INVESTIGADORES
GRANDE Juan manuel
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Tarsus ultraviolet and yellow reflectance as a quality indicator in the Eleonora's falcon
Autor/es:
GRANDE, J.M.; GANGOSO, L.; CABEZAS, S.; FIGUEROLA, J.; BORTOLOTTI, G.R.
Lugar:
Pirenópolis, Brasil
Reunión:
Congreso; 46th Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society; 2009
Institución organizadora:
Animal Behavior Society
Resumen:
<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES; mso-fareast-language:ES;} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Carotenoid-dependent bare skin coloration prevalent in most raptors has been proved to be an honest signal of quality in some of them. However, in one species, the cere also showed a peak in the UV range consistent with quality signaling. We explored the spectral characteristics of the tarsus coloration of Falco eleonorae in the reflectance range of 360-700 nm (including part of UV) and its possible function as a quality signal. The falcon´s tarsus reflectance curve showed a peak in the UV and another larger one in the yellow-orange. Males had higher reflectance in the visible range but lower in the UV than females. Males in which the tarsus was brighter and had a higher reflectance peak in the yellow range, had lower levels of corticosterone in feathers molted the previous winter and less hippoboscid flies. Females with higher yellow and UV chroma had greater clutch volume and tended to have more eggs and to lay them earlier. Our results suggest that both the yellow and the UV coloration of the tarsus can be used as a quality cue in this species. An interesting question now is to what extent female coloration reflects her quality or her partner´s quality as food provider.