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Sexual selection predicts the rate and direction of colour divergence in a large avian radiation

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher R. Cooney

    (University of Sheffield)

  • Zoë K. Varley

    (University of Sheffield)

  • Lara O. Nouri

    (University of Sheffield
    University of London)

  • Christopher J. A. Moody

    (University of Sheffield)

  • Michael D. Jardine

    (University of Sheffield
    University College London)

  • Gavin H. Thomas

    (University of Sheffield
    Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum)

Abstract

Sexual selection is proposed to be a powerful driver of phenotypic evolution in animal systems. At macroevolutionary scales, sexual selection can theoretically drive both the rate and direction of phenotypic evolution, but this hypothesis remains contentious. Here, we find that differences in the rate and direction of plumage colour evolution are predicted by a proxy for sexual selection intensity (plumage dichromatism) in a large radiation of suboscine passerine birds (Tyrannida). We show that rates of plumage evolution are correlated between the sexes, but that sexual selection has a strong positive effect on male, but not female, interspecific divergence rates. Furthermore, we demonstrate that rapid male plumage divergence is biased towards carotenoid-based (red/yellow) colours widely assumed to represent honest sexual signals. Our results highlight the central role of sexual selection in driving avian colour divergence, and reveal the existence of convergent evolutionary responses of animal signalling traits under sexual selection.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher R. Cooney & Zoë K. Varley & Lara O. Nouri & Christopher J. A. Moody & Michael D. Jardine & Gavin H. Thomas, 2019. "Sexual selection predicts the rate and direction of colour divergence in a large avian radiation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-09859-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09859-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Joshua J Medina & James M Maley & Siddharth Sannapareddy & Noah N Medina & Cyril M Gilman & John E McCormack, 2020. "A rapid and cost-effective pipeline for digitization of museum specimens with 3D photogrammetry," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, August.
    2. Giacomo D’Ammando & Daniel W Franks & Jakob Bro-Jørgensen, 2022. "Living in mixed-sex groups limits sexual selection as a driver of pelage dimorphism in bovids," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 33(3), pages 541-548.
    3. Yichen He & Zoë K. Varley & Lara O. Nouri & Christopher J. A. Moody & Michael D. Jardine & Steve Maddock & Gavin H. Thomas & Christopher R. Cooney, 2022. "Deep learning image segmentation reveals patterns of UV reflectance evolution in passerine birds," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.

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