Telomere length is highly repeatable and shorter in individuals with more elaborate sexual ornamentation in a short-lived passerine

Quantifying an individual's state as fitness proxy has proven challenging, but accumulating evidence suggests that telomere length and attrition may indicate individual somatic state and success at self-maintenance, respectively. Sexual ornamentation is also thought to signal phenotypic quality, but links between telomeres and sexual ornamentation have been little explored. To address this issue, we examined whether telomere length and dynamics are predicted by the expression of a sexually selected ornament, the length of the outermost tail feathers (streamers), using longitudinal data from a population of European barn swallows (Hirundo rustica). In 139 adult individuals, each measured twice, we further assessed associations of telomere length with age, sex, breeding status and survival. Telomere length showed high individual repeatability (R = 0.97) across years while shortening with age in both sexes. Telomere length and dynamics were not significantly associated with survival to the next year, remaining lifespan, or reproduction status (comparing breeding and non-breeding yearlings). Tail streamer length, a sexually selected trait in barn swallows, was negatively associated with telomere length, independent of sex. Thus, telomere length may reflect the costs of carrying an elaborated sexual ornament, although ornament size did not significantly predict telomere shortening. In conclusion, telomere length in adult barn swallows is a highly consistent trait that shows a negative relationship with sexual ornamentation, suggesting a trade-off between sexual ornamentation and telomere length.Funding provided by: Grantová Agentura České RepublikyCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001824Award Number: GA19-22538SFunding provided by: Grantová Agentura České RepublikyCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001824Award Number: GA21-22160SFunding provided by: Erasmus+Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010790Award Number: 2017/2018 UCO 27050

Signal Traits and Oxidative Stress: A Comparative Study across Populations with Divergent Signals

Diverging populations often shift patterns of signal use – a process that can contribute to reproductive isolation and speciation. Yet it is not clear why most traits gain or lose signal value during divergence. One reason this could occur is because changes in the relationship between signals and relevant physiological parameters degrade the reliability of a signal, or even change its underlying information content. Here we test the hypothesis that the relationship between signal trait elaboration and a central component of organismal health – oxidative stress – differs across closely related populations that have diverged in signal use and preferences. In the recently diverged barn swallow subspecies complex (Hirundo rustica, Family: Hirundinidae), different populations use different traits as sexual signals. Two of these traits, ventral breast plumage color and tail streamer length, differ markedly between North American H. r. erythrogaster and European H. r. rustica. Despite this divergence, variation in ventral plumage color was similarly associated with measures of oxidative damage across both populations. However, the directionality of these relationships differed between the sexes: darker male barn swallows had higher levels of plasma oxidative damage than their lighter counterparts, while the opposite relationship was seen in females. In contrast, relationships between tail streamer length and measures of oxidative stress were not consistent across populations. Some analyses indicated that in European H. r. rustica, where males bearing elongated streamers are preferred as mates, longer-streamered males were more oxidatively stressed; however, the opposite pattern was suggested in North American H. r. erythrogaster. Tail streamer length was not associated with measures of oxidative stress in females of either population. Differences in the physiological state of stronger signalers across populations and between the sexes may be related to costs or constraints on signal elaboration (e.g., biochemical pathways associated with melanogenesis), or reflect differences in how signal-mediated social interactions influence oxidative stress. Overall, our results suggest that while some phenotypic traits appear to be capable of conveying similar physiological information regardless of their use as signals, divergence in other phenotypic traits may be associated with shifts in their information content

Signal Traits and Oxidative Stress: A Comparative Study across Populations with Divergent Signals

Diverging populations often shift patterns of signal use – a process that can contribute to reproductive isolation and speciation. Yet it is not clear why most traits gain or lose signal value during divergence. One reason this could occur is because changes in the relationship between signals and relevant physiological parameters degrade the reliability of a signal, or even change its underlying information content. Here we test the hypothesis that the relationship between signal trait elaboration and a central component of organismal health – oxidative stress – differs across closely related populations that have diverged in signal use and preferences. In the recently diverged barn swallow subspecies complex (Hirundo rustica, Family: Hirundinidae), different populations use different traits as sexual signals. Two of these traits, ventral breast plumage color and tail streamer length, differ markedly between North American H. r. erythrogaster and European H. r. rustica. Despite this divergence, variation in ventral plumage color was similarly associated with measures of oxidative damage across both populations. However, the directionality of these relationships differed between the sexes: darker male barn swallows had higher levels of plasma oxidative damage than their lighter counterparts, while the opposite relationship was seen in females. In contrast, relationships between tail streamer length and measures of oxidative stress were not consistent across populations. Some analyses indicated that in European H. r. rustica, where males bearing elongated streamers are preferred as mates, longer-streamered males were more oxidatively stressed; however, the opposite pattern was suggested in North American H. r. erythrogaster. Tail streamer length was not associated with measures of oxidative stress in females of either population. Differences in the physiological state of stronger signalers across populations and between the sexes may be related to costs or constraints on signal elaboration (e.g., biochemical pathways associated with melanogenesis), or reflect differences in how signal-mediated social interactions influence oxidative stress. Overall, our results suggest that while some phenotypic traits appear to be capable of conveying similar physiological information regardless of their use as signals, divergence in other phenotypic traits may be associated with shifts in their information content

Perbedaan Fungsi-Fungsi Public Relations Dalam Sosialisasi Pemilihan Kepala Daerah (Pilkada) “Kasus Di KPUD YOGYAKARTA Dan KPUD Bantulâ€

This research attempts to analyze the differences of Public Relations (PR) function in local election (Pilkada). Pilkada is a democratic process in Indonesia. Government needs big participation of society, as one successful point of pilkada is participation of society. Effort to bring public politics participation cannot be separate from politics socialization process. Socialization process is public attitude establishment and politics orientation process. Pilkada socialization carried out by KPUD (Komisi Pemilihan Umum Daerah) as executor. To make an effective socialization to public, KPUD needs to use specific function called Public Relation. Communication activity between organization and its public divided into some part of PR function, including publicity, advertising, press agentry, lobbying, issue management, investor relation and public affair. Basically, implementation of PR function in the process of PILKADA may be different in each region. It becomes the reason why author want to compare KPUD Yogyakarta and Bantul. Governance system differences among both regions would affect in government’s socialization policy. Those differences depend on population, social classes, demographic condition and personal motivation. It is also effecting in PR function held by government, as in media and in society as target operatio

Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems

AbstractAnimal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards humans was lower (i.e., escape distance was longer) in rural rather than urban populations and in populations exposed to lower human disturbance (measured as human footprint index). In addition, larger species and species with larger clutches and enhanced flight ability are less tolerant to human approaches and escape distances increase when birds were approached during the wet season compared to the dry season and from longer starting distances. Identification of key factors affecting animal tolerance towards humans across large spatial and taxonomic scales may help us to better understand and predict the patterns of species distributions in the Anthropocene.</jats:p

Supporting information for 'Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems'

The data supporting the results and computer code used to generate the results in this study

Supporting information for 'Latitudinal but not elevational variation in blood glucose level is linked to life history across passerine birds'

The data supporting the results, computer code used to generate the results, and the supplementary figures and tables of this study

Nová koncepce zásobování města Opavy elektrickou energií

Prezenční351 - Katedra elektroenergetikyNeuveden

Condition dependence of sexually selected ornaments in birds

Sexual ornaments important for mating success in many species are often assumed to evolve as condition-dependent signals of individual quality. Ornament expression can be associated with age and survival, thereby signalling individual viability. Here, we have tested viability signalling function of tail streamers and their importance for within-pair and extra-pair fertilisation success in the European barn swallow (Hirundo rustica rustica). In contrast to previous studies on this subspecies, our data suggest that tail length is not associated with fertilisation success in our population. Instead, the most important predictors of within-pair and extra-pair fertilisation success were female and male age, respectively. Our data supported viability signalling function of male tail streamers, as documented by age-related within- individual increase in their length. There was no evidence for senescence in this trait. Contrary to some previous studies, the viability signalling function of tail streamers was further supported by observed selective disappearance of males with shorter tails. Several physiological mechanisms have been proposed as maintaining signalling honesty. Among them, oxidative stress from highly reactive species (RS), including free radicals, attracted a considerable attention. Given..