Ultraviolet coloration of avian parasitic egg does not cue egg rejection in the common redstart host

0559535 - ÚBO 2023 RIV DE eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Honza, Marcel - Čapek, Miroslav - Mikulica, O. - Samaš, Peter
Ultraviolet coloration of avian parasitic egg does not cue egg rejection in the common redstart host.
Journal of Ornithology. Roč. 163, č. 4 (2022), s. 903-909. ISSN 2193-7192. E-ISSN 2193-7206
Grant CEP: GA ČR(CZ) GA22-26812S
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68081766
Klíčová slova: Phoenicurus phoenicurus * Parasitic egg * Rejection * UV reflectance * Illuminance * Brood parasitism
Obor OECD: Ornithology
Impakt faktor: 1.3, rok: 2022
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-022-01991-4

Avian brood parasite hosts can use distinct egg traits to recognize a parasitic egg. Previous studies suggested an important role of eggshell ultraviolet (UV) reflectance in rejection. According to the egg detectability hypothesis, natural selection might have selected for a conspicuous egg UV signal, especially in dark nest environments. We tested this hypothesis in a cavity nesting host by experimentally parasitizing a population of common redstarts breeding in Central Europe. We manipulated UV reflectance using egg models with enhanced UV and used models with UV characteristics similar to the host as a control treatment. We additionally manipulated nest light conditions by adjusting the entrance size of the nest-boxes, because dark environments have been suggested to affect detectability of an egg, particularly in UV light. Hosts rejected experimental eggs with similar probabilities in both UV treatments and also under different light conditions. Results of this study did not support the egg detectability hypothesis. Our conclusions on the role of egg UV for egg recognition and rejection emphasize how little we understand its function in cavity nesting hosts.
Trvalý link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0332803