10.5061/DRYAD.2016
Krist, Miloš
Palacký University, Olomouc
Grim, Tomáš
Palacký University, Olomouc
Data from: Are blue eggs a sexually selected signal of female collared
flycatchers? A cross-fostering experiment
Dryad
dataset
2010
Ficedula albicollis
nest defence
cross-fostering
egg colour
female signalling
feeding frequency
Immunity
laying order
differential allocation
parental investment
2010-09-29T21:13:21Z
2010-09-29T21:13:21Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-006-0315-9
68041 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Impressive variation in egg colouration among birds has puzzled
evolutionary biologists for a long time. The most frequently studied
selective forces moulding egg colouration – predation and brood parasitism
– have either received little empirical support or may play a role in only
a minority of species. A novel hypothesis has suggested that egg colour
may be significantly influenced by sexual selection. Females may deposit a
blue-green pigment biliverdin into eggshells instead of using it for
themselves as a powerful antioxidant. By this handicap females may signal
their quality to males which are then hypothesized to increase their
paternal effort. We experimentally tested the hypothesis in the collared
flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), a species laying blue-green eggs. We
cross-fostered clutches between nests to disentangle effects of
female/territory quality and egg colour on paternal effort and nestling
quality. The results supported two assumptions of sexual signalling
through egg colour hypothesis: blue pigment seems to be a limited resource
for females and female quality is positively correlated with intensity of
blue-green colour. However, we did not find support for the main
prediction of the hypothesis as male parental effort parameters (feeding
frequencies to nestlings and intensity of nest defence) were unrelated to
egg colour. We discuss possible reasons for the discrepancy between our
results and previous correlative analyses that supported the hypothesis
that blue egg colour may be a postmating sexually selected signal in
females.
datasetindividual_eggs
Central Europe