Journal
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Volume 23, Issue 11, Pages 2385-2396Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02100.x
Keywords
birds; global warming; melanism; phenotype x environment interaction; sexual selection; timing of reproduction
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Funding
- Emil Aaltonen foundations
- Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth foundations
- Academy of Finland
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Fluctuating selection pressure may maintain phenotypic variation because of different types of individuals being adapted to different environmental conditions. We show that the extensive variation in the coloration of male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) can be maintained through differences in the reproductive success of male phenotypes under different conditions. The effects of weather conditions on the relative success of different male phenotypes varied between different phases of breeding. The reproductive output of black males was the highest when it was cold during egg-laying but warm during the nestling period, whereas the fledgling production of brown males was highest when it was continuously warm. In addition, male forehead and wing patch sizes had context-dependent effects on timing of breeding and nestling mortality, respectively. These results indicate that environmental heterogeneity plays a role in maintaining phenotypic variation. As melanin-based coloration is heritable, climate change may alter phenotype frequencies depending on the patterns of warming.
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