| sex ratio adjustment in relation to paternal attractiveness in a wild bird population. | when the relative fitness of sons and daughters differs, sex-allocation theory predicts that it would be adaptive for individuals to adjust their investment in different sexes of offspring. sex ratio adjustment by females in response to the sexual attractiveness of their mate would be an example of this. in vertebrates the existence of this form of sex ratio adjustment is controversial and may be confounded with sex-biased mortality, particularly in sexually size-dimorphic species. here we use p ... | 1996 | 8876204 |
| discrepancies in population differentiation at microsatellites, mitochondrial dna and plumage colour in the pied flycatcher--inferring evolutionary processes. | genetic differentiation between three populations of the pied flycatcher ficedula hypoleuca (norway, czech republic and spain, respectively) was investigated at microsatellite loci and mitochondrial dna (mtdna) sequences and compared with the pattern of differentiation of male plumage colour. the czech population lives sympatrically with the closely related collared flycatcher (f. albicollis) whereas the other two are allopatric. allopatric populations are on average more conspicuously coloured ... | 2000 | 10964233 |
| explaining stasis: microevolutionary studies in natural populations. | microevolution, defined as a change in the genetic constitution of a population over time, is considered to be of commonplace occurrence in nature. its ubiquity can be inferred from the observation that quantitative genetic divergence among populations usually exceeds that to be expected due to genetic drift alone, and from numerous observations and experiments consistent with local adaptation. experimental manipulations in natural populations have provided evidence that rapid evolutionary respo ... | 2001 | 11838766 |
| single-nucleotide polymorphism characterization in species with limited available sequence information: high nucleotide diversity revealed in the avian genome. | as a case study for single-nucleotide polymorphism (snp) identification in species for which little or no sequence information is available, we investigated several approaches to identifying snps in two passerine bird species: pied and collared flycatchers (ficedula hypoleuca and f. albicollis). all approaches were successful in identifying sequence polymorphism and over 50 candidate snps per species were identified from approximately 9.1 kb of sequence. in addition, 17 sites were identified in ... | 2002 | 11918793 |
| public information and breeding habitat selection in a wild bird population. | according to the "public information" hypothesis, some animal species may monitor the current reproductive success of conspecifics to assess local habitat quality and to choose their own subsequent breeding site. to test this hypothesis experimentally, we manipulated two components of public information, the mean number of offspring raised locally ("quantity") and their condition ("quality"), in the collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis. immigration rate decreased with local offspring quantity ... | 2002 | 12183627 |
| age-related decline in humoral immune function in collared flycatchers. | although immune function usually declines with age in humans and captive animals, little is known about whether immune function deteriorates with age in natural populations. here we present evidence for such an age-related deterioration in humoral immune function from a wild population of the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis). in this study, young (1-year old), mid-age (3-year old) and old (5-6-year old) females were challenged with a nonpathogenic antigen, sheep red blood cells (srbc), ... | 2003 | 14640412 |
| climatic and temporal effects on the expression of secondary sexual characters: genetic and environmental components. | despite great interest in sexual selection, relatively little is known in detail about the genetic and environmental determinants of secondary sexual characters in natural populations. such information is important for determining the way in which populations may respond to sexual selection. we report analyses of genetic and large-scale environmental components of phenotypic variation of two secondary sexual plumage characters (forehead and wing patch size) in the collared flycatcher ficedula al ... | 2004 | 15119446 |
| declining immunity with age in the wild. | despite their higher metabolic rates and lifetime energy expenditures, birds generally outlive similar-sized mammals even in the wild, often reaching maturity and aging considerably more slowly. wild populations of many bird species have been monitored for years using banding-and-recapture methods, allowing field ornithologists to document age-related declines in survival and reproductive success. although elderly birds rarely reach advanced stages of senescence in nature, many show other signs ... | 2004 | 15163848 |
| contrasting patterns of polymorphism and divergence on the z chromosome and autosomes in two ficedula flycatcher species. | in geographic areas where pied and collared flycatchers (ficedula hypoleuca and f. albicollis) breed in sympatry, hybridization occurs, leading to gene flow (introgression) between the two recently diverged species. notably, while such introgression is observable at autosomal loci it is apparently absent at the z chromosome, suggesting an important role for genes on the z chromosome in creating reproductive isolation during speciation. to further understand the role of z-linked loci in the forma ... | 2005 | 15956661 |
| natural selection and genetic variation for reproductive reaction norms in a wild bird population. | many morphological and life-history traits show phenotypic plasticity that can be described by reaction norms, but few studies have attempted individual-level analyses of reaction norms in the wild. we analyzed variation in individual reaction norms between laying date and three climatic variables (local temperature, local rainfall, and north atlantic oscillation) of 1126 female collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) with a restricted maximum likehood linear mixed model approach using random ... | 2005 | 16050111 |
| testing the genetics underlying the co-evolution of mate choice and ornament in the wild. | one of the most debated questions in evolutionary biology is whether female choice of males with exaggerated sexual displays can evolve as a correlated response to selection acting on genes coding for male attractiveness or high overall viability. to date, empirical studies have provided support for parts of this scenario, but evidence for all key genetic components in a natural population is lacking. here we use animal-model quantitative genetic analysis on data from over 8,500 collared flycatc ... | 2006 | 16672970 |
| genetic mapping in a natural population of collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis): conserved synteny but gene order rearrangements on the avian z chromosome. | data from completely sequenced genomes are likely to open the way for novel studies of the genetics of nonmodel organisms, in particular when it comes to the identification and analysis of genes responsible for traits that are under selection in natural populations. here we use the draft sequence of the chicken genome as a starting point for linkage mapping in a wild bird species, the collared flycatcher - one of the most well-studied avian species in ecological and evolutionary research. a pedi ... | 2006 | 16783008 |
| species divergence in offspring begging intensity: difference in need or manipulation of parents? | conflicts over the delivery and sharing of food among family members are expected to lead to evolution of exaggerated offspring begging for food. coevolution between offspring begging intensity and parent response depends on the genetic architecture of the traits involved. given a genetic correlation between offspring begging intensity and parental response, there may be fast and arbitrary divergence in these behaviours between populations. however, there is limited knowledge about the genetic b ... | 2007 | 17264061 |
| genomics of natural bird populations: a gene-based set of reference markers evenly spread across the avian genome. | although there is growing interest to take genomics into the complex realms of natural populations, there is a general shortage of genomic resources and tools available for wild species. this applies not at least to birds, for which genomic approaches should be helpful to questions such as adaptation, speciation and population genetics. in this study, we describe a genome-wide reference set of conserved avian gene markers, broadly applicable across birds. by aligning protein-coding sequences fro ... | 2008 | 17927703 |
| a smörgåsbord of markers for avian ecology and evolution. | the polymerase chain reaction has been a boon to the study of molecular ecology and population genetics of birds. but the nagging truth is that for many bird species, the number of polymerase chain reaction (pcr) primer pairs that one can pick off the shelf and expect to amplify their target loci with ease is frustratingly small. now, studying dna sequence variation in natural populations of birds just got a whole lot easier. this issue of molecular ecology reports a large-scale bioinformatics s ... | 2008 | 18221271 |
| a gene-based genetic linkage map of the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) reveals extensive synteny and gene-order conservation during 100 million years of avian evolution. | by taking advantage of a recently developed reference marker set for avian genome analysis we have constructed a gene-based genetic map of the collared flycatcher, an important "ecological model" for studies of life-history evolution, sexual selection, speciation, and quantitative genetics. a pedigree of 322 birds from a natural population was genotyped for 384 single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) from 170 protein-coding genes and 71 microsatellites. altogether, 147 gene markers and 64 microsa ... | 2008 | 18562642 |
| birds reveal their personality when singing. | individual differences in social behaviour may have consequences for mate choice and sexual signalling, because partners should develop preferences for personalities that maximize reproductive output. here we propose that behavioural traits involved in sexual advertisement may serve as good indicators of personality, which is fundamental for sexual selection to operate on temperament. bird song has a prominent and well-established role in sexual selection, and it displays considerable variation ... | 2008 | 18612388 |
| molecular cytogenetics of the california condor: evolutionary and conservation implications. | evolutionary cytogenetic comparisons involved 5 species of birds (california condor, chicken, zebra finch, collared flycatcher and black stork) belonging to divergent taxonomic orders. seventy-four clones from a condor bac library containing 80 genes were mapped to condor chromosomes using fish, and 15 clones containing 16 genes were mapped to the stork z chromosome. maps for chicken and finch were derived from genome sequence databases, and that for flycatcher from the published literature. gen ... | 2009 | 20051671 |
| changing climate and the phenological response of great tit and collared flycatcher populations in floodplain forest ecosystems in central europe. | this study is based on 47 years of observations (1961-2007) on two common bird species, the great tit (parus major) and the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis), and a dominant tree species in their habitat, the english oak (quercus robur). the study took place at four research sites in the czech republic located in full-grown, multi-aged floodplain forests with no forestry management. an increase in air temperature over the evaluated period clearly influenced the length of phenological pha ... | 2010 | 20099374 |
| trypanosoma culicavium sp. nov., an avian trypanosome transmitted by culex mosquitoes. | a new avian trypanosome, trypanosoma culicavium sp. nov., isolated from culex mosquitoes, is described on the basis of naturally and experimentally infected vectors and bird hosts, localization in the vector, morphological characters and molecular data. this study provides the first comprehensive description of a trypanosome species transmitted by mosquitoes, in which parasites form plugs and rosettes on the stomodeal valve. trypanosomes occurred as long epimastigotes and short trypomastigotes i ... | 2011 | 21515704 |
| sex chromosome linked genetic variance and the evolution of sexual dimorphism of quantitative traits. | theory predicts that sex chromsome linkage should reduce intersexual genetic correlations thereby allowing the evolution of sexual dimorphism. empirical evidence for sex linkage has come largely from crosses and few studies have examined how sexual dimorphism and sex linkage are related within outbred populations. here, we use data on an array of different traits measured on over 10,000 individuals from two pedigreed populations of birds (collared flycatcher and zebra finch) to estimate the amou ... | 2012 | 23461313 |
| photoperiod as a modifying and limiting factor in the expression of avian circannual rhythms. | in three species of birds that migrate long distances, the annual rhythms of gonadal activity, molt, and migratory restlessness (zugunruhe) persist for more than 1 year under certain constant conditions. the most important zeitgeber for these circannual rhythms is the annual cycle of photoperiod, which adjusts the overall period of circannual rhythms to exactly 1 year and also provides for the appropriate adjustment of seasonal activities to the temporal structure of the environment. this is ill ... | 2008 | 2519591 |
| zero prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing bacteria in 300 breeding collared flycatchers in sweden. | wild birds are important indicators and potential spreaders of antibiotic resistance. the order passerines is scarcely studied apart from corvus sp. but extended spectrum beta-lactamases (esbls) has been found in blackbirds. we tested 300 fecal samples from a well-studied population of collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) at the island of gotland in sweden and found no esbl-producing bacteria. these results support the idea of 'ecological guild' as blackbirds are ground-foraging invertebra ... | 2013 | 23898397 |
| haemoproteus infection status of collared flycatcher males changes within a breeding season. | in ecological studies of haemosporidian parasites, prevalence is typically considered as a stable attribute. however, little is known about the possible within-host dynamics of these parasites that may originate from environmental fluctuations, parasite life cycles and the ability of hosts to suppress or clear infection. we sampled the blood of male collared flycatchers ficedula albicollis twice within a breeding season and investigated the determinants of initial infection status and change in ... | 2016 | 27672075 |
| molecular characterization of 'candidatus rickettsia vini' in ixodes arboricola from the czech republic and slovakia. | the aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of rickettsiae in the tree-hole tick ixodes arboricola in the czech republic and slovakia. during may to september of 2009 and 2013, bird boxes belonging to three different areas were screened for ticks. in total, 454 nestlings and 109 nests of 10 hole-breeding bird species were examined. ticks were found on ficedula albicollis, parus major, cyanistes caeruleus and sitta europaea and/or in their nests. in total, 166 ticks (17 nymphs, 10 males a ... | 2015 | 25769386 |
| covariation in levels of nucleotide diversity in homologous regions of the avian genome long after completion of lineage sorting. | closely related species may show similar levels of genetic diversity in homologous regions of the genome owing to shared ancestral variation still segregating in the extant species. however, after completion of lineage sorting, such covariation is not necessarily expected. on the other hand, if the processes that govern genetic diversity are conserved, diversity may potentially covary even among distantly related species. we mapped regions of conserved synteny between the genomes of two divergen ... | 2017 | 28202815 |
| avian immunosenescence. | immunosenescence, the aging of the immune system, is well studied in humans. mammalian immune systems become less capable of fighting pathogens and individuals become more susceptible to infection and cancer in their elder years. little is currently published on avian immunosenescence even though avian immune function has been well characterized and birds have been critical models in the study of immunology. the value of birds in the study of aging has been well established. evidence demonstrate ... | 2005 | 23598661 |
| interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole-nesting birds. | the increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. for example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban compared to nearby natural areas. in some birds, breeding success is determined by synchrony between timing of breeding and peak food abundance. pert ... | 2016 | 27547364 |
| passerine extrapair mating dynamics: a bayesian modeling approach comparing four species. | in many socially monogamous animals, females engage in extrapair copulation (epc), causing some broods to contain both within-pair and extrapair young (epy). the proportion of all young that are epy varies across populations and species. because an epc that does not result in epy leaves no forensic trace, this variation in the proportion of epy reflects both variation in the tendency to engage in epc and variation in the extrapair fertilization (epf) process across populations and species. we an ... | 2010 | 20528475 |
| density dependent effects between three competitive bird species. | density and breeding success of the great tit parus major, blue tit parus caeruleus and collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis were studied in nest box colony in oak forest over a period of 19 years.intraspecific density dependent clutch size reduction was found with blue tit and great tit. in interspecific relation the high density of blue tits reduced the clutch size of great tits.in the hatching period neither intraspecific nor interspecific density dependence were showed between the tits wh ... | 1987 | 28312908 |
| natal dispersers pay a lifetime cost to increased reproductive effort in a wild bird population. | natal dispersal is assumed to be costly. such costs can be difficult to detect, and fitness consequences of dispersal are therefore poorly known. because of lower phenotypic quality and/or familiarity with the environment, natal dispersers may be less buffered against a sudden increase in reproductive effort. consequently, reproductive costs associated with natal dispersal may mostly be detected in harsh breeding conditions. we tested this prediction by comparing lifetime reproductive success be ... | 2017 | 28330917 |
| elemental composition in feathers of a migratory passerine for differentiation of sex, age, and molting areas. | the bulk analysis of single feathers of 263 feathers belonging to 238 individuals of a migratory passerine (collared flycatcher, ficedula albicollis, originating from a breeding population in the pilis-visegrád mountains in hungary) by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (icp-sf-ms) for determination of elements after proper dissolution allowed the quantitative determination of 38 elements. calcium, mg, mn, fe, and zn were found to have a quantitative determination frequenc ... | 2016 | 27761869 |
| genomic distribution and estimation of nucleotide diversity in natural populations: perspectives from the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) genome. | properly estimating genetic diversity in populations of nonmodel species requires a basic understanding of how diversity is distributed across the genome and among individuals. to this end, we analysed whole-genome resequencing data from 20 collared flycatchers (genome size ≈1.1 gb; 10.13 million single nucleotide polymorphisms detected). genomewide nucleotide diversity was almost identical among individuals (mean = 0.00394, range = 0.00384-0.00401), but diversity levels varied extensively acros ... | 2016 | 27717155 |
| selective disappearance of individuals with high levels of glycated haemoglobin in a free-living bird. | although disruption of glucose homeostasis is a hallmark of ageing in humans and laboratory model organisms, we have little information on the importance of this process in free-living animals. poor control of blood glucose levels leads to irreversible protein glycation. hence, levels of protein glycation are hypothesized to increase with age and to be associated with a decline in survival. we tested these predictions by measuring blood glycated haemoglobin in 274 adult collared flycatchers of k ... | 2016 | 27555645 |
| increasing the power of genome wide association studies in natural populations using repeated measures - evaluation and implementation. | genomewide association studies (gwas) enable detailed dissections of the genetic basis for organisms' ability to adapt to a changing environment. in long-term studies of natural populations, individuals are often marked at one point in their life and then repeatedly recaptured. it is therefore essential that a method for gwas includes the process of repeated sampling. in a gwas, the effects of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) need to be fitted and any model development is cons ... | 2016 | 27478587 |
| direct estimate of the rate of germline mutation in a bird. | the fidelity of dna replication together with repair mechanisms ensure that the genetic material is properly copied from one generation to another. however, on extremely rare occasions when damages to dna or replication errors are not repaired, germline mutations can be transmitted to the next generation. because of the rarity of these events, studying the rate at which new mutations arise across organisms has been a great challenge, especially in multicellular nonmodel organisms with large geno ... | 2016 | 27412854 |
| females discriminate against heterospecific sperm in a natural hybrid zone. | when hybridization is maladaptive, species-specific mate preferences are selectively favored, but low mate availability may constrain species-assortative pairing. females paired to heterospecifics may then benefit by copulating with multiple males and subsequently favoring sperm of conspecifics. whether such mechanisms for biasing paternity toward conspecifics act as important reproductive barriers in socially monogamous vertebrate species remains to be determined. we use a combination of long-t ... | 2016 | 27312694 |
| differences in the oxidative balance of dispersing and non-dispersing individuals: an experimental approach in a passerine bird. | dispersal is often associated with a suite of phenotypic traits that might reduce dispersal costs, but can be energetically costly themselves outside dispersal. hence, dispersing and philopatric individuals might differ throughout their life cycle in their management of energy production. because higher energy expenditure can lead to the production of highly reactive oxidative molecules that are deleterious to the organism if left uncontrolled, dispersing and philopatric individuals might differ ... | 2016 | 27296460 |
| food supplementation mitigates dispersal-dependent differences in nest defence in a passerine bird. | dispersing and non-dispersing individuals often differ in phenotypic traits (e.g. physiology, behaviour), but to what extent these differences are fixed or driven by external conditions remains elusive. we experimentally tested whether differences in nest-defence behaviour between dispersing and non-dispersing individuals changed with local habitat quality in collared flycatchers, by providing additional food during the nestling rearing period. in control (non-food-supplemented) nests, disperser ... | 2016 | 27194287 |
| climate adaptation and speciation: particular focus on reproductive barriers in ficedula flycatchers. | climate adaptation is surprisingly rarely reported as a cause for the build-up of reproductive isolation between diverging populations. in this review, we summarize evidence for effects of climate adaptation on pre- and postzygotic isolation between emerging species with a particular focus on pied (ficedula hypoleuca) and collared (ficedula albicollis) flycatchers as a model for research on speciation. effects of climate adaptation on prezygotic isolation or extrinsic selection against hybrids h ... | 2016 | 27087843 |
| divergence in gene expression within and between two closely related flycatcher species. | relatively little is known about the character of gene expression evolution as species diverge. it is for instance unclear if gene expression generally evolves in a clock-like manner (by stabilizing selection or neutral evolution) or if there are frequent episodes of directional selection. to gain insights into the evolutionary divergence of gene expression, we sequenced and compared the transcriptomes of multiple organs from population samples of collared (ficedula albicollis) and pied flycatch ... | 2016 | 26928872 |
| relative fitness of a generalist parasite on two alternative hosts: a cross-infestation experiment to test host specialization of the hen flea ceratophyllus gallinae (schrank). | host range is a key element of a parasite's ecology and evolution and can vary greatly depending on spatial scale. generalist parasites frequently show local population structure in relation to alternative sympatric hosts (i.e. host races) and may thus be specialists at local scales. here, we investigated local population specialization of a common avian nest-based parasite, the hen flea ceratophyllus gallinae (schrank), exploiting two abundant host species that share the same breeding sites, th ... | 2016 | 26910399 |
| side-specific effect of yolk testosterone elevation on second-to-fourth digit ratio in a wild passerine. | second-to-fourth digit ratio is a widely investigated sexually dimorphic morphological trait in human studies and could reliably indicate the prenatal steroid environment. conducting manipulative experiments to test this hypothesis comes up against ethical limits in humans. however, oviparous tetrapods may be excellent models to experimentally investigate the effects of prenatal steroids on offspring second-to-fourth digit ratio. in this field study, we injected collared flycatcher (ficedula alb ... | 2016 | 26732381 |
| context dependence of maternal effects: testing assumptions of optimal egg size, differential, and sex allocation models. | if offspring develop in adverse conditions, the maternal component of their phenotypic variation might increase due to the stronger dependence of offspring traits on parental investment. this should result in increased parental investment to individual offspring, as assumed by the model of optimal egg size. the opposite pattern, i.e., stronger dependence of offspring fitness on parental investment and consequently larger parental investment under good conditions is assumed by both the theory of ... | 2015 | 26649393 |
| among-year variation in the repeatability, within- and between-individual, and phenotypic correlations of behaviors in a natural population. | when mean behaviors correlate among individuals, they form behavioral syndromes. one way to understand the evolution of such a group-level phenomenon is to compare horizontally patterns of correlations among populations (or species) or follow longitudinally the same population over years in the light of parallel differences in the environment. we applied the longitudinal approach to 8-year field data and analyzed phenotypic correlations, and their within- and between-individual components, among ... | 2017 | 26586925 |
| hormonally-mediated maternal effects in birds: lessons from the flycatcher model system. | maternal effects are a crucial mechanism in many taxa in generating phenotypic variation, affecting offspring development and fitness and thereby potentially adapting them to their expected environments. androgen hormones in bird eggs have attracted considerable interest in past years, and it is frequently assumed that their concentrations in eggs are shaped by darwinian selection. currently, however, the data is scattered over species with very different life-history strategies, environments an ... | 2015 | 26393309 |
| isotopic analysis of island house martins delichon urbica indicates marine provenance of nutrients. | the presence of one of the largest colonies of house martins in europe on the small island of stora karlsö, sweden, led us to investigate the source of their food by analysis of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. carbon isotopic values of house martin nestlings were the same as those of common guillemot uria aalge nestlings fed on marine fish, but differed from local collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis nestlings fed on woodland insects. we infer that these house martins fed their chicks ... | 2014 | 25866414 |
| genome-wide association mapping in a wild avian population identifies a link between genetic and phenotypic variation in a life-history trait. | understanding the genetic basis of traits involved in adaptation is a major challenge in evolutionary biology but remains poorly understood. here, we use genome-wide association mapping using a custom 50 k single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) array in a natural population of collared flycatchers to examine the genetic basis of clutch size, an important life-history trait in many animal species. we found evidence for an association on chromosome 18 where one snp significant at the genome-wide lev ... | 2015 | 25833857 |
| sympatric divergence and clinal variation in multiple coloration traits of ficedula flycatchers. | geographic variation in phenotypes plays a key role in fundamental evolutionary processes such as local adaptation, population differentiation and speciation, but the selective forces behind it are rarely known. we found support for the hypothesis that geographic variation in plumage traits of the pied flycatcher ficedula hypoleuca is explained by character displacement with the collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis in the contact zone. the plumage traits of the pied flycatcher differed strong ... | 2015 | 25683091 |
| natural selection acts in opposite ways on correlated hormonal mediators of prenatal maternal effects in a wild bird population. | maternal hormones are important mediators of prenatal maternal effects. although many experimental studies have demonstrated their potency in shaping offspring phenotypes, we know remarkably little about their adaptive value. using long-term data on a wild collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) population, we show that natural selection acts in opposite ways on two maternally derived androgens, yolk androstenedione (a4) and yolk testosterone (t). high yolk a4 concentrations are associated wit ... | 2014 | 25130200 |
| aggressive behavior of the male parent predicts brood sex ratio in a songbird. | brood sex ratio is often affected by parental or environmental quality, presumably in an adaptive manner that is the sex that confers higher fitness benefits to the mother is overproduced. so far, studies on the role of parental quality have focused on parental morphology and attractiveness. however, another aspect, the partner's behavioral characteristics, may also be expected to play a role in brood sex ratio adjustment. to test this hypothesis, we investigated whether the proportion of sons i ... | 2014 | 24973871 |
| patterns of sequencing coverage bias revealed by ultra-deep sequencing of vertebrate mitochondria. | genome and transcriptome sequencing applications that rely on variation in sequence depth can be negatively affected if there are systematic biases in coverage. we have investigated patterns of local variation in sequencing coverage by utilising ultra-deep sequencing (>100,000x) of mtdna obtained during sequencing of two vertebrate genomes, wolverine (gulo gulo) and collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis). with such extreme depth, stochastic variation in coverage should be negligible, which al ... | 2014 | 24923674 |
| identifying the african wintering grounds of hybrid flycatchers using a multi-isotope (δ2h, δ13c, δ15n) assignment approach. | migratory routes and wintering grounds can have important fitness consequences, which can lead to divergent selection on populations or taxa differing in their migratory itinerary. collared (ficedula albicollis) and pied (f. hypoleuca) flycatchers breeding in europe and wintering in different sub-saharan regions have distinct migratory routes on the eastern and western sides of the sahara desert, respectively. in an earlier paper, we showed that hybrids of the two species did not incur reduced w ... | 2014 | 24847717 |
| the relationship between drd4 polymorphisms and phenotypic correlations of behaviors in the collared flycatcher. | there is increasing evidence that the genetic architecture of exploration behavior includes the dopamine receptor d4 gene (drd4). such a link implies that the within-individual consistency in the same behavior has a genetic basis. behavioral consistency is also prevalent in the form of between-individual correlation of functionally different behaviors; thus, the relationship between drd4 polymorphism and exploration may also be manifested for other behaviors. here, in a hungarian population of t ... | 2014 | 24834341 |
| laying date and polygyny as determinants of annual reproductive success in male collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis): a long-term study. | annual reproductive success (ars) is one of the main components of lifetime reproductive success, a reliable measure of individual fitness. previous studies often dealt with ars and variables potentially affecting it. among them, long-term studies that consider multiple factors at the same time are particularly important in understanding the adaptive value of different phenotypes. here, we used an 18-year dataset to quantify the ars of male collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) on the basis ... | 2014 | 24563121 |
| malaria-infected female collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) do not pay the cost of late breeding. | life-history theory predicts that the trade-off between parasite defense and other costly traits such as reproduction may be most evident when resources are scarce. the strength of selection that parasites inflict on their host may therefore vary across environmental conditions. collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) breeding on the swedish island öland experience a seasonal decline in their preferred food resource, which opens the possibility to test the strength of life-history trade-offs ... | 2014 | 24465726 |
| integrated plumage colour variation in relation to body condition, reproductive investment and laying date in the collared flycatcher. | the possible integration of different sexual ornaments into a composite system, and especially the information content of such ornament complexes, is poorly investigated. many bird species display complex plumage coloration, but whether this represents one integrated or several independent sexual traits can be unclear. collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) display melanised and depigmented plumage areas, and the spectral features (brightness and uv chroma) of these are correlated with each ... | 2013 | 24057045 |
| phenological differences among selected residents and long-distance migrant bird species in central europe. | the phenological responses to climate of residents and migrants (short- and long-distance) differ. although few previous studies have focussed on this topic, the agree that changes in phenology are more apparent for residents than for long-distance migrants. we analysed the breeding times of two selected residents (sitta europaea, parus major) and one long-distance migrant (ficedula albicollis) from 1961 to 2007 in central europe. the timing of the phenophases of all three bird species showed a ... | 2014 | 23640249 |
| optimizing the trade-off between offspring number and quality in unpredictable environments: testing the role of differential androgen transfer to collared flycatcher eggs. | according to the brood reduction hypothesis, parents adjust their brood size in response to current environmental conditions. when resources are abundant, parents can successfully raise all hatched offspring, but when resources are scarce, brood reduction, i.e., the sacrifice of some siblings to secure the quality of a subset of offspring, may maximize fitness. differential transfer of maternal androgens is one potential proximate mechanism through which female birds may facilitate brood reducti ... | 2013 | 23602767 |
| flycatchers copy conspecifics in nest-site selection but neither personal experience nor frequency of tutors have an effect. | using the behavior of others in guiding one's own behavior is a common strategy in animals. the prevailing theory predicts that young age and the inexperience of an individual are expected to increase the probability of adopting the behaviors of others. also, the most common behavior in the population should be copied. here, we tested the above predictions by examining social information use in the selection of nest-site features with a field experiment using a wild cavity nesting bird, the coll ... | 2013 | 23544136 |
| rapid and unpredictable changes of the g-matrix in a natural bird population over 25 years. | knowledge of the genetic variances and covariances of traits (the g-matrix) is fundamental for the understanding of evolutionary dynamics of populations. despite its essential importance in evolutionary studies, empirical tests of the temporal stability of the g-matrix in natural populations are few. we used a 25-year-long individual-based field study on almost 7000 breeding attempts of the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) to estimate the stability of the g-matrix over time. using anima ... | 2013 | 23240615 |
| cross-fostering eggs reveals that female collared flycatchers adjust clutch sex ratios according to parental ability to invest in offspring. | across animal taxa, reproductive success is generally more variable and more strongly dependent upon body condition for males than for females; in such cases, parents able to produce offspring in above-average condition are predicted to produce sons, whereas parents unable to produce offspring in good condition should produce daughters. we tested this hypothesis in the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) by cross-fostering eggs among nests and using the condition of foster young that paren ... | 2013 | 23116299 |
| reduced compensatory growth capacity in mistimed broods of a migratory passerine. | phenotypic plasticity has recently been proposed to increase population viability when rapid anthropogenic environmental changes cannot be tracked by means of evolution. this assumes that environmental changes do not constrain phenotypic plasticity itself, which has rarely been examined in natural populations. in areas of climate warming, many long-distance migratory birds breed increasingly late relative to the period of peak food supply, and the temporal mismatch may constrain plastic life-his ... | 2013 | 23053241 |
| effects of brood size manipulation and common origin on phenotype and telomere length in nestling collared flycatchers. | evidence is accumulating that telomere length is a good predictor of life expectancy, especially early in life, thus calling for determining the factors that affect telomere length at this stage. here, we investigated the relative influence of early growth conditions and origin (genetics and early maternal effects) on telomere length of collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) at fledging. we experimentally transferred hatchlings among brood triplets to create reduced, control (i.e. unchanged ... | 2012 | 22901085 |
| lifetime offspring production in relation to breeding lifespan, attractiveness, and mating status in male collared flycatchers. | as a comprehensive fitness parameter, lifetime reproductive success (lrs) is influenced by many different environmental and genetic factors, among which longevity is one of the most important. these factors can be reflected in secondary sexual characters, which may affect the life histories of individuals via social relations with conspecifics. facultative polygyny in birds is another conspicuous reproductive trait that potentially increases male reproductive success, but lifetime success data i ... | 2012 | 22644049 |
| experimental manipulation shows that the white wing patch in collared flycatchers is a male sexual ornament. | descriptive analysis suggests that a conspicuous white wing patch in dichromatic (black and white) pied and collared flycatchers is under sexual selection. here, we use an experimental approach to test whether this trait is indeed the target of selection. we caught 100 collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis males soon after their arrival on the breeding site. we reduced (blackened) part of the white wing patch in half of these males and recorded their mating success and within and extra-pair of ... | 2011 | 22393521 |
| low genetic variance in the duration of the incubation period in a collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) population. | the avian incubation period is associated with high energetic costs and mortality risks suggesting that there should be strong selection to reduce the duration to the minimum required for normal offspring development. although there is much variation in the duration of the incubation period across species, there is also variation within species. it is necessary to estimate to what extent this variation is genetically determined if we want to predict the evolutionary potential of this trait. here ... | 2012 | 22173466 |
| the relationship between syllable repertoire similarity and pairing success in a passerine bird species with complex song. | repertoire size, i.e. the number of unique song elements that an individual possesses, is thought to be an important target of female preference. however, the use of repertoire size reflects how researchers work with complex songs; while it does not necessary describe biological functions, as listeners of song may also rely on song composition. specific syllables may have coherent consequences for mate attraction because they are costly to produce, mediate syllable sharing or indicate the dialec ... | 2012 | 22123372 |
| superiority of extra-pair offspring: maternal but not genetic effects as revealed by a mixed cross-fostering design. | extra-pair copulations (epc) are the rule rather than an exception in socially monogamous birds, but despite widespread occurrences, the benefits of female infidelity remain elusive. most attention has been paid to the possibility that females gain genetic benefits from epc, and fitness comparisons between maternal half-siblings are considered to be a defining test of this hypothesis. recently, it was shown that these comparisons may be confounded by within-brood maternal effects where one such ... | 2011 | 22061105 |
| integration of spectral reflectance across the plumage: implications for mating patterns. | in complex sexual signaling systems such as plumage color, developmental or genetic links may occur among seemingly distinct traits. however, the interrelations of such traits and the functional significance of their integration rarely have been examined. | 2011 | 21853088 |
| divergent patterns of age-dependence in ornamental and reproductive traits in the collared flycatcher. | sexual ornaments are predicted to honestly signal individual condition. we might therefore expect ornament expression to show a senescent decline, in parallel with late-life deterioration of other characters. conversely, life-history theory predicts the reduced residual reproductive value of older individuals will favor increased investment in sexually attractive traits. using a 25-year dataset of more than 5000 records of breeding collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) of known age, we quan ... | 2011 | 21644953 |
| oxidative damage and plasma antioxidant capacity in relation to body size, age, male sexual traits and female reproductive performance in the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis). | the study of oxidative stress is a potential tool for studying the functional interactions among life history traits, sexual traits and physiological status in animals. in this study, we investigated relationships between measures of plasma oxidative status and male sexual traits, female reproductive investment and three other life history traits, in a wild population of collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis). flycatcher males with a larger white forehead patch had higher level of plasma ant ... | 2011 | 20677008 |
| speciation in ficedula flycatchers. | speciation in animals often requires that population divergence goes through three major evolutionary stages, i.e. ecological divergence, development of sexual isolation and the build-up of genetic incompatibility. there is theoretical consensus regarding favourable conditions required for speciation to reach its final and irreversible stage, but empirical tests remain rare. here, we review recent research on processes of speciation, based on studies in hybrid zones between collared (ficedula al ... | 2010 | 20439285 |
| ecology and genetics of speciation in ficedula flycatchers. | birds have for long been popular study objects in speciation research. being easy to observe in the field, they have traditionally been particularly important in studies of behavioural and ecological factors in speciation, whereas the genetic aspects of the process have been studied in other organisms, such as drosophila. more recently, however, a stronger genetic focus has been placed on speciation research also in birds. here, we review ecological, behavioural and genetic studies on speciation ... | 2010 | 20163542 |
| heritable variation in maternal yolk hormone transfer in a wild bird population. | differential reproductive investment by the mother can critically influence offspring development and phenotype, and strong selection is therefore expected to act on such maternal effects. although a genetic basis is a prerequisite for phenotypic traits to respond to selection and thus to evolve, we still know very little about the extent of heritable variation in maternal effects in natural populations. here, we present the first estimates of intrafemale repeatability across breeding seasons an ... | 2009 | 19737108 |
| yolk androgens do not appear to mediate sexual conflict over parental investment in the collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis. | males and females are in conflict over parental care, as it would be favourable for one parent to shift labour to the other. yolk hormones may offer a mechanism through which female birds could influence offspring traits in ways that increase the relative investment by the male. we studied the role of yolk androgens in mediating sexual conflict over parental care in the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis). in a cross-fostering experiment, the male's proportion of total feeding visits incre ... | 2009 | 19470362 |
| 'heritability' of dispersal propensity in a patchy population. | although dispersal is often considered to be a plastic, condition-dependent trait with low heritability, growing evidence supports medium to high levels of dispersal heritability. obtaining unbiased estimates of dispersal heritability in natural populations nevertheless remains crucial to understand the evolution of dispersal strategies and their population consequences. here we show that dispersal propensity (i.e. the probability of dispersal between habitat patches) displays a significant heri ... | 2009 | 19419988 |
| short- and long-term effects of egg size and feeding frequency on offspring quality in the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis). | 1. despite the central importance for life-history theory, egg-size effects on offspring fitness are still considered ambiguous. most previous studies were only observational and consequently might suffer from uncontrolled correlations between egg size and parental/territory quality. even after cross-fostering is performed, direct genetic effects and parental adjustment of post-natal care might confound our estimates of egg-size effects per se. 2. i performed a full cross-fostering experiment in ... | 2009 | 19298615 |
| postzygotic isolation over multiple generations of hybrid descendents in a natural hybrid zone: how well do single-generation estimates reflect reproductive isolation? | understanding speciation depends on an accurate assessment of the reproductive barriers separating newly diverged populations. in several taxonomic groups, prezygotic barriers, especially preferences for conspecific mates, are thought to play the dominant role in speciation. however, the importance of postzygotic barriers (i.e., low fitness of hybrid offspring) may be widely underestimated. in this study, we examined how well the widely used proxy of postzygotic isolation (reproductive output of ... | 2009 | 19245675 |
| balanced dispersal between spatially varying local populations: an alternative to the source-sink model. | analysis of long-term monitoring data on breeding collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis temm.) has revealed equal numbers of immigrations and emigrations between neighboring populations of different sizes. dispersal patterns were close to patterns simulated under a conditional dispersal and with populations near saturation level. local growth rates of the 11 sites were computed and did not support the idea that the observed balanced exchanges could be the result of a source-sink system. this ... | 1997 | 18811285 |
| phenotypic selection on a heritable size trait revisited. | one of evolutionary biology's most persistent puzzles is the fact that apparent directional selection on a heritable trait in a natural population often does not produce a selection response. we tested three possible explanations for this problem using data on body size of more than 23,000 individuals, measured over 18 yr, in a collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) population. using a restricted maximum likelihood "animal model," we found a narrow-sense heritability for fledgling tarsus leng ... | 2001 | 18707351 |
| seventy new microsatellites for the pied flycatcher, ficedula hypoleuca and amplification in other passerine birds. | the pied flycatcher (ficedula hypoleuca) is a small migratory passerine bird commonly distributed across europe which has been the focus of considerable ecological and evolutionary research. here, we present details of 70 microsatellite markers for the species adding to the six which are currently available. sixty-six markers were also polymorphic in the closely related collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis), while 54 were polymorphic in another related passerine, the bluethroat (luscinia sve ... | 2008 | 21585917 |
| female ornamentation and territorial conflicts in collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis). | female ornaments in species with conventional sex roles often indicate individual quality, but the evolutionary forces maintaining them are less clear. sexual competition for breeding opportunities may represent an important role for female signals, especially in polygynous species, but there is little experimental evidence for this. the wing patch size (wps) of female collared flycatchers indicates age and body condition and predicts social mating patterns. we challenged nest-building females w ... | 2008 | 18548223 |
| natural and sexual selection against hybrid flycatchers. | while sexual selection is generally assumed to quickly cause or strengthen prezygotic barriers between sister species, its role in causing postzygotic isolation, through the unattractiveness of intermediate hybrids, is less often examined. combining 24 years of pedigree data and recently developed species-specific molecular markers from collared (ficedula albicollis) and pied (ficedula hypoleuca) flycatchers and their hybrids, we were able to quantify all key components of fitness. to disentangl ... | 2008 | 18211878 |
| exploring the genetics of aging in a wild passerine bird. | senescence is the decline in survival and reproduction as an organism ages and is known to occur in collared flycatchers ficedula albicollis. we consider annual fitness (the estimated genetic contribution that an individual makes to next year's gene pool) as a measure of age-specific fitness. we apply a restricted maximum likelihood linear mixed-model approach on 25 years of data on 3,844 male and 4,992 female collared flycatchers. annual fitness had a significant additive genetic component (h2 ... | 2007 | 17891742 |
| the intersexual genetic correlation for lifetime fitness in the wild and its implications for sexual selection. | the genetic benefits of mate choice are limited by the degree to which male and female fitness are genetically correlated. if the intersexual correlation for fitness is small or negative, choosing a highly fit mate does not necessarily result in high fitness offspring. | 2007 | 17710144 |
| nestling immune response to phytohaemagglutinin is not heritable in collared flycatchers. | the response to intradermally injected phytohaemagglutinin (pha-response) is a commonly used quantification of avian immunocompetence (the ability to resist pathogens). parasite-mediated sexual selection requires heritable immunocompetence, but evidence for heritability of pha-response in birds largely stems from full-sib comparisons. using an animal model approach, we quantified the narrow-sense heritability of pha-response in 1626 collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) nestlings from 332 fa ... | 2007 | 17567550 |
| does migration of hybrids contribute to post-zygotic isolation in flycatchers? | in the face of hybridization, species integrity can only be maintained through post-zygotic isolating barriers (pibs). pibs need not only be intrinsic (i.e. hybrid inviability and sterility caused by developmental incompatibilities), but also can be extrinsic due to the hybrid's intermediate phenotype falling between the parental niches. for example, in migratory species, hybrid fitness might be reduced as a result of intermediate migration pathways and reaching suboptimal wintering grounds. her ... | 2007 | 17254995 |
| evolutionary genetics: evolution of mate choice in the wild. | qvarnström et al. test whether the preference of female collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) for males with large forehead patches could have evolved as a by-product of selection acting on male patch size. they find that the crucial genetic correlation between female choice and male patch size is not significant, and conclude that preference for large patches must have been shaped directly by selection. however, their use of the patch size of a female's social partner as a measure of choic ... | 2006 | 17167425 |
| cross-fostering reveals seasonal changes in the relative fitness of two competing species of flycatchers. | spatial and temporal heterogeneity in relative fitness of competing species is a key factor affecting the structure of communities. however, it is not intuitive why species that are ecologically similar should differ in their response to environmental changes. here we show that two sympatric flycatchers differ in reproductive strategy and in sensitivity to harsh environment. the fitness of collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis), which are dominant in interference competition, is more sensiti ... | 2005 | 17148130 |
| a test of the "sexy son" hypothesis: sons of polygynous collared flycatchers do not inherit their fathers' mating status. | according to the original "sexy son" hypothesis, a female may benefit from pairing with an already-mated male despite a reduction in fecundity because her sons inherit their father's attractiveness. we used data from a long-term study of collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) collected during 24 years to test this prediction. our results show that the sons of polygynously mated females fledged in poor condition and therefore did not inherit their father's large forehead patch (a condition-de ... | 2006 | 16670988 |
| hybridization cost of delayed maturation of secondary sexual traits in the collared flycatcher. | in many species, individuals do not attain their full adult coloration until one or several years after reaching sexual maturity, and this signaling of juvenile status is thought to enable young individuals to avoid aggression from older, dominant conspecifics. we propose that hybridization may be one of several costs and benefits associated with such delayed maturation. we tested this idea in a hybrid zone of collared (ficedula albicollis) and pied (f. hypoleuca) flycatchers on the baltic islan ... | 2005 | 16526517 |
| antioxidants in the egg yolk of a wild passerine: differences between breeding seasons. | carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins play crucial roles in several physiological processes. yolk carotenoid composition may be influenced by the bird's dietary intake and by the possible discrimination during carotenoid metabolism. information regarding the pigment composition of passerine eggs is very limited. in the present 2-year study, we determined the carotenoid and vitamin concentrations and the percentage profile of carotenoid components in collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) eggs. ... | 2006 | 16343963 |
| amount of introgression in flycatcher hybrid zones reflects regional differences in pre and post-zygotic barriers to gene exchange. | introgression is the incorporation of alleles from one species or semispecies into the gene pool of another through hybridization and backcrossing. the rate at which this occurs depends on the frequency of hybridization and the fitness of hybrids and backcrosses compared to 'pure' individuals. the collared flycatcher (ficedula albicollis) and the pied flycatcher (f. hypoleuca) co-exist and hybridize at low to moderate frequencies in a clinal hybrid zone in central europe and on the islands of go ... | 2005 | 16313454 |
| single-generation estimates of individual fitness as proxies for long-term genetic contribution. | individual fitness is a central evolutionary concept, but the question of how it should be defined in empirical studies of natural selection remains contentious. using founding cohorts from long-term population studies of two species of individually marked birds (collared flycatcher ficedula albicollis and ural owl strix uralensis), we compared a rate-sensitive (lambdaind) and a rate-insensitive (lifetime reproductive success [lrs]) estimate of individual fitness with an estimate of long-term ge ... | 2004 | 15122499 |
| egg size and offspring performance in the collared flycatcher ( ficedula albicollis): a within-clutch approach. | adaptive within-clutch allocation of resources by laying females is an important focus of evolutionary studies. however, the critical assumption of these studies, namely that within-clutch egg-size deviations affect offspring performance, has been properly tested only rarely. in this study, we investigated effects of within-clutch deviations in egg size on nestling survival, weight, fledgling condition, structural size and offspring recruitment to the breeding population in the collared flycatch ... | 2004 | 15118900 |
| female survival, lifetime reproductive success and mating status in a passerine bird. | in facultatively polygynous birds, secondary females of polygynously mated males typically have reduced annual reproductive success, because polygynous males provide less paternal care than monogamous males. life history theory predicts that, as a result of increased reproductive investment, secondary females should suffer from reduced survival and lifetime reproductive success, but previous studies provided only weak support for this hypothesis. we used 7 years of data to study the fitness of f ... | 2004 | 14566556 |
| sources and timing of calcium intake during reproduction in flycatchers. | calcium availability may limit the reproductive output of birds and snail shells are considered to be the main source of calcium in many passerine species. this study of collared ( ficedula albicollis) and pied ( f. hypoleuca) flycatchers evaluates calcium intake of a natural diet in central europe, and sex differences in the utilization of experimentally supplemented sources of calcium during the entire breeding period in aviary birds. the study provides the first evidence that successful repro ... | 2003 | 14505029 |
| gathering public information for habitat selection: prospecting birds cue on parental activity. | because habitat quality strongly affects individual fitness, understanding individual habitat selection strategies is fundamental for most aspects of the evolution and conservation of species. several studies suggest that individuals gather public information, i.e. information derived from the reproductive performance of conspecifics, to assess and select habitats. however, the behavioural mechanisms of information gathering, i.e. prospecting, are largely unknown, despite the fact that they dire ... | 2003 | 12964983 |
| repeated inseminations required for natural fertility in a wild bird population. | in most bird species, pairs copulate many times before egg laying. the exact function of repeated inseminations (i.e. successful copulations) is unknown, but several suggestions have been made. we tested the hypothesis that repeated inseminations are required to ensure fertilization of eggs, by using an experimental method where free-ranging male collared flycatchers (ficedula albicollis) were prevented from inseminating their mates. we show that egg fertility was lower when females had not copu ... | 2003 | 12769465 |