The Evolution of bird plumage colouration: a role for feather-degradation bacteria?

The evolution of integumentary colouration in animals, and particularly its relationships with parasite-mediated sexual selection, is a controversial issue that has attracted the interest of numerous researchers (e.g. Hill, 1991; Houde & Torio, 1992; Andersson, 1994; Lozano, 1994; Badyev & Hill, 2000). Most studies concern birds, which exhibit an enormous array of colours and patterns unparalleled among vertebrates, yet unexplained by any synthetic theory. Ch. Darwin and A. R. Wallace already contended about bird colours in the 19th century (Cronin, 1991). However, the renewed interest on the evolution of plumage colouration can be traced back to Hamilton & Zuk (1982), who hypothesised that, within bird species, those indiArdeola 51(2), 2004, 375-383

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