Families on the spot: sexual signals influence parent–offspring interactions

In 1950, Tinbergen described the elicitation of offspring begging by the red spot on the bill of parent gulls, and this became a model system for behavioural studies. Current knowledge on colour traits suggests they can act as sexual signals revealing individual quality. However, sexual signals have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2009-07, Vol.276 (1666), p.2477-2483
Main Authors: Morales, Judith, Alonso-Álvarez, Carlos, Pérez, Cristóbal, Torres, Roxana, Serafino, Ester, Velando, Alberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Communication
Animals
Charadriiformes - anatomy & histology
Charadriiformes - physiology
Chicks
Color
Conflict (Psychology)
Cues
Evolution
Feeding Behavior
Female
Female animals
Information Exchange
Male
Male animals
Maternal Behavior
Mating behavior
Mating Preference, Animal
Offspring Begging
Parent-Offspring Conflict
Parental Care
Parental investment
Parents
Paternal Behavior
Pecking order
Sexual Conflict
Sexual Signals
Social Behavior
Social interaction
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Summary:In 1950, Tinbergen described the elicitation of offspring begging by the red spot on the bill of parent gulls, and this became a model system for behavioural studies. Current knowledge on colour traits suggests they can act as sexual signals revealing individual quality. However, sexual signals have never been studied simultaneously in relationship to parent-offspring and sexual conflicts. We manipulated the red-spot size in one member of yellow-legged gull pairs and observed their partners' feeding efforts in relationship to offspring begging. In the enlarged-spot group, partners doubled their effort compared with the other groups. Furthermore, in the reduced-spot group, partners provided food in relationship to offspring begging, contrasting with the fixed effort of the partners of enlarged-spot gulls. Manipulated gulls, independently of treatment, provided food in relationship to chicks begging only when the partner's investment was low, and performed a fixed effort when the partner's contribution was high. Results demonstrate that the red spot in yellow-legged gulls functions as a sexual signal and indicate that parental rules are plastic, depending on the information on offer. Previous evidence and this study indicate that this signal is used by all family members to adjust decision rules. The incorporation of sexual signals in parent-offspring interactions can be crucial in understanding intra-familial conflicts.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2008.1942