Low cross-sex genetic correlation in carotenoid-based plumage traits in the blue tit nestlings (Cyanistes caeruleus).

Bibliographic Details
Title: Low cross-sex genetic correlation in carotenoid-based plumage traits in the blue tit nestlings (Cyanistes caeruleus).
Authors: Szymon M Drobniak, Dariusz Wiejaczka, Aneta Arct, Anna Dubiec, Lars Gustafsson, Mariusz Cichoń
Source: PLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 7, p e69786 (2013)
Publisher Information: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2013.
Publication Year: 2013
Collection: LCC:Medicine
LCC:Science
Subject Terms: Medicine, Science
More Details: In some bird species, both adult and juvenile individuals are often brightly coloured. It has been commonly assumed that identical plumage colouration present in both sexes results from strong intersexual genetic correlations in colour-related traits. Here, we aimed at testing this hypothesis in juvenile individuals and looked at genetic parameters describing carotenoid-based colouration of blue tit nestlings in a wild population. To separate genetic and environmental sources of phenotypic variation we performed a cross-fostering experiment. Our analyses confirmed the existence of sexual dichromatism in blue tit nestlings and revealed a significant, although low, genetic component of carotenoid-based colouration. However, genetic effects are expressed differently across sexes as indicated by low cross-sex genetic correlations (rmf). Thus our results do not support the prediction of generally high rmf and suggest that intersexual constraints on the evolution of colouration traits may be weaker than expected. We hypothesise that observed patterns of genetic correlations result from sex-specific selective pressures acting on nestling plumage colouration.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1932-6203
Relation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23936101/?tool=EBI; https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069786
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/421c9049bcf84313855e2095d40759b3
Accession Number: edsdoj.421c9049bcf84313855e2095d40759b3
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:19326203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0069786
Published in:PLoS ONE
Language:English