Female plumage coloration is sensitive to the cost of reproduction. An experiment in blue tits

• Published in: The Journal of animal ecology Vol. 81; no. 1; pp. 87 - 96
• Main Authors: Doutrelant, Claire, Grégoire, Arnaud, Midamegbe, Afiwa, Lambrechts, Marcel, Perret, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing 01.01.2012; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell; Wiley
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Animal and plant ecology; Animal biology; Animal communication; Animal ecology; Animal populations; Animal reproduction; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aves; Biodiversity and Ecology; Biological and medical sciences; bird; Birds; Body Composition; carotenoid‐based colour; Clutch size; Coloration; Colors; condition dependence; cost of reproduction; Ecology; Eggs; Environmental Sciences; Feathers; Feathers - physiology; Female; Female animals; Females; Food; France; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; handicap principle; Life histories; Life Sciences; Male; Male animals; Mate selection; Mating behavior; Pigmentation; Pigments; Plumage; Reproduction; Reproductive effort; Seasons; Sex; Sexual reproduction; Sexual selection; Songbirds - physiology; structural coloration; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Wings; France; Handicap; structural coloration; Costs; handicap principle; Color; Plumage; cost of reproduction; carotenoid-based colour; Vertebrata; Reproduction; bird; Parus caeruleus; Female; Aves; Carotenoid; condition dependence; Coloration

1. A growing number of studies suggest that female ornaments are linked to maternal quality and influence male mate choice. These findings challenge the traditional male-biased view of sexual selection and the hypothesis that female ornaments are the outcome of a genetic correlation with male orname...