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Condition dependence of sexually selected ornaments in birds
Tomášek, Oldřich ; Albrecht, Tomáš (advisor) ; Verhulst, Simon (referee) ; Šálek, Miroslav (referee)
Sexual ornaments important for mating success in many species are often assumed to evolve as condition-dependent signals of individual quality. Ornament expression can be associated with age and survival, thereby signalling individual viability. Here, we have tested viability signalling function of tail streamers and their importance for within-pair and extra-pair fertilisation success in the European barn swallow (Hirundo rustica rustica). In contrast to previous studies on this subspecies, our data suggest that tail length is not associated with fertilisation success in our population. Instead, the most important predictors of within-pair and extra-pair fertilisation success were female and male age, respectively. Our data supported viability signalling function of male tail streamers, as documented by age-related within- individual increase in their length. There was no evidence for senescence in this trait. Contrary to some previous studies, the viability signalling function of tail streamers was further supported by observed selective disappearance of males with shorter tails. Several physiological mechanisms have been proposed as maintaining signalling honesty. Among them, oxidative stress from highly reactive species (RS), including free radicals, attracted a considerable attention. Given...
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Interactive effects of carotenoid supplementation and oxidative stress on sperm morphology, sperm quality and spermatogenesis in the Zebra finches
Bílková, Karolína ; Albrecht, Tomáš (advisor) ; Jonáková, Věra (referee)
The phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis predicts that both, male carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation and their spermatozoa are phenotypically plastic and may be co-affected by the environment. One of the factors affecting their phenotype may be oxidative stress and the ability of organism to eliminate its effect. Oxidative stress may reduce sperm quality because sperm lack the ability to repair DNA, but it can also affect spermatogenesis itself. However, some substances may function as antioxidants, and thus eliminate effect of reactive oxygen species (oxidative stress) in the body. In this study, adult zebra finch males (Taeniopygia guttata) originating from the domesticated and recently wild-derived populations were exposed to the diquat (D), which enhances the oxidative stress, and carotenoid lutein (L), which could have an antioxidant function. Experimental design had factorial character 2x2 with a control (group L, D, LD, control). Neither oxidative stress, carotenoids, nor their interactions affected sperm morphology or velocity and it also did not increase abnormal sperm proportion in the ejaculate. However, the differences were observed at the molecular level, where by inducing the oxidative stress, the sperm had reduced signal intensity of acetylated α-tubulin in the sperm tails....
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Distribution of predators, predation risk and antipredation strategies in waterfowl
Kreisinger, Jakub ; Albrecht, Tomáš (advisor) ; Bureš, Stanislav (referee) ; Tkadlec, Emil (referee)
Jakub Kreisinger - summary of the Ph.D. thesis: Predation is an important selective force affecting many evolutionary and ecological process. Anthropogenic landscape changes often alter these processes due to qualitative and quantitative changes in the predator comunity. This thesis contains four papers that are focused on various aspects of the nest predation, antipredation strategies and distribution of predators in the landscape modified by human activities. The first contribution "Nest protection in mallards (Anas plathyrhynchos): Untangling the role of crypsis and parental behaviour" (Kreisinger & Albrecht 2008) focus on the effect of antipredation strategies on the reproductive success in a ground nesting bird, mallard. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that multiple antipredation strategies including nest site selection parental antipredation behavior and crypsis due to clutch concealment by the nest material during incubation recesses reduce sumultaniousely the risk of the clutch predation in birds. Contrary to some previous studies, the relative effects of crypsis and parental anti-predation behaviour on nest survival did not differ with respect to antipredation effect of the nest concealment by surrounding vegetation. The hypothesis that linear strips of shrubby vegetation and high grass...
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Secondary sexual ornaments and ectoparasites in the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Wichová, Eliška ; Albrecht, Tomáš (advisor) ; Sedláček, Ondřej (referee)
Parasites could represent an important evolutionary driver and play an important role in a sexual selection. In the mate selection process, females use secondary sexual ornaments, which may reflect the parasite load and health condition of males. Females would benefit from choosing males with the most extravagant sexual characters, which indicate low levels of parasite infestation. A popular model species for sexual selection study is the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). However there are no recent studies investigating the relationship between the level of the ectoparasitic infestation and the ornamentation of the barn swallow. Results of this thesis, based on analysis of ectoparasite load in 204 individuals show, that the level of infestation by feather mites is positively correlated with outermost tail feathers and the intensity of feather holes is negatively correlated with a breast coloration. The relationship between the abundance of ectoparasites and white tail spots was not found. The effect of ectoparasites on the survival of individuals or the nest initiation date was not observed. A possitive relationship between the individual seasonal change in feather mites infestation and brood size was detected. This implies a potential trade-off between the investments into parental care and defence...
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Effect of altitude on avian life histories and physiology
Brindzák, Marek ; Albrecht, Tomáš (advisor) ; Ferenc, Michal (referee)
Vliv altitudy na životní strategie a fyziologické nastavení ptáků Řešitel práce: Marek Brindzák Vedoucí práce: doc. Mgr. Tomáš Albrecht, Ph.D. Abstract The pace-of-life syndrome theory proposed that species with similar life-histories share physiological traits that are more similar than species with different life-histories. Despite the fact that life-histories and physiology are well studied in birds it is still unknown how altitude changes these traits. However, shifts in life-histories across latitudinal gradients, with slow pace characterized by high investment to the future reproduction in tropics and fast pace of life characterized by high to the actual reproduction in temperate, is well know. From this knowledge we can assume how birds solve the trade-of between survival and reproduction based on the environmental conditions. This thesis summarizes effect of altitude on selected life-histories and physiology traits, the findings are compared with latitudinal changes. The first part of thesis is focused on describing latitudinal and altitudinal effect on selected avian life-histories traits. The second part deals with the altitudinal effect on the selected physiological traits in birds. Birds breeding at high altitude exhibit novel pace of life with life-histories similar to a slow pace but with...
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