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Ultraviolet plumage colors predict mate preferences in starlings
journal contribution
posted on 1997-08-05, 00:00 authored by Andy Bennett, I Cuthill, J Partridge, K LunauAvian plumage has long been used to test theories of sexual selection, with humans assessing the colors, However, many birds see in the ultraviolet (<400 nm), to which humans are blind, Consequently, it is important to know whether natural variation in UV reflectance from plumage functions in sexual signaling, We show that female starlings rank males differently when UV wavelengths are present or absent, Principal component analysis of approximate to 1300 reflectance spectra (300-700 nm) taken from sexually dimorphic plumage regions of males predicted preference under the UV+ treatment. Under UV- conditions, females ranked males in a different and nonrandom order, but plumage reflectance in the human visible spectrum did not predict choice, Natural variation in UV reflectance is thus important in avian mate assessment, and the prevailing light environment can have profound effects on observed mating preferences.
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaVolume
94Issue
16Pagination
8618 - 8621Publisher
National Academy of SciencesLocation
Washington, D.C.ISSN
0027-8424eISSN
1091-6490Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
1997, The National Academy of SciencesUsage metrics
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