Data from: Colour-variable birds have broader ranges, wider niches and are less likely to be threatened ...

• Main Authors: Delhey, Kaspar, Smith, Jesse, Peters, Anne
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2013
• Subjects: Passeriformes; Comparative studies; present; Psitaciformes; Antarctic; New Zealand; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0sd30; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.0sd30

Coloration fulfils a variety of adaptive functions in animals. Colour variability, both between and within species, can be caused by different colours being favoured for different functions and in different environments. Thus, species with highly variable coloration may have greater potential to persist in new and changing environments. As a consequence such colour variable species may be more able to adapt, colonize new areas and niches, occupy larger ranges, speciate more readily and in general be less vulnerable to environmental change and extinction. These predictions have been supported by comparative analyses on amphibians and reptiles. However, since coloration in ectotherms plays a key role in thermoregulation, it is unclear whether these results can be generalised to endotherms, such as birds and mammals. Here we test the hypothesis that more colour variable endotherms occupy larger ranges/niches and are less vulnerable to the threat of extinction by focusing on colour variation in Australian ... : Passerines: Colour variability and associated variablesVariable names (see Methods for more details) Data collated from the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds vols. 5-7 animal: species code used in the phylogeny av.col.var: average colour variability (sexes pooled) m.col.var: average colour variability (males) f.col.var: average colour variability (females) polymorphic: considered polymorphic in Galeotti et al. (2003) sex.dich: sexual dichromatism score move.score: mobility score range: number of occupied 1’ cells in The New Atlas of Australian Birds habitats: habitat heterogeneity score threat: threat status, 1=endangered, 0=not endangered diet.het: dietary heterogeneityAppendixS1.csvParrots and Cockatoos: Colour variability and associated variablesVariable names (see Methods for more details) Data collated from the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds animal: species code used in the phylogeny av.col.var: average colour variability (sexes pooled) m.col.var: average ...