Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals
We studied the ground colors and maculations of 161 Common Murre (Uria aalge) eggs laid by 43 females in 3 small breeding groups on the cliffs of Skomer Island, Wales, in 2016–2018. Both the colors and maculations varied much more among than within females, providing quantitative evidence for the eg...
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ftzenodo:oai:zenodo.org:6400262 2024-09-09T19:36:52+00:00 Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals Montgomerie, Robert Birkhead, Tim Cox, Amelia Thompson, Jamie 2022-03-30 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vt4b8h0f unknown Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6400109 https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vt4b8h0f oai:zenodo.org:6400262 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode Uria aalge bird eggs colour pattern individual recognition Common murre Common guillemot maculation info:eu-repo/semantics/other 2022 ftzenodo https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vt4b8h0f10.5281/zenodo.6400109 2024-07-25T09:47:05Z We studied the ground colors and maculations of 161 Common Murre (Uria aalge) eggs laid by 43 females in 3 small breeding groups on the cliffs of Skomer Island, Wales, in 2016–2018. Both the colors and maculations varied much more among than within females, providing quantitative evidence for the egg traits that might facilitate the parents' ability to identify their own eggs on the crowded breeding ledges where the density is typically ~20 eggs m–2. Ground colors had a trimodal distribution of hue values (whitish to pale brown, pale blue, or vivid blue-green) and maculations ranged from none to complex squiggles and blotches. The eggs laid by each female in different years were similar to one another, and replacement eggs laid by females within years were also more similar to their first egg than to other eggs in the same breeding group. Egg appearance did not differ among the 3 breeding groups that we studied. Our findings thus support anecdotal observations that, within and between years, female Common Murres lay eggs that have similar ground colors and maculations. We do not, however, find evidence that there is much difference among the eggs laid in different parts of a colony. See README file. Funding provided by: Leverhulme Trust Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275 Award Number: RPG-2015-221 Funding provided by: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100005049 Award Number: RGPIN/05711-2014 Other/Unknown Material common guillemot Common Murre Uria aalge uria Zenodo |
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Uria aalge bird eggs colour pattern individual recognition Common murre Common guillemot maculation |
spellingShingle |
Uria aalge bird eggs colour pattern individual recognition Common murre Common guillemot maculation Montgomerie, Robert Birkhead, Tim Cox, Amelia Thompson, Jamie Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
topic_facet |
Uria aalge bird eggs colour pattern individual recognition Common murre Common guillemot maculation |
description |
We studied the ground colors and maculations of 161 Common Murre (Uria aalge) eggs laid by 43 females in 3 small breeding groups on the cliffs of Skomer Island, Wales, in 2016–2018. Both the colors and maculations varied much more among than within females, providing quantitative evidence for the egg traits that might facilitate the parents' ability to identify their own eggs on the crowded breeding ledges where the density is typically ~20 eggs m–2. Ground colors had a trimodal distribution of hue values (whitish to pale brown, pale blue, or vivid blue-green) and maculations ranged from none to complex squiggles and blotches. The eggs laid by each female in different years were similar to one another, and replacement eggs laid by females within years were also more similar to their first egg than to other eggs in the same breeding group. Egg appearance did not differ among the 3 breeding groups that we studied. Our findings thus support anecdotal observations that, within and between years, female Common Murres lay eggs that have similar ground colors and maculations. We do not, however, find evidence that there is much difference among the eggs laid in different parts of a colony. See README file. Funding provided by: Leverhulme Trust Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275 Award Number: RPG-2015-221 Funding provided by: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100005049 Award Number: RGPIN/05711-2014 |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Montgomerie, Robert Birkhead, Tim Cox, Amelia Thompson, Jamie |
author_facet |
Montgomerie, Robert Birkhead, Tim Cox, Amelia Thompson, Jamie |
author_sort |
Montgomerie, Robert |
title |
Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
title_short |
Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
title_full |
Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
title_fullStr |
Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
title_full_unstemmed |
Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
title_sort |
exceptional variation in the appearance of common murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals |
publisher |
Zenodo |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vt4b8h0f |
genre |
common guillemot Common Murre Uria aalge uria |
genre_facet |
common guillemot Common Murre Uria aalge uria |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6400109 https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vt4b8h0f oai:zenodo.org:6400262 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vt4b8h0f10.5281/zenodo.6400109 |
_version_ |
1809906006872817664 |