A label of health: a previous immune challenge is reflected in the expression of a female plumage trait.
(2008) In Biology letters 4(4). p.379-381- Abstract
- Studies of ornaments as indicators of individual quality have hitherto focused on males, while studies of female ornaments have been almost absent. However, females within the same species may show large variation in both outer appearance and individual quality. We experimentally examined the effect of an immune challenge on the size of white fringes in the wing feathers produced one to two months after the challenge in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima), a long-lived sea duck. Immune-challenged females produced feathers with smaller white fringes, showing that a previous immune challenge may affect the expression of a plumage trait. We also report an unexpected difference in the expression of this white plumage trait within the... (More)
- Studies of ornaments as indicators of individual quality have hitherto focused on males, while studies of female ornaments have been almost absent. However, females within the same species may show large variation in both outer appearance and individual quality. We experimentally examined the effect of an immune challenge on the size of white fringes in the wing feathers produced one to two months after the challenge in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima), a long-lived sea duck. Immune-challenged females produced feathers with smaller white fringes, showing that a previous immune challenge may affect the expression of a plumage trait. We also report an unexpected difference in the expression of this white plumage trait within the immune-challenged group, related to the specific immune response against one of the injected antigens. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1154224
- author
- Hanssen, Sveinn ; Hasselquist, Dennis LU ; Folstad, Ivar and Erikstad, Kjell E
- organization
- publishing date
- 2008
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- female ornament, diphtheria, tetanus, immune challenge
- in
- Biology letters
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 379 - 381
- publisher
- Royal Society Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000257398700017
- scopus:47149096723
- ISSN
- 1744-9561
- DOI
- 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0131
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 772b61b2-94f4-4ee3-b116-33f1ffa40b68 (old id 1154224)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:23:36
- date last changed
- 2022-03-29 00:18:55
@article{772b61b2-94f4-4ee3-b116-33f1ffa40b68,
abstract = {{Studies of ornaments as indicators of individual quality have hitherto focused on males, while studies of female ornaments have been almost absent. However, females within the same species may show large variation in both outer appearance and individual quality. We experimentally examined the effect of an immune challenge on the size of white fringes in the wing feathers produced one to two months after the challenge in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima), a long-lived sea duck. Immune-challenged females produced feathers with smaller white fringes, showing that a previous immune challenge may affect the expression of a plumage trait. We also report an unexpected difference in the expression of this white plumage trait within the immune-challenged group, related to the specific immune response against one of the injected antigens.}},
author = {{Hanssen, Sveinn and Hasselquist, Dennis and Folstad, Ivar and Erikstad, Kjell E}},
issn = {{1744-9561}},
keywords = {{female ornament; diphtheria; tetanus; immune challenge}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{379--381}},
publisher = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
series = {{Biology letters}},
title = {{A label of health: a previous immune challenge is reflected in the expression of a female plumage trait.}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0131}},
doi = {{10.1098/rsbl.2008.0131}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2008}},
}