Artículo
Increased plumage darkness of female Shiny Cowbirds Molothrus bonariensis in the subtropics: An adaptation to bacterial degradation?
Fecha de publicación:
10/2010
Editorial:
Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc
Revista:
Ibis
ISSN:
0019-1019
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
The Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis is a sexually dichromatic species, in which males have blackish-blue iridescence and females are dull brown. However, in some subtropical parts of its distribution, females show a plumage polymorphism that ranges from dull brown to dark brown and even black. Plumage melanization has been shown to protect feathers from bacterial degradation, decreasing the effects of harmful bacterial activity and thus plumage damage. In this study, we assessed whether bacterial feather-degrading activity is acting as the selective force to increase darkness in the plumage of the female Shiny Cowbirds in Argentina. We compared the degradation of female Shiny Cowbird feathers belonging to different colour morphs when exposed to bacterial strains isolated from subtropical and temperate zones of its distribution, as well as to Bacillus licheniformis. We did not find differences in susceptibility to bacterial degradation between brown feathers and darker feathers. These results suggest that female plumage polymorphism in Shiny Cowbirds has not arisen as a defence against bacterial feather-degrading activity. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 British Ornithologists' Union.
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Articulos(IEGEBA)
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE ECOLOGIA, GENETICA Y EVOLUCION DE BS. AS
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE ECOLOGIA, GENETICA Y EVOLUCION DE BS. AS
Articulos(IQUIBICEN)
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE QUIMICA BIOLOGICA DE LA FACULTAD DE CS. EXACTAS Y NATURALES
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE QUIMICA BIOLOGICA DE LA FACULTAD DE CS. EXACTAS Y NATURALES
Citación
Mahler, Bettina; López, Nancy Irene; Di Giacomo, Alejandro G.; Reboreda, Juan Carlos; Increased plumage darkness of female Shiny Cowbirds Molothrus bonariensis in the subtropics: An adaptation to bacterial degradation?; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Ibis; 152; 4; 10-2010; 775-781
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