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Down Feather Structure Varies Between Low- and High-Altitude Torrent Ducks (Merganetta Armata) in the Andes

Rebecca G. Cheek, Luis Alza, Kevin G. McCracken
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/207555
Rebecca G. Cheek
1University of Alaska Museum, Department of Biology & Wildlife, & Institute of Arctic Biology, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
2Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
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  • For correspondence: Rebecca.G.Cheek@gmail.com
Luis Alza
1University of Alaska Museum, Department of Biology & Wildlife, & Institute of Arctic Biology, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
3Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
4Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad - CORBIDI, Lima 33, Peru
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  • For correspondence: luis.alza@corbidi.org
Kevin G. McCracken
1University of Alaska Museum, Department of Biology & Wildlife, & Institute of Arctic Biology, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
3Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
4Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad - CORBIDI, Lima 33, Peru
5Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
6Human Genetics & Genomics, Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
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Abstract

Feathers are one of the defining characteristics of birds and serve a critical role in thermal insulation and physical protection against the environment. Feather structure is known to vary among individuals, and it has been suggested that populations exposed to different environmental conditions may exhibit different patterns in feather structure. We examined both down and contour feathers from two populations of male Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata) from Lima, Peru, including one high-altitude population from the Chancay-Huaral River at approximately 3500 meters (m) elevation and one low-altitude population from the Chillón River at approximately 1500 m. Down feather structure differed significantly between the two populations. Ducks from the high-altitude population had longer, denser down compared with low-altitude individuals. Contour feather structure varied greatly among individuals but showed no significant difference between populations. These results suggest that the innermost, insulative layer of plumage (the down), may have developed in response to lower ambient temperatures at high elevations. The lack of observable differences in the contour feathers may be due to the general constraints of the waterproofing capability of this outer plumage layer.

Resumen El plumaje es una característica que define a las aves y cumple roles críticos en el aislamiento térmico y protección física del ambiente. Se sabe que la estructura de las plumas varía ente individuos, y se ha sugerido que poblaciones expuestas a diferentes condiciones ambientales pueden exhibir diferentes patrones en la estructura de las plumas. En este estudio se examinaron tanto el plumón como las plumas de contorno de machos adultos del Pato de los Torrentes (Merganetta armata) de dos poblaciones, una en el río Chancay-Huaral a 3,500 msnm y otra en el río Chillón a 1,500 msnm, ubicadas en Lima, Perú. La estructura de los plumones difiere significativamente entre las dos poblaciones. Los patos de la población a grandes elevaciones tienen plumones largos, y densos comparados con los individuos de las partes bajas. La estructura de las plumas de contorno varía ampliamente entre individuos pero no muestra diferencias significativas entre poblaciones. Estos resultados sugieren que las diferencias entre las capas interiores de aislamiento del plumaje (plumón), haberse desarrollado como respuesta en ambientes de bajas temperaturas a grandes elevaciones. En cambio la falta de detectables diferencias en las plumas de contorno puede ser debido a la constante selección en la capacidad impermeable de la capa de plumas exteriores.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted November 08, 2017.
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Down Feather Structure Varies Between Low- and High-Altitude Torrent Ducks (Merganetta Armata) in the Andes
Rebecca G. Cheek, Luis Alza, Kevin G. McCracken
bioRxiv 207555; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/207555
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Down Feather Structure Varies Between Low- and High-Altitude Torrent Ducks (Merganetta Armata) in the Andes
Rebecca G. Cheek, Luis Alza, Kevin G. McCracken
bioRxiv 207555; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/207555

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