Indicators of physiological stress and the elaboration of sexual traits in the collared flycatcher |
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Authors: | Garamszegi, Laszlo Zsolt Merino, Santiago Torok, Janos Eens, Marcel Martinez, Javier |
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Affiliation: | a Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium, b Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain, c Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary, and d Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain |
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Abstract: | Stress may have consequences for the evolution of condition-dependentsexual traits. For example, stress may be related to sexualtraits through immune function, and sexual traits can reflecthow individuals bear the costs of stress-mediated immunosuppression.However, male traits may be directly associated with stress,and such traits would then indicate stress tolerance. Here,we present initial results for the relationship between physiologicalstress estimated by the levels of heat shock proteins (HSP60and HSP70) and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio and the elaborationof sexual traits, such as forehead and wing patch size and songfeatures in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis. Malesproducing longer and more versatile songs had significantlyhigher levels of HSP70, but other traits were unrelated to stress.In general, effect sizes for the relationship between stressand sexual traits had broad confidence intervals and variedbetween being small and medium effects. Immunoglobulin levels,leukocyte abundance, haemoparasite prevalence, male age, anddate and time effects did not affect the relationship betweenstress and sexual traits. These preliminary results, servinga basis for further experimental studies indicate that the relationshipbetween sexual traits and stress does not seem to be strong,but stress may partially constrain the expression of some sexualtraits. |
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Keywords: | bird song blood parasites collared flycatcher heat shock proteins immunity sexual selection. |
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