Experimentally altering pre-breeding sex steroids reduces extra-pair paternity in female tree swallows

Ethology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 124 (6) ◽  
pp. 410-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisha L. Berzins ◽  
J. Mark Shrimpton ◽  
Russell D. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Female Tree

Does experimentally altered plumage brightness influence extra-pair mating success in female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)?

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61
Author(s):  
Lisha L. Berzins ◽  
Russell D. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Female Tree ◽  
Pair Mating ◽  
And Function ◽  
Ornamental Traits ◽  
Extra Pair Mating

Recent empirical evidence suggests that ornamental traits displayed by female birds may reflect aspects of their quality, and function during competitive interactions and (or) social mate attraction; however, less is known about how such traits influence extra-pair paternity. In Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)), plumage brightness of females signals their quality and may be related to extra-pair paternity if it enables them to invade the territories of other females to seek extra-pair copulations and (or) if potential extra-pair mates perceive their plumage brightness as attractive. Therefore, to examine whether the plumage brightness displayed by females influence rates of extra-pair paternity and the number of sires per brood, we experimentally enhanced and reduced the plumage brightness of females relative to controls. Our results showed that plumage brightness treatment of the female did not influence the number of extra-pair offspring in nests or the likelihood of a brood containing extra-pair offspring. Additionally, the number of extra-pair males siring offspring within the broods of females did not differ by plumage brightness treatment. Although extra-pair paternity has been shown to be beneficial for female Tree Swallows, our results suggest that plumage brightness of females does not influence their ability to engage in extra-pair mating.

The relationship between plumage coloration and aggression in female tree swallows

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Beck ◽  
William A. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Female Tree ◽  
The Relationship

Extra-pair paternity in tree swallows: why do females mate with more than one male?

1994 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. O. Dunn ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson ◽  
Denise Michaud-Freeman ◽  
Peter T. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity

Temperature and life history: experimental heating leads female tree swallows to modulate egg temperature and incubation behaviour

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Ardia ◽  
Jonathan H. Pérez ◽  
Elise K. Chad ◽  
Margaret A. Voss ◽  
Ethan D. Clotfelter
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Incubation Behaviour ◽  
Female Tree

Extra-pair paternity in monogamous tree swallows

1993 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan T. Lifjeld ◽  
Peter O. Dunn ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson ◽  
Peter T. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity

scholarly journals Baseline corticosterone does not reflect iridescent plumage traits in female tree swallows

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keneth Sarpong ◽  
Christine L. Madliger ◽  
Christopher M. Harris ◽  
Oliver P. Love ◽  
Stéphanie M. Doucet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Secondary Sexual Traits ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Female Tree ◽  
Baseline Corticosterone ◽  
Sexual Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Secondary Sexual

AbstractThe production of high quality secondary sexual traits can be constrained by trade-offs in the allocation of energy and nutrients with other metabolic activities, and is mediated by physiological processes. In birds, the factors influencing male plumage quality have been well studied; however, factors affecting female plumage quality are poorly understood. Furthermore, it remains uncertain which physiological traits mediate the relationship between body condition and ornaments. In this three-year study of after-second-year female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), we investigated (1) the relationship between baseline corticosterone near the end of the brood-rearing period (CORTBR) and feather colour characteristics (hue, saturation, brightness) the following year, and (2) the relationship between baseline corticosterone measured during incubation (CORTI) and brood rearing (CORTBR), and feather colour in the same year. To control for reproductive effort, we included reproductive parameters as covariates in all analyses. In this first study between CORT and the plumage colour characteristics of a species bearing iridescent feathers, we did not find any relationship between CORTBRand the colour of subsequently-produced feathers, nor did we find any relationship between CORTIand the colour of feathers displayed during that breeding season. If CORT levels at the end of breeding carry over to influence the immediately subsequent moult period as we expect, our results generally indicate that structural plumage quality may not be as sensitive to circulating CORT levels compared to carotenoid-based colouration. Future studies, particularly those employing experimental manipulations of CORT during moult in species with iridescent traits, are necessary to fully determine the role glucocorticoids play in mediating the quality of secondary sexual characteristics.

Does experimentally altered plumage ornamentation of female passerines influence nestling quality? A test in female tree swallows

Ethology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 298-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisha L. Berzins ◽  
Russell D. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Female Tree ◽  
Plumage Ornamentation

Experimentally altered plumage brightness of female tree swallows: a test of the differential allocation hypothesis

Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 525-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisha L. Berzins ◽  
Russell D. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Differential Allocation ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Brood Size Manipulation ◽  
Fledging Success ◽  
Female Attractiveness ◽  
Female Tree

The differential allocation hypothesis posits that individuals should invest in the current reproductive attempt according to the attractiveness of their mate, but studies of allocation by males when female traits are manipulated to be more attractive are lacking. In the current study, we experimentally enhanced and reduced the plumage brightness of female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) relative to controls to examine whether males adjust investment in parental care according to female attractiveness, while simultaneously performing a brood size manipulation. Contrary to our predictions, we found no evidence that males provisioned nestlings according to the plumage brightness of females. However, we found that nestling quality and fledging success were lowest when female plumage brightness was reduced and brood size was enlarged. This may be due to the plumage brightness treatment influencing agonistic interactions with other females, and may suggest that plumage brightness is a signal assessed by females.

scholarly journals Baseline corticosterone does not reflect iridescent plumage traits in female tree swallows

2019 ◽  
Vol 270 ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keneth Sarpong ◽  
Christine L. Madliger ◽  
Christopher M. Harris ◽  
Oliver P. Love ◽  
Stéphanie M. Doucet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Female Tree ◽  
Baseline Corticosterone
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document