ĭespite many of the genes involved in pigmentation having no known pleiotropic effects, colour morphs of several species show significant differences in fitness-relevant life history traits. ![]() For example, the melanocortin-1 receptor ( MC1R), which plays a central role in the deposition of black to brown eumelanin and the yellow to reddish-brown phaeomelanin, has been associated with plumage polymorphism in multiple bird species including, for example, bananaquits, snow geese, arctic skuas, red-footed boobies and chickens as well as with hair colouration in humans and other mammals. This naturally occurring variation reflects underlying differences in the extent and pattern of pigment deposition, which in turn usually have a genetic basis. Intraspecific variation in individual colouration is widespread across the animal kingdom. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ĭompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. We acknowledge support for the Article Processing Charge from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Open Access Publication Fund of Bielefeld University. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.ĭata Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.įunding: OK was funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) through a Heisenberg-Professorship (KR 2089/2-1). Received: Accepted: NovemPublished: November 30, 2017Ĭopyright: © 2017 Krause et al. PLoS ONE 12(11):Įditor: Alexandre Roulin, Universite de Lausanne, SWITZERLAND Our study thus reveals differences in morphological and life history traits that could be relevant to fitness variation, although further studies will be required to evaluate fitness effects under natural conditions as well as to characterise any potential fitness costs of compensatory strategies in white zebra finches.Ĭitation: Krause ET, Krüger O, Hoffman JI (2017) The influence of inherited plumage colour morph on morphometric traits and breeding investment in zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata). However, they appeared to compensate for this by reproducing earlier and producing heavier eggs relative to their own body mass. We found that F 2 adults with white plumage colouration were on average lighter and had poorer body condition than wild-type F 2 birds. ![]() To maximise any potential differences, we selected wild-type and white plumage morphs, which differ maximally in their extent of melanisation, while using a controlled three-generation breeding design to homogenise the genetic background. ![]() Here, we used zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata) as a model system in order to evaluate whether life-history traits such as adult body condition and reproductive investment could be influenced by plumage morph. However, few studies have controlled for genetic differences between colour morphs that could potentially generate artefactual associations between plumage colouration and trait variation. These fitness differences often arise as a consequence of variation in traits such as behaviour, immune responsiveness, body size and reproductive investment. Melanin-based plumage polymorphism occurs in many wild bird populations and has been linked to fitness variation in several species.
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