Heritable True Fitness and Bright Birds: A Role for Parasites?
Abstract
Combination of seven surveys of blood parasites in North American passerines reveals weak, highly significant association over species between incidence of chronic blood infections (five genera of protozoa and one nematode) and striking display (three characters: male "brightness," female "brightness," and male song). This result conforms to a model of sexual selection in which (i) coadaptational cycles of host and parasites generate consistently positive offspring-on-parent regression of fitness, and (ii) animals choose mates for genetic disease resistance by scrutiny of characters whose full expression is dependent on health and vigor.
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Parasites and the arms races between parasites and other organisms have long been associated with theories of sexual selection because organisms benefit from choosing parasite-free and parasite-resistant mates.
“Parasites, and the arms races between parasites and other organisms, have long been associated with theories of sexual selection because organisms benefit from choosing parasitefree and parasite-resistant mates (e.g., Hamilton & Zuk 1982).”
From Parasite-stress promotes in-group assortative sociality: The cases of strong family ties and heightened religiosity (2012) · cites this paper as Hamilton & Zuk 1982
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References 51 · Cited by 3,733
- Authors
- Hamilton, W. D., & Zuk, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- ORCID
- Zuk, Marlene
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1982-10-22
- Volume
- 218
- Issue
- 4570
- Pages
- 384-387
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2052735134
- Cited by
- 3,733
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 53 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 74 · 2023: 70 · 2022: 131 · 2021: 136 · 2020: 116 · 2019: 95 · 2018: 105 · 2017: 103 · 2016: 112 · 2015: 145 · 2014: 123 · 2013: 103 · 2012: 142
- FWCI
- 25.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Bird parasitology and diseases
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Avian ecology and behavior
- Keywords
- blood parasites, Passeriformes, sexual selection, mate choice, disease resistance, host-parasite coevolution, male song, plumage coloration, female coloration, protozoa, nematodes
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Biological, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Birds, Biological Evolution, Pigmentation, Polymorphism, Genetic
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