Juvenile pheomelanin‐based plumage coloration has evolved more frequently in carnivorous species

Distinctive pheomelanin‐based plumage coloration in juvenile birds has been proposed as a signal of immaturity to avoid aggression by older conspecifics, but recent findings suggest a detoxifying strategy. Pheomelanin synthesis implies the consumption of cysteine, a semi‐essential amino acid that is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIbis (London, England) Vol. 162; no. 1; pp. 238 - 244
Main Authors Rodríguez‐Martínez, Sol, Galván, Ismael
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2020
Subjects
Amino acids
Antioxidants
Biological evolution
Birds
Carnivores
Carnivorous animals
Coloration
Colour
Conspecifics
Cysteine
cysteine excess
Diet
Glutathione
High protein diet
Homeostasis
juvenile plumage
Pheomelanin
Plumage
Predators
Species
Synthesis
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Summary:Distinctive pheomelanin‐based plumage coloration in juvenile birds has been proposed as a signal of immaturity to avoid aggression by older conspecifics, but recent findings suggest a detoxifying strategy. Pheomelanin synthesis implies the consumption of cysteine, a semi‐essential amino acid that is necessary for the synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) but that may be toxic if in excess in the diet. As the nestling stage probably represents a low‐stress period with limited requirement for GSH protection, the synthesis of pheomelanin in developing birds may help to maintain cysteine homeostasis, particularly in species with a high content of protein in the diet (i.e. carnivores). Here we confirm this hypothesis showing that, among 53 species of Western Palaearctic birds, juvenile pheomelanin‐based coloration has evolved more frequently in strictly carnivorous species than in species with other diets.
ISSN:0019-1019
1474-919X
DOI:10.1111/ibi.12770