10.5061/DRYAD.0B63G
Cauchard, Laure
University of Windsor
Doucet, Stéphanie M.
University of Windsor
Boogert, Neeltje J.
University of St Andrews
Angers, Bernard
French National Centre for Scientific Research
Doligez, Blandine
Uppsala University
Biology Centre
Data from: The relationship between plumage colouration, problem-solving
and learning performance in great tits Parus major
Dryad
dataset
2017
colouration
great tit
Parus major
problem-solving
2017-05-26T14:07:48Z
2017-05-26T14:07:48Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.00953
39950 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Recent studies suggest that individuals with better problem-solving and/or
learning performance have greater reproductive success, and that
individuals may thus benefit from choosing mates based on these
performances. However, directly assessing these performances in candidate
mates could be difficult. Instead, the use of indirect cues related to
problem-solving and/or learning performance, such as condition-dependent
phenotypic traits, might be favored. We investigated whether
problem-solving and learning performance on a novel non-foraging task
correlated with sexually selected plumage colouration in a natural
population of great tits Parus major. We found that males successful in
solving the task had darker blue-black crowns than non-solvers, and that
males solving the task more rapidly over multiple attempts (i.e. learners)
exhibited blue-black crowns with higher UV chroma and shorter-wavelength
hues than non-learners. In contrast, we found no link between behavioural
performance on the task and the yellow breast colouration in either sex.
Our findings suggest that blue-black crown colouration could serve as a
signal of problem-solving and learning performance in wild great tit
males. Further research remains necessary to determine whether different
sexually selected traits are used to signal cognitive performance for mate
choice, either directly (i.e. cognitive performance influencing
individual's health and ornamentation through diet for example) or
indirectly (i.e. due to a correlation with a third factor such as
individual quality or condition).
Behavioural and morphological measurements of great tits Parus
majorBehavioural (problem-solving, learning and neophobia) and
morphological (age, body condition and colour variables-see the associated
manuscript for details on the colour variables used) measurements of wild
great tits in Gotland (Sweden) in 2010 and 2011.GLM Selection sexuelle
Innovation.xlsx
Sweden