Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Biol Lett. 2013 Aug 21;9(5):20130539. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0539. Print 2013 Oct 23.
Across diverse taxa, morphological traits mediate social interactions and mate selection. Physiological constraints on signal elaboration have been widely documented, but the potential for trait display to influence physiological state remains poorly understood. We tested for the presence of causal links between ventral plumage colour-a trait known to covary with reproductive performance-and physiological measures in female North American barn swallows, Hirundo rustica erythrogaster. Naturally darker swallows have lower levels of plasma oxidative damage. Females manipulated to display darker ventral plumage during reproduction rapidly decreased oxidative damage, adopting the physiological state of naturally darker individuals. These results support the presence of a social mechanism that links static plumage traits with the physiological state of their bearer during trait advertisement, long after the completion of signal development.
在不同的分类群中，形态特征介导着社会互动和配偶选择。信号表达的生理限制已被广泛记录，但特征展示对生理状态的潜在影响仍知之甚少。我们测试了雌性北美家燕（Hirundo rustica erythrogaster）的腹羽颜色（已知与繁殖性能相关的特征）与生理指标之间是否存在因果关系。自然颜色较深的燕子具有较低水平的血浆氧化损伤。在繁殖期间被操纵显示出较深腹羽的雌性燕子会迅速降低氧化损伤，从而达到自然颜色较深个体的生理状态。这些结果支持了一种社会机制的存在，该机制在信号发育完成后很长一段时间内，将静态羽色特征与其载体的生理状态联系起来，在特征广告中。
