Schull Quentin, Robin Jean-Patrice, Dobson F Stephen, Saadaoui Hédi, Viblanc Vincent A, Bize Pierre
Université de Strasbourg CNRS, IPHC Strasbourg France.
Department of Biological Sciences Auburn University Auburn AL USA.
Ecol Evol. 2017 Dec 20;8(2):1084-1095. doi: 10.1002/ece3.3677. eCollection 2018 Jan.
Sexual selection and social selection are two important theories proposed for explaining the evolution of colorful ornamental traits in animals. Understanding signal honesty requires studying how environmental and physiological factors during development influence the showy nature of sexual and social ornaments. We experimentally manipulated physiological stress and immunity status during the molt in adult king penguins (), and studied the consequences of our treatments on colourful ornaments (yellow-orange and UV beak spots and yellow-orange auricular feather patches) known to be used in sexual and social contexts in this species. Whereas some ornamental features showed strong condition-dependence (yellow auricular feather chroma, yellow and UV chroma of the beak), others were condition-independent and remained highly correlated before and after the molt (auricular patch size and beak UV hue). Our study provides a rare examination of the links between ornament determinism and selection processes in the wild. We highlight the coexistence of ornaments costly to produce that may be honest signals used in mate choice, and ornaments for which honesty may be enforced by social mediation or rely on genetic constraints.
性选择和社会选择是为解释动物中色彩斑斓的装饰性特征的进化而提出的两个重要理论。理解信号诚实性需要研究发育过程中的环境和生理因素如何影响性和社会装饰的艳丽程度。我们对成年帝企鹅换羽期间的生理应激和免疫状态进行了实验性操控，并研究了我们的处理对已知在该物种的性和社会情境中使用的彩色装饰（黄橙色和紫外线喙斑以及黄橙色耳羽斑块）的影响。虽然一些装饰特征表现出强烈的条件依赖性（耳羽黄色色度、喙的黄色和紫外线色度），但其他特征则与条件无关，在换羽前后保持高度相关（耳羽斑块大小和喙的紫外线色调）。我们的研究对野生环境中装饰决定性与选择过程之间的联系进行了罕见的考察。我们强调了可能作为配偶选择中诚实信号的高成本产生的装饰与诚实性可能通过社会调解得以强化或依赖于遗传限制的装饰并存的现象。
