title: Metal exposure influences the melanin and carotenoid-based colorations in great tits.
abstract: Metals are naturally found in the environment but are also emitted through anthropogenic activities, raising some concerns about the potential deleterious effects of these elements on wildlife. The potential effects of metals on bird coloration have been the focus of several recent studies since animal colored-signals often reflect the physiology of their bearers and are thus used by animals to assess the quality of another individual as a mate or competitor. These studies have shown that the melanin pigmentation seems to be positively associated and the carotenoid-based coloration negatively associated with metal exposure in wild birds. Although these studies have been very useful to show the associations between metal exposure and coloration, only few of them have actually quantified the levels of metal exposure at the individual level; always focusing on one or two of them. Here, we measured the concentrations of eight metals in great tits' feathers and then assessed how these levels of metals were associated with the carotenoid and melanin-based colorations. We found that the melanin pigmentation was positively associated with the copper concentration and negatively correlated with the chromium concentration in feathers. In addition, we have shown that the carotenoid-based coloration was negatively associated with the feather's mercury concentration. This study is the first one to identify some metals that might affect positively and negatively the deposition of melanin and carotenoid into the plumage of wild birds.
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giraudeau
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Associate Research Unit, CSIC, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, P. Picasso s/n, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mateos-Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department Biologia Animal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cotín
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Associate Research Unit, CSIC, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, P. Picasso s/n, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pagani-Nuñez
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Associate Research Unit, CSIC, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, P. Picasso s/n, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torné-Noguera
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Associate Research Unit, CSIC, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, P. Picasso s/n, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: jcsenar@bcn.cat.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Senar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D005241:Feathers; D008543:Melanins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008670:Metals / Q000378:metabolism*; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008543:Melanins; D008670:Metals; D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: Carotenoid; Melanin; Metal pollution; Ornaments; Parus major; Plumage coloration