Old males reduce melanin-pigmented traits and increase reproductive outcome under worse environmental conditions in common kestrels.

ABSTRACT: Secondary sexual traits displayed by males and females may have evolved as a signal of individual quality. However, both individual quality and investment on producing or maintaining enhanced sexual traits change as individuals age. At the same time, the costs associated to produce sexual traits might be attenuated or increased if environmental conditions are benign or worse respectively. Accordingly, environmental conditions are expected to shape the association between the expression of sexual traits and their reproductive outcome as individuals age. Nonetheless, little is known about the environmental influence on the co-variation between sexual traits and reproductive outcome throughout the life of individuals. We studied the age-dependency of the number and size of back spots, a melan

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Idiaquez D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4761766 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature