A melanin-based trait reflects environmental growth conditions of nestling male Eurasian kestrels
A melanin-based trait reflects environmental growth conditions of nestling male Eurasian kestrels
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DOI：
10.1007/s10682-006-0020-1
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发表时间：
2007-03-01
影响因子：
1.9
通讯作者：
Wakamatsu, Kazumasa
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fargallo, Juan A.;Laaksonen, Toni;Wakamatsu, Kazumasa
黑色素是动物中大多数非结构性棕色、黑色和灰色着色的原因。鸟类的黑色素着色在多大程度上是由基因或环境决定的一直存在争议。其中一个原因是缺乏关于关键环境因素（如食物供应）对黑色素性状发展的作用的经验数据。我们分析了棕色和灰色着色是否在臀部的欧亚红隼Falco tinnunculus是基于黑色素和研究之间的关系高年际变化的主要食物供应，父母的条件和表达的灰色着色的雄性雏鸟。我们还进行了部分交叉寄养实验，随机分配雏鸟之间的环境。雄性雏鸟的比例，主要是灰色的着色是较高的年丰富的猎物（田鼠）。与雄性雏鸟灰色的年内变化相关的唯一变量是雌性雏鸟的体重。在交叉寄养实验中，雏鸟的颜色与其养母的体重相关，但与其遗传母亲的体重无关。黑色素着色与T细胞介导的免疫应答无关。这些结果表明，这种基于黑色素的特征反映了雏鸟成长的环境条件。
Melanin pigments are responsible for most non-structural brown, black and grey colouration in animals. The extent to which melanin-based colouration in birds is genetically or environmentally determined has been subject to controversy. One reason for this it is paucity of empirical data on the role of key environmental factors, such as food availability, on the development of melanin-based traits. We analysed whether brown and grey colouration in rumps of Eurasian kestrels Falco tinnunculus is based on melanin and examined the relationships between high inter-annual variation in main food supply, parental condition and the expression of grey colouration in male nestlings. We also performed a partial cross-fostering experiment to allocate randomly nestlings among environments. The proportion of male nestlings with predominantly grey colouration was higher in years with abundant prey (voles). The only variable associated with intra-annual variation of grey colouration in male nestlings was body mass of the female rearing them. The colouration of nestlings in the cross-foster experiment was correlated with the body mass of their foster mother, but not with that of their genetic mother. Melanin colouration did not correlate with T-cell mediated immune response. These results indicate that this melanin-based trait reflects the environmental conditions in which the nestlings grew up.