A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Dressed for the Weather: Tawny Owl Feather Adaptations Across a Climatic Gradient
Authors: Perrault, Charlotte; Baltazar-Soares, Miguel; Morosinotto, Chiara; Karell, Patrik; Poprach, Karel; Nilsson, Lars-Ove; Eriksson, Daniel; Ericsson, Peter; Grašytė, Gintarė; Rumbutis, Saulius; Baroni, Daniele; Anderson, Katy; Øien, Ingar; Casero, Maria; Brommer, Jon E.
Publisher: WILEY
Publishing place: HOBOKEN
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Ecology and Evolution
Journal name in source: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Journal acronym: ECOL EVOL
Article number: e71441
Volume: 15
Issue: 6
Number of pages: 11
eISSN: 2045-7758
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71441
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71441
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499409928
Populations are presumed to be adapted to local environmental conditions via natural selection, with gene flow breaking up local adaptations. In birds, various aspects of feathers may reflect local adaptation. For example, the insulation capacity of feathers could be greater in colder regions, while colour variation may also play a role in adapting to local environmental conditions since darker feathers are known to absorb more heat than lighter ones. We studied feather properties (plumulaceous part of the feather, density of barbs and barbules) of tawny owl, Strix aluco, across nine populations covering a large part of the species' European range (9-52 individuals per population) as well as their plumage colour, scored as dark (brown) versus light (grey) morphs. We compared these traits' phenotypic divergence (PST) with the divergence expected based on genetic drift (FST) inferred using eight microsatellites. The FST was low (0.022; 95% CI 0.005-0.039), and most feather structures' phenotypic divergence (PST) exceeded the FST. However, phenotypic divergence in plumage colour was low and not significant, implying a limited role of natural selection in shaping variation in plumage colouration at large spatial scales. Between-population differentiation in feather properties was more pronounced in ventral feathers than dorsal feathers. In colder populations, the plumulaceous part of the dorsal feathers, but not the ventral feathers, was larger (implying greater insulation). Although proper evaluation hinges on understanding how insulative properties confer a fitness advantage in a given environment, our findings imply that properties of avian feathers may reflect local adaptation, possibly related to climate.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was funded by Academy of Finland (projects 309992, 314108, and 335335, to PK and decision 321471 to JEB). CM acknowledgefor funding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4, Component 2 Investment 1.4 - Call for tender No. 3138 of 16 December 2021,rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU;Award Number: Project code CN_00000033, Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUPC93C22002810006, Project title “National Biodiversity Future Center – NBFC.” In Norway, the work was supported by the Office of the County Governor ofTrøndelag and Konsul Haldor Viriks Legat. In the Czech Republic, nesting support for the Tawny Owl was financially supported by Lesy České republiky, s.p. and the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic.
