Zduniak Piotr, Surmacki Adrian, Erciyas-Yavuz Kiraz, Chudzińska Maria, Barałkiewicz Danuta
Department of Avian Biology & Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Department of Avian Biology & Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2014 Sep;175:96-101. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.05.019. Epub 2014 Jun 4.
Melanin is the most common pigment in animal integuments including bird plumage. It has been shown that several trace elements may play roles in the production and signaling function of melanin-colored plumage. We investigated coloration and content of various metal elements in the rectrices of two insectivorous passerines, Common Redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla), which have eumelanin- and pheomelanin-based coloration, respectively. We hypothesized that 1) the two species would differ in concentrations of metals important in melanin synthesis (Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn), 2) differences in metal concentration levels would be related to feather coloration. Our study confirmed the first prediction and provides the first evidence that selected elements may play a greater role in pheomelanin than in eumelanin synthesis. Concentrations of three elements considered as important in melanin synthesis (Ca, Fe, Zn) were 52% to 93% higher in rusty colored Common Redstart feathers compared to the dark gray Blackcap feathers. However, element concentrations were not correlated with feather coloration or sex in either species. Our study suggests that, of the two melanin forms, pheomelanin synthesis may bear higher costs associated with the acquisition of specific elements or limited elements may create trade-offs between ornamentation and other physiological functions. Our findings warrant further investigations designed to better understand the roles of macro- and microelements in the synthesis of both forms of melanin.
黑色素是包括鸟类羽毛在内的动物体表最常见的色素。研究表明，几种微量元素可能在黑色素羽毛的产生和信号功能中发挥作用。我们调查了两种食虫鸣禽——普通红尾鸲（Phoenicurus phoenicurus）和黑顶林莺（Sylvia atricapilla）尾羽的颜色和各种金属元素的含量，它们分别具有基于真黑色素和褐黑色素的颜色。我们假设：1）这两个物种在黑色素合成中重要的金属（钙、铁、铜、锌）浓度上会有所不同；2）金属浓度水平的差异与羽毛颜色有关。我们的研究证实了第一个预测，并提供了首个证据，即特定元素在褐黑色素合成中可能比在真黑色素合成中发挥更大作用。与深灰色的黑顶林莺羽毛相比，锈色的普通红尾鸲羽毛中被认为在黑色素合成中重要的三种元素（钙、铁、锌）的浓度高出52%至93%。然而，在这两个物种中，元素浓度与羽毛颜色或性别均无关联。我们的研究表明，在两种黑色素形式中，褐黑色素合成可能与获取特定元素相关的成本更高，或者有限的元素可能在装饰和其他生理功能之间产生权衡。我们的研究结果值得进一步开展调查，以更好地了解大量元素和微量元素在两种黑色素合成中的作用。
