ArticleOecologia2010
Carotenoid-based plumage colouration is associated with blood parasite richness and stress protein levels in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus).
Article in Oecologia, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Too much information? Males convey parasite levels using more signal modalities than females utilise.The Journal of experimental biology · 2024Article
- First detection of herpesvirus and hemosporidians in the endangered Pyrenean Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus).Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Article
- The Connection between Immunocompetence and Reproduction in Wildlife.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Offspring plumage coloration as a condition-dependent signal in the blue tit.Ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Antibiotic treatment increases yellowness of carotenoid feather coloration in male greenfinches (Chloris chloris).Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Multiple color patches and parasites inCurrent zoology · 2018Article
- Article
- Colour change in a structural ornament is related to individual quality, parasites and mating patterns in the blue tit.Die Naturwissenschaften · 2018Article
- Extremely low Plasmodium prevalence in wild plovers and coursers from Cape Verde and Madagascar.Malaria journal · 2017Article
- Colour ornamentation in the blue tit: quantitative genetic (co)variances across sexes.Heredity · 2017Article
- Do mosquitoes transmit the avian malaria-like parasite Haemoproteus? An experimental test of vector competence using mosquito saliva.Parasites & vectors · 2016Article
- Stress chaperone mortalin regulates human melanogenesis.Cell stress & chaperones · 2016Article
- Blood parasite infection differentially relates to carotenoid-based plumage and bill color in the American goldfinch.Ecology and evolution · 2014Article
- Spatial, temporal, molecular, and intraspecific differences of haemoparasite infection and relevant selected physiological parameters of wild birds in Georgia, USA.International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2013Article
- Negative correlation between nuptial throat colour and blood parasite load in male European green lizards supports the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis.Die Naturwissenschaften · 2013Article
- Article
- Environmental and genetic effects on pigment-based vs. structural component of yellow feather colouration.PloS one · 2012Article
- Prevalence of blood parasites in seabirds - a review.Frontiers in zoology · 2011Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Carotenoids are molecules that birds are not able to synthesize and therefore, must be acquired through their diet. These pigments, besides their function of giving birds red and yellow colouration when deposited in feathers, seem to act as immune-stimulators and antioxidants in the organism. Hence, only the healthiest individuals would be able to express carotenoid-based ornaments to a larger extent without compromising the physiological functions of carotenoids. Various studies have reported that birds infected by parasites are paler than those uninfected, but, to our knowledge, none of them has assessed the possible effect of multiple infections by blood parasites on plumage colour. By comparing the yellow colour in the breast plumage of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, between birds infected by different numbers of blood parasite genera, we found that those birds infected by more than one genus were paler than those parasitized just by one. In addition, we examined the potential role of carotenoid-based plumage colour of blue tits as a long-term indicator of other parameters of health status, such as body condition and immunoglobulin and heat shock protein (HSP) levels. Our results indicate that more brightly coloured birds had lower HSP70 levels than paler birds, but we did not find any significant association between colour and body condition or immunoglobulin levels. In addition, we found a positive significant association between Haemoproteus density of infection and HSP60 levels. Overall, these results support the role of carotenoid-based colours as indicators of health status in blue tits and show detrimental effects of parasitism on this character.
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