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Tail colour signals performance in blue tit nestlings
Barbara Class1, Edward Kluen2,3, Jon E Brommer1
1Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|May 26, 2019
Summary
Mate choice in blue tits involves tail color, but its low heritability makes sexual selection a weak evolutionary force. Some tail colors correlate with fitness, suggesting indirect benefits are possible.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Animal behavior
- Quantitative genetics
Background:
- Indirect sexual selection occurs when mate choice is based on heritable traits linked to fitness.
- Genetic links between ornamental coloration and fitness are not well-established.
- Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) display tail structural coloration potentially influenced by sexual selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the quantitative genetic relationship between blue tit tail structural color and fitness-related performance traits.
- To determine if specific color aspects (brightness, hue, UV chroma) are genetically correlated with performance measures.
- To assess the potential for indirect sexual selection via mate choice in blue tits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multivariate animal models to analyze genetic correlations.
- Assessed heritability of tail structural color (brightness, hue, UV chroma) and performance (cell-mediated immunity, body mass, wing length) in nestlings.
- Examined genetic variation and covariation between color and performance traits.
Main Results:
- Found low heritability for tail structural coloration and moderate heritability for performance traits.
- Observed positive genetic correlations among performance measures, indicating variation in overall performance.
- Identified genetic correlations between tail brightness and performance (positive) and UV chroma and performance (negative).
Conclusions:
- Mate choice based on independent aspects of blue tit tail color can offer fitness advantages, supporting the indirect benefits hypothesis.
- Despite potential fitness payoffs, the low heritability of tail structural color suggests it is a weak driver of indirect sexual selection.
- Quantitative genetic variation exists for both performance and specific color traits in blue tits.
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