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Age-related variation in carotenoid-based plumage ornaments of male Red Bishops Euplectes orix

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Abstract

Males in many bird species develop elaborate carotenoid-based plumage ornaments which often play an important role as signals of individual quality in intra- or intersexual selection. However, knowledge of the pattern of age-related variation in plumage traits is crucial to interpret results on associations between plumage signals and reproductive performance. We investigated how age is related to brightness and carotenoid saturation of the orange-red breeding plumage in males of known age in the Red Bishop (Euplectes orix), a polygynous and sexually dimorphic weaverbird species. We found that the relationships of both plumage brightness and carotenoid saturation with age were best explained by a quadratic function, with males in their prime (i.e. 3–5 years old) having a brighter and more carotenoid-saturated plumage than both very young and very old males. The implications of our results for studies in the context of animal signalling are discussed.

Zusammenfassung

Altersabhängige Variation von karotenoid-basierter Gefiederfärbung bei Männchen des Oryxwebers (Euplectes orix)

Die Männchen vieler Vogelarten entwickeln auffällige karotenoid-basierte Gefiedermerkmale welche oft auch eine wichtige Rolle als Signale im Kontext intra- und intersexueller Selektion spielen. Eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Untersuchung von Zusammenhängen zwischen Gefiedermerkmalen und Fortpflanzungserfolg ist jedoch eine genaue Kenntnis der altersabhängigen Variation dieser Gefiedermerkmale. In dieser Studie haben wir untersucht, wie Alter mit Glanz und Farbsättigung des orange-roten Brutgefieders von Männchen des Oryxwebers (Euplectes orix), einer polygynen und stark sexuell dimorphen Webervogelart, zusammenhängt. Es ergab sich, dass sowohl der Zusammenhang zwischen Alter und Gefiederglanz als auch der Zusammenhang zwischen Alter und Farbsättigung am besten mit einer quadratischen Funktion erklärt werden kann. Das Gefieder von Männchen im besten Fortpflanzungsalter (d.h. Männchen im Alter zwischen 3 und 5 Jahren) weist einen höheren Glanz und auch eine höhere Farbsättigung auf als das Gefieder von sehr jungen oder sehr alten Männchen. Die Implikationen unserer Ergebnisse für Studien zu Signalen im Tierreich werden diskutiert.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the National Parks Board of South Africa and the Chief Directorate Environmental Affairs at the Department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism in the Eastern Cape Province for the permission to carry out this study in the Addo Elephant National Park. We are also grateful to Janis Dickinson, Alain Jacot and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on a previous version of the manuscript, to Ralf Edler for his help with the field work, and to the entire staff at the Addo Elephant National Park for their continuous support. Alice Edler was supported by a grant from the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst). This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG FR 2096/2-2).

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  1. Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Animal Physiology and Behaviour Group, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, P.O. Box 2503, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    Alice U. Edler & Thomas W. P. Friedl

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  1. Alice U. Edler
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  2. Thomas W. P. Friedl
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Correspondence to Thomas W. P. Friedl.

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Communicated by F. Bairlein.

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Edler, A.U., Friedl, T.W.P. Age-related variation in carotenoid-based plumage ornaments of male Red Bishops Euplectes orix . J Ornithol 153, 413–420 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0757-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0757-3

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