Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus?
Abstract Colourful ornaments in monogamous birds may be directed at potential mates or other conspecifics to signal individual condition, reproductive status or fighting ability, especially in monogamous and territorial species. We investigated whether the size of the orange auricular patch may be a...
Published in: | Ethology |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1439-0310.2007.01454.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x |
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x 2024-09-30T14:38:06+00:00 Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? Viera, Vanessa M. Nolan, Paul M. Côté, Steeve D. Jouventin, Pierre Groscolas, René 2008 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1439-0310.2007.01454.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ethology volume 114, issue 2, page 146-153 ISSN 0179-1613 1439-0310 journal-article 2008 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x 2024-09-19T04:19:53Z Abstract Colourful ornaments in monogamous birds may be directed at potential mates or other conspecifics to signal individual condition, reproductive status or fighting ability, especially in monogamous and territorial species. We investigated whether the size of the orange auricular patch may be an indicator of aggressiveness in the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus , a monogamous and territorial seabird. The relationship between auricular patch size and defence behaviour was explored relative to territory location (centre vs. periphery of the colony), period of reproduction (early vs. late), state of reproduction (incubation vs. brooding) and sex. The proportion of time spent in territorial defence and the rate of aggressive behaviours were positively correlated with auricular patch size, mainly because central birds were more aggressive than peripheral birds and also had larger patch sizes. The period of reproduction, state of reproduction and sex did not interact with patch size to affect aggressiveness. Our results suggest that the size of the auricular patch in king penguins may be a reliable signal allowing individuals to evaluate the quality of mates or competitors in terms of aggressiveness. Whether aggressiveness is directly linked to patch size or indirectly through body condition, however, remains to be determined. In any event, birds with larger patches seem to gain central territories in the colony, thereby increasing their reproductive success. Finally, our study adds to the growing evidence that the evolution of sexually monomorphic ornaments may stem from mutual sexual selection. Article in Journal/Newspaper King Penguins Wiley Online Library Ethology 114 2 146 153 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Colourful ornaments in monogamous birds may be directed at potential mates or other conspecifics to signal individual condition, reproductive status or fighting ability, especially in monogamous and territorial species. We investigated whether the size of the orange auricular patch may be an indicator of aggressiveness in the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus , a monogamous and territorial seabird. The relationship between auricular patch size and defence behaviour was explored relative to territory location (centre vs. periphery of the colony), period of reproduction (early vs. late), state of reproduction (incubation vs. brooding) and sex. The proportion of time spent in territorial defence and the rate of aggressive behaviours were positively correlated with auricular patch size, mainly because central birds were more aggressive than peripheral birds and also had larger patch sizes. The period of reproduction, state of reproduction and sex did not interact with patch size to affect aggressiveness. Our results suggest that the size of the auricular patch in king penguins may be a reliable signal allowing individuals to evaluate the quality of mates or competitors in terms of aggressiveness. Whether aggressiveness is directly linked to patch size or indirectly through body condition, however, remains to be determined. In any event, birds with larger patches seem to gain central territories in the colony, thereby increasing their reproductive success. Finally, our study adds to the growing evidence that the evolution of sexually monomorphic ornaments may stem from mutual sexual selection. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Viera, Vanessa M. Nolan, Paul M. Côté, Steeve D. Jouventin, Pierre Groscolas, René |
spellingShingle |
Viera, Vanessa M. Nolan, Paul M. Côté, Steeve D. Jouventin, Pierre Groscolas, René Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? |
author_facet |
Viera, Vanessa M. Nolan, Paul M. Côté, Steeve D. Jouventin, Pierre Groscolas, René |
author_sort |
Viera, Vanessa M. |
title |
Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? |
title_short |
Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? |
title_full |
Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? |
title_fullStr |
Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Is Territory Defence related to Plumage Ornaments in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus? |
title_sort |
is territory defence related to plumage ornaments in the king penguin aptenodytes patagonicus? |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1439-0310.2007.01454.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x |
genre |
King Penguins |
genre_facet |
King Penguins |
op_source |
Ethology volume 114, issue 2, page 146-153 ISSN 0179-1613 1439-0310 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01454.x |
container_title |
Ethology |
container_volume |
114 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
146 |
op_container_end_page |
153 |
_version_ |
1811640832686555136 |