EEZA (CSIC), Almeria, Spain.
J Evol Biol. 2010 Mar;23(3):643-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01926.x. Epub 2010 Jan 13.
Vertebrates commonly use carotenoid-based traits as social signals. These can reliably advertise current nutritional status and health because carotenoids must be acquired through the diet and their allocation to ornaments is traded-off against other self-maintenance needs. We propose that the coloration more generally reveals an individual's ability to cope with stressful conditions. We tested this idea by manipulating the nematode parasite infection in free-living red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) and examining the effects on body mass, carotenoid-based coloration of a main social signal and the amount of corticosterone deposited in feathers grown during the experiment. We show that parasites increase stress and reduce carotenoid-based coloration, and that the impact of parasites on coloration was associated with changes in corticosterone, more than changes in body mass. Carotenoid-based coloration appears linked to physiological stress and could therefore reveal an individual's ability to cope with stressors.
脊椎动物通常将类胡萝卜素为基础的特征用作社交信号。这些特征可以可靠地反映当前的营养状况和健康状况，因为类胡萝卜素必须通过饮食获得，而且它们在装饰品上的分配会与其他自我维持的需求相权衡。我们提出，颜色更普遍地揭示了个体应对压力条件的能力。我们通过操纵自由生活的红松鸡（Lagopus lagopus scoticus）中的线虫寄生虫感染，并检查对体重、主要社交信号的类胡萝卜素颜色以及在实验期间生长的羽毛中沉积的皮质酮量的影响来检验这个想法。我们表明，寄生虫会增加压力并减少类胡萝卜素为基础的颜色，而且寄生虫对颜色的影响与皮质酮的变化有关，而不是体重的变化。类胡萝卜素为基础的颜色似乎与生理压力有关，因此可以揭示个体应对压力源的能力。
