Dark nests and egg colour in birds: a possible functional role of ultraviolet reflectance in egg detectability.

ABSTRACT: Owing to the conspicuousness of ultraviolet (UV) colour in dark environments, natural selection might have selected UV egg coloration because it would enhance egg detectability by parents in murky nests. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using comparative and experimental approaches. First, we studied variation in egg coloration of 98 species of European passerines measured using UV-visible reflectance spectrometry (300-700nm) in relation to nesting habits. Analyses based on raw data and controlling for phylogenetic distances both at the species and the family levels revealed that hole-nester species produced eggs with higher UV reflectance than those nesting in open habitats. The experimental approach consisted of the manipulation of UV reflectance of the experimental eggs introduced out

SUBMITTER: Aviles JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1664626 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature