Phenotypic, genetic, and environmental causes of variation in yellow skin pigmentation and serum carotenoids in Eurasian kestrel nestlings

In the context of sexual selection and parent-offspring communication, carotenoid-based coloration operates as a dynamic condition-dependent signal, as pigments stored in the skin and in the bill can be reallocated to other tissues in accordance with physiological needs. We studied the proximate fac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological research 2009-03, Vol.24 (2), p.273-279
Main Authors: Casagrande, Stefania, Costantini, David, Tagliavini, James, Dell'Omo, Giacomo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Birds
Blood
Blood levels
Carotenoids
Color
Coloration
Communication
Cross‐fostering
Ecology
Environment
Evolutionary Biology
Falco tinnunculus
Forestry
Genotype & phenotype
Heritability
Integument
Kestrel
Life Sciences
Nests
Offspring
Original Article
Pigmentation
Pigments
Plant Sciences
Proximate factors
Sexual selection
Skin
Skin coloration
Variance component
Zoology
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Summary:In the context of sexual selection and parent-offspring communication, carotenoid-based coloration operates as a dynamic condition-dependent signal, as pigments stored in the skin and in the bill can be reallocated to other tissues in accordance with physiological needs. We studied the proximate factors affecting the carotenoid-dependent coloration of the Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Kestrel nestlings show carotenoid-based coloration at the integument level. Adult males and females share similar characteristics, but to a different extent. By cross-fostering nestlings, we evaluated the importance of the “nest of rearing” and the “nest of origin” to determine variation in skin color and blood carotenoids. The nest of rearing accounted for most of the observed variance in skin color, as well as serum carotenoids, while the nest of origin was not causal to the variability of carotenoids in young kestrels. The study indirectly shows that carotenoid-based color expressed by young kestrels is not affected by pre-laying conditions. Furthermore, we found that carotenoid coloration and blood carotenoid concentration were correlated at phenotypic and environmental levels, while the hereditary component of the carotenoid traits was too low to estimate their correlation at the genetic level.
ISSN:0912-3814
1440-1703
DOI:10.1007/s11284-008-0503-3