Evolutionary changes in color patches of blackbirds are associated with marsh nesting |
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Authors: | Johnson Kevin P; Lanyon Scott M |
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Institution: | Bell Museum of Natural History and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and
Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA |
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Abstract: | Fully unraveling the mechanisms of sexual selection requiresan understanding of the variation in secondary sexual traitsacross species in a monophyletic assemblage and an understandingof the evolutionary relationships between those species. Therole of red and yellow male plumage coloration in territorydefense and sexual selection has been well studied in the red-winged
blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and males of many other close
relatives of this species also have what appear to be carotenoid-pigmented
patches in their plumage. We explored variation in male plumagecoloration across species of New World blackbirds (family Icteridae):traits known to be involved in sexual selection in this group.We document that blackbird lineages in which extant speciesbreed in marshes tend to have evolved from an all-black ancestralplumage to one exhibiting carotenoid plumage patches. The twomost likely hypotheses to explain this pattern are (1) increasedsexual selection intensity in marshes because of increasedvariance in territory quality and (2) increased frequency ofmale-male territorial interactions because of an increaseddensity of territories in marshes, but other hypotheses cannotbe ruled out. This pattern is consistent with either intersexualor intrasexual selection and warrants further investigation. |
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Keywords: | Agelaius phoeniceus Icteridae plumage coloration red-winged blackbirds sexual selection |
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