Plumage manipulation alters the integration of social behavior, physiology, internal microbiome, and fitness.
C. C. Taff, C. Zimmer, D. Scheck, T. A. Ryan, J. L. Houtz, M. R. Smee, T. A. Hendry, M. N. Vitousek
The paper manipulates plumage in female tree swallows to show that signal variation independently affects social behavior, physiology, microbiome, and reproductive fitness.
bioRxiv · Oct 31, 2019 · PreprintZoology