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White tail plumage and brood sex ratio in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis thurberi)

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Abstract

Theory, empirical examples, and recently, proximate mechanisms point to the possibility of adaptive sex ratio adjustment in various organisms. General predictions state that a female should adjust her offspring sex ratio to maximize the benefits or minimize the costs of reproduction given her physical condition or current social and environmental conditions. I tested for an influence of male attractiveness on brood sex ratio in a population of dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis thurberi) by manipulating a male’s white outer tail feathers (“tail white”). Experimentally increasing male tail white did not significantly affect sex ratio, nor was premanipulated male tail white significantly related to brood sex ratio. However, the amount of white on the female’s outer tail feathers, independently of female condition, was positively related to the number of sons in a brood. Determining how a female’s potential genetic contribution to her sons’ attractiveness influences offspring sex ratio should be a priority for future research.

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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Laura Chiavola-Larson, Teresa Gonzalez, Aaron Johnson, Justin Mehlhaff, and Emily Sievers for the assistance in the field and Patrick Ferree for his advice on molecular work. For helpful comments, I acknowledge Alexis Chaine, Janis Dickinson, Dai Shizuka, Bruce Lyon, and the anonymous reviewers. This work was performed at the University of California Natural Reserve System (UCNRS) Sagehen Creek Field Station and supported by a Mildred E. Mathias UCNRS Graduate Student Research Grant, The American Museum of Natural History Chapman Memorial Fund, and the Achievement Reward for Collegiate Scientists Northern California chapter. Experiments were performed with appropriate federal, state, and university permits in compliance with current animal use regulations.

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  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Elise D. Ferree

  2. Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Elise D. Ferree

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  1. Elise D. Ferree
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Correspondence to Elise D. Ferree.

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Communicated by A. Cockburn

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Ferree, E.D. White tail plumage and brood sex ratio in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis thurberi). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 62, 109–117 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-007-0443-x

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