The color of greater flamingo feathers fades when no cosmetics are applied.

Autor: Chiale MC; Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva Experimental y Comparada Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias Universidad Nacional de La Plata La Plata Argentina.; CONICET La Plata Argentina., Rendón MA; Departamento de Ecología de Humedales Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C. Sevilla Spain., Labaude S; Tour du Valat Institut de Recherche pour la Conservation des Zones Humides Méditerranéennes Le Sambuc Arles France., Deville AS; Tour du Valat Institut de Recherche pour la Conservation des Zones Humides Méditerranéennes Le Sambuc Arles France., Garrido-Fernández J; Departamento de Fitoquímica de Alimentos Instituto de la Grasa, C.S.I.C. Sevilla Spain., Pérez-Gálvez A; Departamento de Fitoquímica de Alimentos Instituto de la Grasa, C.S.I.C. Sevilla Spain., Garrido A; Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua de Andalucía Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible Málaga Spain., Rendón-Martos M; Reserva Natural Laguna de Fuente de Piedra Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible Fuente de Piedra Spain., Béchet A; Tour du Valat Institut de Recherche pour la Conservation des Zones Humides Méditerranéennes Le Sambuc Arles France., Amat JA; Departamento de Ecología de Humedales Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C. Sevilla Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2021 Sep 23; Vol. 11 (20), pp. 13773-13779. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 23 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8041
Abstrakt: Greater flamingos use cosmetic coloration by spreading uropygial secretions pigmented with carotenoids over their feathers, which makes the plumage redder. Because flamingos inhabit open environments that receive direct solar radiation during daytime, and carotenoids bleach when exposed to solar radiation, we expected that the plumage color would fade if there is no maintenance for cosmetic purposes. Here, we show that the concentrations of pigments inside feathers and on the surface of feathers were correlated, as well as that there was a correlation between the concentrations of pigments in the uropygial secretions and on the surface of feathers. There was fading in color (becoming less red) in feathers that received direct solar radiation when there was no plumage maintenance, but not so in others maintained in darkness. When we controlled for the initial color of feathers, the feathers of those individuals with higher concentration of pigments on the feather surfaces were those that lost less coloration after experimental exposure of feathers to sunny conditions. These results indicate that exposure to sunlight is correlated with the fading of feather color, which suggests that individuals need to regularly apply makeup to be more colorful. These results also reinforce the view that these birds use cosmetic coloration as a signal amplifier of plumage color. This may be important in species using highly variable habitats, such as wetlands, since the conditions experienced when molting may differ from those when the signal should be functional, usually months after molting.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
(© 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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