Plumage brightness and uropygial gland secretions in barn swallows  

作　　者：Anders PAPE MOLLER Fernando MATEOS-GONZALEZ 

机构地区：[1]Ecologie Systematique Evolution, Universite Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Universite Paris-Saclay, Batiment 362, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France [2]Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, University of Uppsala, Norbyvagen 18d, SE-75236, Uppsala, Sweden

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2019年第2期177-182,共6页动物学报（英文版）

摘　　要：The uropygial gland has been hypothesized to play a role in sexual signaling through a "make-up" function derived from the effects of secretions from the gland on the appearanee of the plumage and bare parts of the body. Here we show that plumage brightness of dorsal feathers of individual barn swallows Hirundo rustica was greater in mated than in unmated individuals. In addition, plumage brightness in creased with colony size. Furthermore, plumage bright ness was positively correlated with the amount of wax in the uropygial gland, negatively correlated with time of sampling of uropygial wax (perhaps because more wax is present early in the morning after an entire night of wax production without any preening), and negatively correlated with the number of chewing lice that degrade the plumage. Experimentally preventing barn swallows from access to the uropygial gland reduced plumage brightness, showing a causal link between secretions from the uropygial gland and plumage brightness. These findings provide evidence consistent with a role of uropygial secretions in signaling plumage brightness.

关 键 词：BRIGHTNESS COLORATION preening WAX sexual selection uropygial GLAND 

分 类 号：Q[生物学]