Plastic plumage colouration in response to experimental humidity supports Gloger's rule.

ABSTRACT: Knowing how animals adapt their phenotype to local temperature and humidity is key to understanding not only ecogeographical rules, but also how species will manage climate change, as current models predict changes in global patterns of temperature and precipitation. In endotherms, colour adaptations in response to climate have been under investigated, and their acclimatization-the individual capacity to reversibly adjust phenotype in response to different environments-is unknown. Geographic trends can provide clues about abiotic variables involved in colouration, as postulated by Gloger's rule, which predicts darker individuals in warm and humid regions. We tested whether house sparrows (Passer domesticus) can adjust colouration when faced with varying humidity conditions. We exposed bird

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Rull I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9842646 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature