A UV signal of offspring condition mediates context-dependent parental favouritism
A UV signal of offspring condition mediates context-dependent parental favouritism
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2006.3546
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发表时间：
2006-08-22
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Heeb, Philipp
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Bize, Pierre;Piault, Romain;Heeb, Philipp
由于繁殖期间的健康回报与环境有关，当环境条件恶化时，预计父母会将他们在幼鸟体内的食物分配从贫穷转向条件良好的雏鸟。我们在阿尔卑斯雨燕和欧洲八哥这两种候鸟身上测试了这一预测，方法是修改雏鸟状况的紫外线(UV)视觉信号，并探索父母如何随着季节的推移为幼鸟分配食物。我们在这两个物种中发现：(I)子代皮肤反射的紫外线与其身高(即体重和骨骼大小)呈正相关；(Ii)随着季节的推移，父母对幼体的偏爱逐渐增加，皮肤具有更多的紫外线反射。早期繁殖的父母优先为紫外线苍白(即身材较小)的雏鸟提供食物，而后期繁殖的父母则偏爱紫外线明亮的后代(即身材较大的)。这些结果强调，亲本利用子代状况的UV信号来根据生态环境调整其取食策略。
As fitness returns during a breeding attempt are context-dependent, parents are predicted to bias their food allocation within a brood from poor towards good condition nestlings when envirorimental conditions deteriorate. We tested this prediction in the Alpine swift and the European starling, two migratory bird species, by modifying an ultraviolet (UV) visual signal of condition in nestlings and exploring how parents allocate food to their young as the season progresses. We show in both species that: (i) UV light reflected by the body skin of offspring positively correlates with their stature (i.e. body mass and skeletal size) and (ii) parental favouritism towards young with more UV reflective skin gradually increases as the season progresses. Early-breeding parents supplied food preferentially to UV pale (i.e. small stature) nestlings, whereas late-breeding parents favoured UV bright offspring (i.e. large stature). These results emphasize that parents use UV signals of offspring condition to adjust their feeding strategies depending on the ecological context.