Multiple components of feather microstructure contribute to structural plumage colour diversity in fairy-wrens

2019 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 550-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Fan ◽  
Liliana D’alba ◽  
Matthew D Shawkey ◽  
Anne Peters ◽  
Kaspar Delhey
Keyword(s):  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Microscopic Scale ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Multiple Components ◽  
Spongy Layer ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Feather Microstructure

AbstractClosely related species often differ in coloration. Understanding the mechanistic bases of such differences can reveal whether evolutionary changes in colour are driven by single key mechanisms or changes in multiple pathways. Non-iridescent structural plumage colours in birds are a good model in which to test these questions. These colours result from light absorption by pigments, light scattering by the medullary spongy layer (a nanostructure found within barbs) and contributions from other structural elements. Fairy-wrens (Malurus spp.) are a small clade of closely related birds that display a large diversity of ornamental structural colours. Using spectrometry, electron microscopy and Fourier analysis, we show that 30 structural colours, varying from ultraviolet to blue and purple, share a similar barb morphology. Despite this similarity, we find that at the microscopic scale, variation across multiple structural elements, including the size and density of the keratin cortex, spongy layer and melanin, explains colour diversity. These independent axes of morphological variation together account for sizeable amounts of structural colour variability (R2 = 0.21–0.65). The coexistence of many independent, evolutionarily labile mechanisms that generate colour variation suggests that the diversity of structural colours in this clade could be mediated by many independent genetic and environmental factors.

scholarly journals A simple index to quantify and compare the magnitude of intraspecific geographic plumage colour variation in typical antbirds (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-246
Author(s):  
Rafael S Marcondes ◽  
Robb T Brumfield
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Phylogeographic Structure ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Space ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Simple Index ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Variable Species

Abstract Intraspecific geographic phenotypic variation is a crucial theme in evolutionary biology. Comparing its magnitude across species can provide insights into its ecological and genetic correlates. Here, we developed an index, which we dub the V index, to quantify intraspecific plumage colour variation in typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae), a family which has long interested ornithologists due to a high prevalence of intraspecific variation. The V index is based on a bivariate colour space defined by brightness and redness. Its value for each species equals the mean area occupied by each of its subspecies in that colour space, divided by the area of the species. Lower values indicate greater intraspecific geographic variation. Based on this index, Thamnophilus caerulescens (Variable Antshrike) was exceptionally geographically variable compared to other thamnophilids, as previously suggested based on qualitative evidence. In general, we found that the most variable species had disjunct distributions and deep phylogeographic structure, suggesting an effect of historical population dynamics in producing geographic variation. The V index can be adapted for use with other taxa, traits, and taxonomic levels, and we expect it will instigate novel ways of thinking about phenotypic variation in birds and other animals.

scholarly journals Morphological and plumage colour variation in the Réunion grey white-eye (Aves:Zosterops borbonicus): assessing the role of selection

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josselin Cornuault ◽  
Boris Delahaie ◽  
Joris A. M. Bertrand ◽  
Yann X. C. Bourgeois ◽  
Borja Milá ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation

scholarly journals Mechanisms of evolutionary change in structural plumage coloration among bluebirds ( Sialia spp.)

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 527-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D Shawkey ◽  
Susan L Balenger ◽  
Geoffrey E Hill ◽  
L. Scott Johnson ◽  
Amber J Keyser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outer Cortex ◽  
Sialia Sialis ◽  
Sialia Mexicana ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Spongy Layer ◽  
Eastern Bluebirds ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Mountain Bluebirds ◽  
Production Mechanisms ◽  
Dark Blue

Combinations of microstructural and pigmentary components of barbs create the colour displays of feathers. It follows that evolutionary changes in colour displays must reflect changes in the underlying production mechanisms, but rarely have the mechanisms of feather colour evolution been studied. Among bluebirds in the genus Sialia , male rump colour varies among species from dark blue to light blue while breast colour varies from blue to rusty. We use spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier analysis to identify the morphology responsible for these divergent colour displays. The morphology of blue rump barbs is similar among the three species, with an outer keratin cortex layer surrounding a medullary ‘spongy layer’ and a basal row of melanin granules. A spongy layer is also present in blue breast barbs of mountain bluebirds Sialia currucoides and in rusty breast barbs of western Sialia mexicana and eastern bluebirds Sialia sialis . In blue barbs melanin is basal to the spongy layer, but is not present in the outer cortex or spongy layer, while in rusty barbs, melanin is present only in the cortex. The placement of melanin in the cortex masks expression of structural blue, creating a rusty display. Such shifts in microstructures and pigments may be widespread mechanisms for the evolutionary changes in the colours of feathers and other reflective structures across colourful organisms.

scholarly journals Integrated plumage colour variation in relation to body condition, reproductive investment and laying date in the collared flycatcher

2013 ◽  
Vol 100 (10) ◽  
pp. 983-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miklós Laczi ◽  
Gergely Hegyi ◽  
Márton Herényi ◽  
Dorottya Kiss ◽  
Gábor Markó ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Collared Flycatcher

scholarly journals Life History Divergence in Livebearing Fishes in Response to Predation: Is There a Microevolution to Macroevolution Barrier?

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Belk ◽  
Spencer J. Ingley ◽  
Jerald B. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Trait Variation ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Trait Divergence ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Established Species

A central problem in evolutionary biology is to determine whether adaptive phenotypic variation within species (microevolution) ultimately gives rise to new species (macroevolution). Predation environment can select for trait divergence among populations within species. The implied hypothesis is that the selection resulting from predation environment that creates population divergence within species would continue across the speciation boundary such that patterns of divergence after speciation would be a magnified accumulation of the trait variation observed before speciation. In this paper, we test for congruence in the mechanisms of microevolution and macroevolution by comparing the patterns of life history divergence among three closely related species of the livebearer genus Brachyrhaphis (Poeciliidae), namely B. rhabdophora, B. roseni, and B. terrabensis. Within B. rhabdophora, populations occur in either predator or predator-free environments, and have been considered to be at a nascent stage of speciation. Sister species B. roseni and B. terrabensis are segregated into predator and predator-free environments, respectively, and represent a post-speciation comparison. Male and female size at maturity, clutch size, and offspring size (and to a lesser extent reproductive allocation) all diverged according to predation environment and differences were amplified through evolutionary time, i.e., across the speciation boundary. Variation observed among nascent species differentiated by predation environment is a good predictor of variation among established species differentiated by predation environment. We found no evidence for different processes or different levels of selection acting across the speciation boundary, suggesting that macroevolution in these species can be understood as an accumulation of micro-evolutionary changes.

Ritualization and social communication in Rhesus monkeys

1966 ◽  
Vol 251 (772) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Rhesus Monkeys ◽  
Penile Erection ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Evolutionary Time ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Lower Vertebrates ◽  
The Comparative Study

The concept of ritualization, as used in the study of the signal movements of lower vertebrates, refers primarily to the evolutionary changes which such movements have undergone in adaptation to their function in communication. In this context, the term is thus used in reference only to movements which have such a function, and only when there is evidence that the resultant signal has undergone changes which make it more effective in that role. Many movements which influence the behaviour of others (e.g. penile erection, eating and drinking in rhesus monkeys, according to Altman 1962) have apparently not been ritualized, though homologous movements in other species may have been (e.g. penile erection in squirrel monkeys (Ploog & Maclean 1963)). The changes involved have almost invariably been evolutionary ones, and thus reference to ritualization implies evidence that the properties of the signal have changed on an evolutionary time scale. This usually comes from the comparative study of contemporary closely related species. Just as the comparison, between related species, of morphological structures may suggest not only homologies but also views as to the evolutionary origins of the homologous structures, so also does comparison of patterns of behaviour. In addition, just as comparison within a species of related structures, such as the segmental limbs of a crustacean, or of different developmental stages of the same structure, can provide evidence of the course of evolution, so also can comparison of related movement patterns (e.g. Lorenz 1935, 1941; Tinbergen 1952, 1959, 1962).

scholarly journals Phaeomelanin matters: redness associates with inter-individual differences in behaviour and hormone profiles in male Scops owls (Otus scops)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANGEL CRUZ MIRALLES ◽  
Jesús M. Avilés ◽  
Olivier Chastel ◽  
Mónica Expósito-Granados ◽  
Deseada Parejo
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Phenotypic Integration ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Parental Behaviour ◽  
Consistent Variation

Abstract Background: Individuals within populations often show consistent variation in behavioural and physiological traits, which are frequently inter-correlated, potentially leading to phenotypic integration. Understanding the mechanisms behind such integration is a key task in evolutionary ecology, and melanism has been suggested to play a pivotal role. In birds, most of plumage colour variation is determined by two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but the role of melanin in avian phenotype integration has mostly been analysed in relation to eumelanin. Here we test for covariation between phaeo-melanin-based coloration, behavioural traits (i.e. nest territoriality, response against researchers, breath rate and parental behaviour) and corticosterone profiles in the polymorphic scops owl Otus scops , a bird species in which more phaeomelanic individuals display reddish colorations. Results: In males, we observed differences between red and grey individuals in latency to return to the nest after being disturbed and in feather CORT. Reddish males took longer to return to their nests and showed higher levels of feather CORT than grey ones. Behaviour and CORT profiles did not differ between red and grey females. Conclusions: The found associations between redness, behaviour and CORT in males, but not in females, might suggest the existence of a sex-specific integrated phaeomelanic phenotype, likely due to pleiotropy, in scops owls.

scholarly journals Phaeomelanin matters: Redness associates with inter-individual differences in behaviour and feather corticosterone in male scops owls (Otus scops)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241380
Author(s):  
Ángel Cruz-Miralles ◽  
Jesús M. Avilés ◽  
Olivier Chastel ◽  
Mónica Expósito-Granados ◽  
Deseada Parejo
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Phenotypic Integration ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Parental Behaviour ◽  
Consistent Variation ◽  
Feather Corticosterone

Individuals within populations often show consistent variation in behavioural and physiological traits which are frequently inter-correlated, potentially leading to phenotypic integration. Understanding the mechanisms behind such integration is a key task in evolutionary ecology, and melanin based colouration has been suggested to play a pivotal role. In birds, most of plumage colour variation is determined by two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but the role of phaeomelanin in avian phenotype integration has been barely investigated. Here, we test for covariation between phaeomelanin-based colouration, behavioural traits (i.e. nest territoriality, aggressiveness, breath rate and parental behaviour) and corticosterone in feathers in the polymorphic scops owl Otus scops, a bird species in which more phaeomelanic individuals display reddish colourations. In males, we observed that reddish males took longer to return to their nests and showed higher levels of feather CORT than more greyish ones. Behaviour and feather CORT were not associated to plumage colour in females. The found associations between redness, behaviour and feather CORT in males, but not in females, might suggest the existence of a sex-specific integrated phaeomelanic phenotype in scops owls.

scholarly journals Genome Size Doubling Arises From the Differential Repetitive DNA Dynamics in the Genus Heloniopsis (Melanthiaceae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaume Pellicer ◽  
Pol Fernández ◽  
Michael F. Fay ◽  
Ester Michálková ◽  
Ilia J. Leitch
Keyword(s):  
Genome Size ◽  
Repetitive Dna ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Dna Dynamics ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Genomic Landscape ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Low Coverage

Plant genomes are highly diverse in size and repetitive DNA composition. In the absence of polyploidy, the dynamics of repetitive elements, which make up the bulk of the genome in many species, are the main drivers underpinning changes in genome size and the overall evolution of the genomic landscape. The advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies has enabled investigation of genome evolutionary dynamics beyond model plants to provide exciting new insights in species across the biodiversity of life. Here we analyze the evolution of repetitive DNA in two closely related species of Heloniopsis (Melanthiaceae), which despite having the same chromosome number differ nearly twofold in genome size [i.e., H. umbellata (1C = 4,680 Mb), and H. koreana (1C = 2,480 Mb)]. Low-coverage genome skimming and the RepeatExplorer2 pipeline were used to identify the main repeat families responsible for the significant differences in genome sizes. Patterns of repeat evolution were found to correlate with genome size with the main classes of transposable elements identified being twice as abundant in the larger genome of H. umbellata compared with H. koreana. In addition, among the satellite DNA families recovered, a single shared satellite (HeloSAT) was shown to have contributed significantly to the genome expansion of H. umbellata. Evolutionary changes in repetitive DNA composition and genome size indicate that the differences in genome size between these species have been underpinned by the activity of several distinct repeat lineages.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document