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Colour-specific Diet Specialization Is Associated with Differences in Owlet Weight in a Polymorphic Owl: Influence of the Trophic Quality Variation by Jesús Miguel Avilés; Ángel Cruz-Miralles; Deseada Parejo is a Environmental Science article available to read on EtoBox.
What is Colour-specific Diet Specialization Is Associated with Differences in Owlet Weight in a Polymorphic Owl: Influence of the Trophic Quality Variation about?
The niche divergence hypothesis proposes that the evolution and maintenance of colour polymorphism is based on a mechanism of disruptive selection. In a trophic context, the hypothesis predicts that individuals differing in colour vary in their trophic niche, either because they differ in foraging efficiency or feed in different habitats. A major evolutionary conundrum is how these expectations are affected by variation in trophic quality. Using an owl species with colour plumage polymorphism, the Eurasian scops owl __Otus scops__, we examined diet and habitat segregation during reproduction in relation to plumage colouration and trophic quality. Intensive sampling revealed that trophic quality for scops owls (i.e. abundance of grasshoppers and locusts) varied more among territories than between years, but scops owls did not segregate among territories of different quality by their colouration. However, we found that sex, plumage colouration and territory differences in trophic quality explained differences in the degree of dietary specialization. Brownish males delivered a higher diversity of prey to the nest than greyish ones in high trophic quality territories. We also found tha
Who reads Colour-specific Diet Specialization Is Associated with Differences in Owlet Weight in a Polymorphic Owl: Influence of the Trophic Quality Variation?
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Environmental Science.
- Author
- Jesús Miguel Avilés; Ángel Cruz-Miralles; Deseada Parejo
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Published
- 2023
- Field
- Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)