Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments

Summary: Individuals experience changes in multiple traits across their lifespan, often peaking before senescence-driven declines. Many species display secondary sexual traits that can vary with age due to physiological and selective processes, influencing individual fitness and sexual selection. Us...

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Main Authors: Enrique González-Bernardo, Jesús Martínez-Padilla, Carlos Camacho, Marta E. García del Castillo, Jaime Potti, David Canal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:iScience
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225007734
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author Enrique González-Bernardo
Jesús Martínez-Padilla
Carlos Camacho
Marta E. García del Castillo
Jaime Potti
David Canal
author_facet Enrique González-Bernardo
Jesús Martínez-Padilla
Carlos Camacho
Marta E. García del Castillo
Jaime Potti
David Canal
author_sort Enrique González-Bernardo
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Individuals experience changes in multiple traits across their lifespan, often peaking before senescence-driven declines. Many species display secondary sexual traits that can vary with age due to physiological and selective processes, influencing individual fitness and sexual selection. Using 13 years of longitudinal data from a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population, we analyzed age-related variation in wing and forehead patches in both sexes. Wing patch size increased with age due to both within- and between-individual effects, with sex-specific patterns. Forehead patch size showed sex-dependent age effects: quadratic in females, linear in males, with only males exhibiting within-individual changes. In females, forehead patch occurrence followed a quadratic age pattern, influenced by selective (dis)appearance and reproductive timing. These results show that age-related ornament expression arises from different processes across traits and sexes, highlighting potential trade-offs between reproduction and ornamentation. This study underscores the role of both sexes’ ornaments in selection and life-history strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-07df52e85cd845a4b895f211a36d9cba2025-08-20T02:56:09ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-05-0128511251210.1016/j.isci.2025.112512Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornamentsEnrique González-Bernardo0Jesús Martínez-Padilla1Carlos Camacho2Marta E. García del Castillo3Jaime Potti4David Canal5Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; University of Oviedo, San Francisco, 3, Oviedo, 33003 Asturias, Spain; Corresponding authorDepartment of Biological Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, 16, 22700 Jaca, SpainDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Américo Vespucio, 26, 41092 Seville, SpainComplutense University of Madrid, José Antonio Novais, 12, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Américo Vespucio, 26, 41092 Seville, SpainDepartment of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain; Corresponding authorSummary: Individuals experience changes in multiple traits across their lifespan, often peaking before senescence-driven declines. Many species display secondary sexual traits that can vary with age due to physiological and selective processes, influencing individual fitness and sexual selection. Using 13 years of longitudinal data from a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population, we analyzed age-related variation in wing and forehead patches in both sexes. Wing patch size increased with age due to both within- and between-individual effects, with sex-specific patterns. Forehead patch size showed sex-dependent age effects: quadratic in females, linear in males, with only males exhibiting within-individual changes. In females, forehead patch occurrence followed a quadratic age pattern, influenced by selective (dis)appearance and reproductive timing. These results show that age-related ornament expression arises from different processes across traits and sexes, highlighting potential trade-offs between reproduction and ornamentation. This study underscores the role of both sexes’ ornaments in selection and life-history strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225007734Ecology
spellingShingle Enrique González-Bernardo
Jesús Martínez-Padilla
Carlos Camacho
Marta E. García del Castillo
Jaime Potti
David Canal
Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
iScience
Ecology
title Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
title_full Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
title_fullStr Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
title_full_unstemmed Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
title_short Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
title_sort sex and trait specific contribution of individual and population level processes to age related changes in multiple plumage ornaments
topic Ecology
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225007734
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