Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird
- Autores
- Blanco, Guillermo; Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo
- Año de publicación
- 2002
- Idioma
- inglés
- Tipo de recurso
- artículo
- Estado
- versión publicada
- Descripción
- Selection for crypsis in varying environments has long been established as the main evolutionary force promoting the huge variation in avian egg coloration. In several avian species, variation in egg coloration exists, but available information available on the relative success of these different colour morphs against predation is scarce. We investigated the value of eggshell coloration against mammal and avian predators in the South American Tern, Sterna hirundinacea. We found evidence of a relationship between particular eggshell ground coloration and success against predation, in different tern colonies, where strong selection was caused by single avian and mammalian predator species. Survival to hatching of eggs with greenish ground coloration was greater than in eggs of the remaining colours when a mammalian carnivore was present. This implies that the human visual system does not accurately represent predator perception but that, viewed through the predator's eyes, the conspicuous greenish eggs are well concealed. The rate of artificial nest predation by visually searching gulls was higher for eggs more conspicuous to the human eye than for eggs more closely resembling the nest substrate. The evolution of polymorphisms in eggshell ground colour may have resulted from differences in the type of predator present, and differences in choice of breeding site varying in the background substrate. The nomadic breeding behaviour of terns may imply that females differing in the frequency of alleles expressing particular egg coloration, selected for in particular environments, may eventually gather in some colonies, thus producing the observed intracolony variation in egg coloration. We hypothesise that egg colour variation could be maintained in the population by shifting peaks of predation impact in the different locations where colonies form, e.g. islands without mammalian predators vs. mainland sites.
Fil: Blanco, Guillermo. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; España
Fil: Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina - Materia
-
EGG-COLOUR POLYMORPHISM
PREDATION
SOUTH AMERICAN TERN
STERNA HIRUNDINACEA - Nivel de accesibilidad
- acceso abierto
- Condiciones de uso
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
- Repositorio
- Institución
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
- OAI Identificador
- oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/97484
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Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabirdBlanco, GuillermoBertellotti, Néstor MarceloEGG-COLOUR POLYMORPHISMPREDATIONSOUTH AMERICAN TERNSTERNA HIRUNDINACEAhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Selection for crypsis in varying environments has long been established as the main evolutionary force promoting the huge variation in avian egg coloration. In several avian species, variation in egg coloration exists, but available information available on the relative success of these different colour morphs against predation is scarce. We investigated the value of eggshell coloration against mammal and avian predators in the South American Tern, Sterna hirundinacea. We found evidence of a relationship between particular eggshell ground coloration and success against predation, in different tern colonies, where strong selection was caused by single avian and mammalian predator species. Survival to hatching of eggs with greenish ground coloration was greater than in eggs of the remaining colours when a mammalian carnivore was present. This implies that the human visual system does not accurately represent predator perception but that, viewed through the predator's eyes, the conspicuous greenish eggs are well concealed. The rate of artificial nest predation by visually searching gulls was higher for eggs more conspicuous to the human eye than for eggs more closely resembling the nest substrate. The evolution of polymorphisms in eggshell ground colour may have resulted from differences in the type of predator present, and differences in choice of breeding site varying in the background substrate. The nomadic breeding behaviour of terns may imply that females differing in the frequency of alleles expressing particular egg coloration, selected for in particular environments, may eventually gather in some colonies, thus producing the observed intracolony variation in egg coloration. We hypothesise that egg colour variation could be maintained in the population by shifting peaks of predation impact in the different locations where colonies form, e.g. islands without mammalian predators vs. mainland sites.Fil: Blanco, Guillermo. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; EspañaFil: Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaOxford University Press2002-02info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/97484Blanco, Guillermo; Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo; Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird; Oxford University Press; Biological Journal of The Linnean Society; 75; 2; 2-2002; 137-1460024-4066CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00026.xinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/75/2/137/2639854info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T10:44:50Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/97484instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 10:44:51.209CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
title |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
spellingShingle |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird Blanco, Guillermo EGG-COLOUR POLYMORPHISM PREDATION SOUTH AMERICAN TERN STERNA HIRUNDINACEA |
title_short |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
title_full |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
title_fullStr |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
title_full_unstemmed |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
title_sort |
Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird |
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Blanco, Guillermo Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo |
author |
Blanco, Guillermo |
author_facet |
Blanco, Guillermo Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo |
author2_role |
author |
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
EGG-COLOUR POLYMORPHISM PREDATION SOUTH AMERICAN TERN STERNA HIRUNDINACEA |
topic |
EGG-COLOUR POLYMORPHISM PREDATION SOUTH AMERICAN TERN STERNA HIRUNDINACEA |
purl_subject.fl_str_mv |
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 |
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv |
Selection for crypsis in varying environments has long been established as the main evolutionary force promoting the huge variation in avian egg coloration. In several avian species, variation in egg coloration exists, but available information available on the relative success of these different colour morphs against predation is scarce. We investigated the value of eggshell coloration against mammal and avian predators in the South American Tern, Sterna hirundinacea. We found evidence of a relationship between particular eggshell ground coloration and success against predation, in different tern colonies, where strong selection was caused by single avian and mammalian predator species. Survival to hatching of eggs with greenish ground coloration was greater than in eggs of the remaining colours when a mammalian carnivore was present. This implies that the human visual system does not accurately represent predator perception but that, viewed through the predator's eyes, the conspicuous greenish eggs are well concealed. The rate of artificial nest predation by visually searching gulls was higher for eggs more conspicuous to the human eye than for eggs more closely resembling the nest substrate. The evolution of polymorphisms in eggshell ground colour may have resulted from differences in the type of predator present, and differences in choice of breeding site varying in the background substrate. The nomadic breeding behaviour of terns may imply that females differing in the frequency of alleles expressing particular egg coloration, selected for in particular environments, may eventually gather in some colonies, thus producing the observed intracolony variation in egg coloration. We hypothesise that egg colour variation could be maintained in the population by shifting peaks of predation impact in the different locations where colonies form, e.g. islands without mammalian predators vs. mainland sites. Fil: Blanco, Guillermo. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; España Fil: Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina |
description |
Selection for crypsis in varying environments has long been established as the main evolutionary force promoting the huge variation in avian egg coloration. In several avian species, variation in egg coloration exists, but available information available on the relative success of these different colour morphs against predation is scarce. We investigated the value of eggshell coloration against mammal and avian predators in the South American Tern, Sterna hirundinacea. We found evidence of a relationship between particular eggshell ground coloration and success against predation, in different tern colonies, where strong selection was caused by single avian and mammalian predator species. Survival to hatching of eggs with greenish ground coloration was greater than in eggs of the remaining colours when a mammalian carnivore was present. This implies that the human visual system does not accurately represent predator perception but that, viewed through the predator's eyes, the conspicuous greenish eggs are well concealed. The rate of artificial nest predation by visually searching gulls was higher for eggs more conspicuous to the human eye than for eggs more closely resembling the nest substrate. The evolution of polymorphisms in eggshell ground colour may have resulted from differences in the type of predator present, and differences in choice of breeding site varying in the background substrate. The nomadic breeding behaviour of terns may imply that females differing in the frequency of alleles expressing particular egg coloration, selected for in particular environments, may eventually gather in some colonies, thus producing the observed intracolony variation in egg coloration. We hypothesise that egg colour variation could be maintained in the population by shifting peaks of predation impact in the different locations where colonies form, e.g. islands without mammalian predators vs. mainland sites. |
publishDate |
2002 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2002-02 |
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/97484 Blanco, Guillermo; Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo; Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird; Oxford University Press; Biological Journal of The Linnean Society; 75; 2; 2-2002; 137-146 0024-4066 CONICET Digital CONICET |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/97484 |
identifier_str_mv |
Blanco, Guillermo; Bertellotti, Néstor Marcelo; Differential predation by mammals and birds: Implications for egg-colour polymorphism in a nomadic breeding seabird; Oxford University Press; Biological Journal of The Linnean Society; 75; 2; 2-2002; 137-146 0024-4066 CONICET Digital CONICET |
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00026.x info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/75/2/137/2639854 |
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Oxford University Press |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Oxford University Press |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET) instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
reponame_str |
CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
collection |
CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
instname_str |
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar |
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1844614486803087360 |
score |
13.070432 |