Temporal variation in glucocorticoid levels during the resting phase is associated in opposite way with maternal and paternal melanic coloration.

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_E0DF6EA1EAC0
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Temporal variation in glucocorticoid levels during the resting phase is associated in opposite way with maternal and paternal melanic coloration.
Journal
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Author(s)
Roulin A., Almasi B., Jenni L.
ISSN
1420-9101[electronic], 1010-061X[linking]
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2010
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
23
Number
10
Pages
2046-2053
Language
english
Abstract
Sex-dependent selection can help maintain sexual dimorphism. When the magnitude of selection exerted on a heritable sex trait differs between the sexes, it may prevent each sex to reach its phenotypic optimum. As a consequence, the benefit of expressing a sex trait to a given value may differ between males and females favouring sex-specific adaptations associated with different values of a sex trait. The level of metabolites regulated by genes that are under sex-dependent selection may therefore covary with the degree of ornamentation differently in the two sexes. We investigated this prediction in the barn owl, a species in which females display on average larger black spots on the plumage than males, a heritable ornament. This melanin-based colour trait is strongly selected in females and weakly counter-selected in males indicating sex-dependent selection. In nestling barn owls, we found that daily variation in baseline corticosterone levels, a key hormone that mediates life history trade-offs, covaries with spot diameter displayed by their biological parents. When their mother displayed larger spots, nestlings had lower corticosterone levels in the morning and higher levels in the evening, whereas the opposite pattern was found with the size of paternal spots. Our study suggests a link between daily regulation of glucocorticoids and sex-dependent selection exerted on sexually dimorphic melanin-based ornaments.
Keywords
Animals, Animals, Newborn, Circadian Rhythm, Corticosterone/blood, Female, Male, Melanins/metabolism, Pigmentation, Selection, Genetic, Sex Characteristics, Strigiformes/blood, Strigiformes/genetics
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
10/08/2010 9:15
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:05
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