Mougeot François, Arroyo Beatriz E
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Hill of Brathens, Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 4BW, UK.
Biol Lett. 2006 Jun 22;2(2):173-6. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0434.
Ultraviolet (UV) signals have been shown to play key roles in social and sexual signalling in birds. Using a spectrophotometer, we analysed the colour of the cere (skin above the beak) of a diurnal raptor, the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus), and show that it reflects in the UV part of the spectrum. The cere is a well-known sexual signal in raptors, with carotenoid based pigmentation being indicative of quality. We thus hypothesized that UV reflectance also signals quality. Accordingly, we found that in our sample of wild males, the location of the UV peak was related to the orangeness of cere and correlated with male body mass and condition (mass corrected for size). Also, males with brighter UV were mated to females that laid earlier, as expected if UV reflectance relates to a male's quality and attractiveness. Future studies should investigate the relationships between UV reflectance and carotenoid pigmentation of cere, and test how UV reflectance influences mate choice.
紫外线（UV）信号已被证明在鸟类的社交和性信号传递中发挥关键作用。我们使用分光光度计分析了一种昼行猛禽——蒙塔古鹞（Circus pygargus）喙上方皮肤（蜡膜）的颜色，结果表明其在光谱的紫外线部分有反射。蜡膜是猛禽中一种众所周知的性信号，基于类胡萝卜素的色素沉着表明其质量。因此，我们推测紫外线反射率也能表明质量。相应地，我们发现，在我们的野生雄性样本中，紫外线峰值的位置与蜡膜的橙色有关，并且与雄性体重和身体状况（校正大小后的体重）相关。此外，紫外线更亮的雄性与产卵更早的雌性交配，这与紫外线反射率与雄性质量和吸引力相关的预期相符。未来的研究应该调查蜡膜的紫外线反射率与类胡萝卜素色素沉着之间的关系，并测试紫外线反射率如何影响配偶选择。
