Spatial variation in the temporal change of male and female melanic ornamentation in the barn owl.

Details

Ressource 1Download: BIB_A037342B17FB.P001.pdf (337.60 [Ko])
State: Public
Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_A037342B17FB
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Spatial variation in the temporal change of male and female melanic ornamentation in the barn owl.
Journal
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Author(s)
Roulin A., Antoniazza S., Burri R.
ISSN
1420-9101 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1010-061X
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2011
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
24
Number
7
Pages
1403-1409
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Because the magnitude of selection can vary between sexes and in space and time, sexually antagonistic selection is difficult to demonstrate. In a Swiss population of barn owls (Tyto alba), a heritable eumelanic colour trait (size of black spots on ventral feathers) was positively selected with respect to yearling survival only in females. It remains unclear whether the absence of negative selection in males is typical in this species. To tackle this issue indirectly, we measured the size of black spots in 1733 skin specimens collected by museums from 1816 to 2001 in seven European countries and in the Middle-East. The temporal change in spot size was sex- and country-specific. In males, spots became smaller particularly in three countries (Middle-East, Italy and Switzerland). In females, the size of spots increased significantly in two countries (UK and Spain) and decreased in two others (Germany and Switzerland). Because migration and phenotypic plasticity cannot explain these results, selection is the most likely cause. The weaker temporal change in spot size in females than males may be because of the combined effect of strong genetic correlation between the sexes and stronger negative selection in males than positive selection in females. We thus suggest that in the barn owl, spot size (or genetically correlated traits) is sexually antagonistically selected and that its pattern of selection may account for the maintenance of its variation and sexual dimorphism.
Keywords
Animals, Demography, Europe, Feathers/physiology, Female, Male, Middle East, Pigmentation, Sex Characteristics, Strigiformes/physiology, Time Factors
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
02/03/2011 20:12
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:06
Usage data