roz dakin & bob montgomerie eyespot colours 2 in species of peafowl
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Examining P. cristatus courtship displays
We measured eyespot colours of both species, and we modelled how females would perceive the contrast between adjacent colour patches under di�erent light conditions using sensitivity curves for peacock cone photoreceptors.
25º
65º 45º
rela
tive
sens
itivi
ty
0
1
300 400 600 700wavelength (nm)
500
Peacockcone sensitivities(Hart 2002)
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80
25° 45° 65°
illumination angle
cont
rast
mixed models testingfor a maximum at 45°n = 50 meaures of 10P. cristatus feathers
p = 0.57 p < 0.0001 p = 0.0008
�e and contrasts are greater at angles closer to 45°.
What is the e�ect of light angle?Displaying P. cristatus males orient their trains at 45° to the sun’s azimuth, on average.
P. cristatus males display under light conditions that enhance the attractiveness
of their eyespot plumage.
50
80
90
30
cont
rast
40
light conditionsnoonAM/PM
p = 0.44 p = 0.001 p < 0.001
What is the e�ect of time of day?P. cristatus displays in the early morning and late afternoon.
�e contrast, which is important in mate choice, is greatest in the morning and late afternoon when courtship occurs.mixed models testingAM / PM vs. noon lightn = 24 meaures of 12P. cristatus feathers
What is the e�ect of habitat light?P. cristatus displays in open habitats, whereas P. muticus lives in darker forest.
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light conditionsforestnoon
cont
rast
�e contrast, which is enhanced in P. muticus, is greater in the forest habitat of this species. Other contrasts are greater in open habitat light. mixed models testingnoon light vs. forest lightn = 20 measures of 10 P. cristatus feathers& 20 measures of 10 P. muticus feathers
all p < 0.0001
P. cristatusP. muticus
Habitat light conditions may explain the subtle species difference
in eyespot colour.
�eir eyespots are very similar,especially the , , and patches.
India blue peacockPavo cristatus
Java green peacockPavo muticus
t-test (n = 10, 10)
brighter in P. muticus p < 0.0001
no di�erence in hue p = 0.18
brighter in P. muticus p < 0.0001
hue shifted to shorter λ p = 0.005
brighter in P. muticus p = 0.0006
hue shifted to longer λ p = 0.02
There are two peacock specieswith drastically di�erent body colour.
Eyespot coloursRoz Dakin & Bob MontgomerieQueen’s University
Canada 2in speciesof peafowl
But not identical.
300 400 600 700wavelength λ (nm)
% re
flect
ance
0
50
100 Pavo cristatusPavo muticus
500
ReferencesMate choice for eyespot colour in P. cristatusLoyau et al. 2007. Behavioral Ecology 18: 1123-1131.Dakin and Montgomerie. See poster 256 next door.Submitted to J Evolutionary Biology.
Peacock train displays and breeding habitatDakin and Montgomerie. 2009. Behavioral Ecol Sociobiology 63: 825-834.Harikrishnan et al. 2010. Open Ornithology J. 3: 13-19.Brickle. 2002. Biological Conservation 105: 189-197.
Modelling how females perceive eyespot colour contrastsVorobyev and Osorio. 1998. Proceedings B 265: 351-358. Hart. 2002. J Experimental Biology 205: 3925-3935. Fig 7.Vorobyev et al. 1998. J Comp Physiology A 183: 621-633. Fig 3.
Comparing Pavo speciesOverall, P. muticus has:more contrast, p = 0.0004
less contrast, p = 0.01
& no di�erence. p = 0.18
In P. cristatus, females prefer males with: brighter colour in the blue-green eyespot patch more contrast between blue-green & bronze
300 400 600 7000
120
rela
tive
quan
tal f
lux
AM / PM lightnoon lightforest light
(Vorobyev et al. 1998)
wavelength (nm)500
See our other poster256 for details
How does light affect their iridescent courtship signals?