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Correlates of individual variation in the porphyrin-based fluorescence of red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis)

Camacho, Carlos LU ; Negro, Juan José ; Redondo, Iraida ; Palacios, Sebastián and Sáez-Gómez, Pedro (2019) In Scientific Reports 9(1).
Abstract

Many nocturnal animals, including invertebrates such as scorpions and a variety of vertebrate species, including toadlets, flying squirrels, owls, and nightjars, emit bright fluorescence under ultraviolet light. However, the ecological significance of this unique coloration so attached to nocturnality remains obscure. Here, we used an intensively studied population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) to investigate inter-individual variation in porphyrin-based pink fluorescence according to sex, age, body condition, time of the year, and the extent of white plumage patches known to be involved in sexual communication. Males and females exhibited a similar extent of pink fluorescence on the under-side of the wings... (More)

Many nocturnal animals, including invertebrates such as scorpions and a variety of vertebrate species, including toadlets, flying squirrels, owls, and nightjars, emit bright fluorescence under ultraviolet light. However, the ecological significance of this unique coloration so attached to nocturnality remains obscure. Here, we used an intensively studied population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) to investigate inter-individual variation in porphyrin-based pink fluorescence according to sex, age, body condition, time of the year, and the extent of white plumage patches known to be involved in sexual communication. Males and females exhibited a similar extent of pink fluorescence on the under-side of the wings in both juvenile and adult birds, but males had larger white patches than females. Body condition predicted the extent of pink fluorescence in juvenile birds, but not in adults. On average, the extent of pink fluorescence in juveniles increased by ca. 20% for every 10-g increase in body mass. For both age classes, there was a slight seasonal increase (1–4% per week) in the amount of fluorescence. Our results suggest that the porphyrin-based coloration of nightjars might signal individual quality, at least in their first potential breeding season, although the ability of these and other nocturnal birds to perceive fluorescence remains to be unequivocally proven.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scientific Reports
volume
9
issue
1
article number
19115
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85076463633
  • pmid:31836769
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-019-55522-y
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0c0e902c-3682-43a5-891d-5ce5a0f0e717
date added to LUP
2020-01-08 13:48:41
date last changed
2024-04-17 02:12:27
@article{0c0e902c-3682-43a5-891d-5ce5a0f0e717,
  abstract     = {{<p>Many nocturnal animals, including invertebrates such as scorpions and a variety of vertebrate species, including toadlets, flying squirrels, owls, and nightjars, emit bright fluorescence under ultraviolet light. However, the ecological significance of this unique coloration so attached to nocturnality remains obscure. Here, we used an intensively studied population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) to investigate inter-individual variation in porphyrin-based pink fluorescence according to sex, age, body condition, time of the year, and the extent of white plumage patches known to be involved in sexual communication. Males and females exhibited a similar extent of pink fluorescence on the under-side of the wings in both juvenile and adult birds, but males had larger white patches than females. Body condition predicted the extent of pink fluorescence in juvenile birds, but not in adults. On average, the extent of pink fluorescence in juveniles increased by ca. 20% for every 10-g increase in body mass. For both age classes, there was a slight seasonal increase (1–4% per week) in the amount of fluorescence. Our results suggest that the porphyrin-based coloration of nightjars might signal individual quality, at least in their first potential breeding season, although the ability of these and other nocturnal birds to perceive fluorescence remains to be unequivocally proven.</p>}},
  author       = {{Camacho, Carlos and Negro, Juan José and Redondo, Iraida and Palacios, Sebastián and Sáez-Gómez, Pedro}},
  issn         = {{2045-2322}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Scientific Reports}},
  title        = {{Correlates of individual variation in the porphyrin-based fluorescence of red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55522-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41598-019-55522-y}},
  volume       = {{9}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}