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
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/97484

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spelling 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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