Carotenoid-based plumage coloration predicts resistance to a novel parasite in the house finch

The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis proposes that the bright colours displayed by many species of birds serve as signals of individual resistance to parasites. Despite the popularity of this hypothesis, only one previous study has tested whether plumage coloration predicts how individuals respond to a disea...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Die Naturwissenschaften 2005-01, Vol.92 (1), p.30-34
Main Authors: Hill, Geoffrey E, Farmer, Kristy L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Carotenoids - analysis
Carpodacus mexicanus
Color
Coloration
Feathers - chemistry
Females
Finches - microbiology
Hawaii
Hypotheses
Inoculation
Males
Mate selection
Mycoplasma gallicepticum
Mycoplasma gallisepticum - isolation & purification
Parasite resistance
Parasites
Plumage
Signs and symptoms
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis proposes that the bright colours displayed by many species of birds serve as signals of individual resistance to parasites. Despite the popularity of this hypothesis, only one previous study has tested whether plumage coloration predicts how individuals respond to a disease challenge. We inoculated 24 male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) of variable plumage hue with a novel bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallicepticum (MG). We found no relationship between plumage hue and time to first symptoms following inoculation, but we found a significant negative relationship between plumage hue and clearance of disease: males with redder plumage cleared MG infection significantly better than did males with yellower plumage. The hue of carotenoid-based plumage coloration has been shown to be a primary criterion in female mate choice in the house finch. These observations suggest that one benefit to females for choosing redder males is obtaining mates with better resistance to parasites.
ISSN:0028-1042
1432-1904
DOI:10.1007/s00114-004-0582-0