Reddish male swallows have short sperm

• Published in: Journal of ethology Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 85 - 89
• Main Authors: Hasegawa, Masaru, Arai, Emi, Nakamura, Masahiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.01.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animal Ecology; Antioxidants; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coloration; Evolutionary Biology; Life Sciences; Pheomelanin; Plumage; Sexual selection; Short Communication; Sperm; Zoology; Tail feather length; Plumage ornaments; Sperm size; Pheomelanin-based pigmentation; Phylogenetic comparative approach

Sexual selection favors the evolution of pre-copulatory sexual traits such as ornamentation and post-copulatory sexual traits such as long sperm, but the interrelationships of the two types of sexual traits remain unclear. Here, using Japanese barn swallows, Hirundo rustica gutturalis, and an inters...