Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Ibáñez, A., Marzal, A., López, P., & Martín, J. (2013). Sexually dichromatic coloration reflects size and immunocompetence in female spanish terrapins, mauremys leprosa. Naturwissenschaften, (epub. ahead of print).
Added by: Admin (06 Jan 2014 18:24:36 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1118-2 BibTeX citation key: Ibez2013 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Ernährung - nutrition, Geoemydidae, Habitat - habitat, Mauremys leprosa, Physiologie - physiology, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises, Südwesteuropa - South-Western Europa Creators: Ibáñez, López, Martín, Marzal Collection: Naturwissenschaften |
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| Abstract |
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Many studies have shown the importance of colorful ornamentation in mate choosiness or intrasexual conflict. However, research on color ornaments has focused mainly on birds, lizards or fish, but remains practically unknown in other animal groups such as turtles. In addition, female ornaments and their relation with sexual selection also remain almost unknown. Here, we measured the coloration of the shell and the limb stripes of male and female Spanish terrapins Mauremys leprosa and explored the existence of sexual dichromatism and the relation of color characteristics with body size and health state estimated from the immune response to the injection of an antigen (phytohaemagglutinin test). Our results showed that shell coloration, which could be constrained by natural selection to be cryptic, changed with body size, but did not differ between sexes. In contrast, females had brighter and less ultraviolet-saturated and more orange-saturated limb stripes than males. In females, interindividual variation in limb stripe coloration was related with body size and immune response suggesting that this coloration may inform honestly about multiple traits that could be important in sexual selection. In contrast, coloration of limb stripes of males was duller than in females, and was not related with any trait suggesting that coloration is not important in sexual selection for males.
Added by: Admin |