentin Ruiz-del-Valle Department of Immunology, University Complutense, The Madrid Regional Blood Center, Madrid, Spain. ABSTRACT Fringillidae finches form a subfamily of songbirds (Passeriformes), which are presently distributed around the world. This subfamily includes canaries, goldfinches, greenfinches, rosefinches, and grosbeaks, among others. Molecular phylogenies obtained with mitochondrial DNA sequences show that these groups of finches are put together, but with some polytomies that have apparently evolved or radiated in parallel. The time of appearance on Earth of all studied groups is suggested to start after Middle Miocene Epoch, around 10 million years ago. Greenfinches (genus Carduelis) may have originated at Eurasian desert margins coming from Rhodopechys obsoleta (dessert finch) or an extinct pale plumage ancestor; it later acquired green plumage suitable for the greenfinch ecological niche, i.e.: woods. Multicolored Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) has a genetic extant ancestor, the green-feathered Carduelis citrinella (citril finch); this was thought to be a canary on phonotypical bases, but it is now included within goldfinches by our molecular genetics phylograms. Speciation events between citril finch and Eurasian goldfinch are related with the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis (5 million years ago). Linurgus olivaceus (oriole finch) is presently thriving in Equatorial Africa and was included in a separate genus (Linurgus) by itself on phenotypical bases. Our phylograms demonstrate that it is and old canary. Proposed genus Acanthis does not exist. Twite and linnet form a separate radiation from redpolls.
    [Show full text]