Examining the link between relaxed predation and bird coloration on islands.

ABSTRACT: Insular ecosystems share analogous ecological conditions, leading to patterns of convergent evolution that are collectively termed as the 'island syndrome'. In birds, part of this syndrome is a tendency for a duller plumage, possibly as a result of relaxed sexual selection. Despite this global pattern, some insular species display a more colourful plumage than their mainland relatives, but why this occurs has remained unexplained. Here, we examine the hypothesis that these cases of increased plumage coloration on islands could arise through a relaxation of predation pressure. We used comparative analyses to investigate whether average insular richness of raptors of suitable mass influences the plumage colourfulness and brightness across 110 pairs of insular endemic species and their closes

SUBMITTER: Bliard L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7211456 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature