کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
1974237 1060344 2008 5 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Melanin-based color variation in the Bearded Vulture suggests a thermoregulatory function
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری بیوشیمی، ژنتیک و زیست شناسی مولکولی زیست شیمی
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Melanin-based color variation in the Bearded Vulture suggests a thermoregulatory function
چکیده انگلیسی

We document a case of intraspecific variation in plumage colouration in Bearded Vultures that may have arisen as a functional response to climate conditions. Two subspecies, Gypaetus barbatus barbatus (Eurasia and North Africa populations) and Gypaetus barbatus meridionalis (Eastern and Southern Africa), have been described on the basis of plumage colour differences. The plumage of G. b. barbatus tends to be darker in comparison with that of G. b. meridionalis. The plumage of the two subspecies differ in the feathering of the tarsi (more abundant in G. b. barbatus) and presence/absence of dark ear tufts (only present in G. b. barbatus, and this being the most useful character to distinguish adult specimens of both subspecies). When exposing skins under the sun or to electric bulbs in a cold room, temperature increases were significantly higher in the black ear tufts than in the frontal region of the head, suggesting that the melanized ear patch of G. b. barbatus serves, at least, to heat up the air entering the ear channel and perhaps also the underlying skin. In addition, G. b. barbatus, which inhabits mountainous regions with harsh and long winters, would benefit more from feathered tarsi to prevent heat loss through the legs.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology - Volume 149, Issue 1, January 2008, Pages 87–91
نویسندگان
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