Abstract
The red-legged partridge is increasingly recognized as a good study model in ecophysiology and evolutionary biology. Most research in these fields has focused on the expression of coloured social signals. The fact that this species expresses the two main types of coloured ornaments among vertebrates (i.e. carotenoid- and melanin-based) has attracted the interest of scientists investigating the mechanisms behind the function and evolution of these traits. Intensive research on the colour of the beak, eye rings and legs of this species has revealed that the redness of these characters results from the accumulation of two main carotenoids (astaxanthin and papilioerythrinone) that the animal synthesizes at the integument from dietary precursors. Diet composition, intestinal parasites, body condition, oxidative stress and androgen levels significantly affect the expression of the characteristic redness of these traits, making them reliable indicators of individual quality. Melanin-based plumage ornaments of the red-legged partridge (black bib and barred flank feathers) have been relatively less studied. However, experimental studies have shown that their expression is connected to the oxidative status of the individual during feather growth. In addition, the pattern of the black bib —measured through its fractal dimension— is sensitive to the body condition of the individual during moult. Given that most of these studies have been performed in captivity, the main challenge in the short term is to validate and calibrate the conclusions obtained in captivity with studies performed in the wild. This would also help evaluate the interconnection among different signalling traits —including behavioural displays— and their relative importance under different social and environmental contexts.
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Carlos Alonso-Álvarez for his insightful comments to an early draft of this chapter and to Elisa Pérez-Ramírez for carefully reviewing the last version. During the writing of this manuscript, I was supported by a SECTI postdoctoral contract from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and by the research project SBPLY/17/180501/000468 from the JCCM (co-financed with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)).
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Pérez-Rodríguez, L. (2022). Advances in Research on Ecophysiology and Evolutionary Ecology: The Red-Legged Partridge as a Study Model. In: Casas, F., García, J.T. (eds) The Future of the Red-legged Partridge. Wildlife Research Monographs, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96341-5_2
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