UoB University Graduate School
How does eggshell pigmentation vary among British passerines?
This image shows the diversity of eggshell pigmentation using eggs from a collection of 81 British passerine species. The eggshells of many avian species are colourfully decorated but the functional significance of these colourations remains poorly understood. Hypotheses include camouflage, temperature control, and egg recognition (in response to brood parasitism). There are two main types of pigments responsible for the colouring and patterning on passerine eggshells. These are protoporphyrin IX, responsible for brownish hues, and biliverdin, responsible for blue and green hues (Kennedy and Vevers 1973; 1976).
In this study I look at how eggshell pigment and colour relate to specific life-history and breeding ecology traits, and how these co-vary with phylogenetic affiliations among species. The individual photos were used to ascertain information about background colour, foreground colour and percentage spotting present on eggs. Eggshells were made available through a destructive loan from the Natural History Museum, Tring, UK.
Kaat Brulez
PhD
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
How does eggshell pigmentation vary among British passerines?
This image shows the diversity of eggshell pigmentation using eggs from a collection of 81 British passerine species. The eggshells of many avian species are colourfully decorated but the functional significance of these colourations remains poorly understood. Hypotheses include camouflage, temperature control, and egg recognition (in response to brood parasitism). There are two main types of pigments responsible for the colouring and patterning on passerine eggshells. These are protoporphyrin IX, responsible for brownish hues, and biliverdin, responsible for blue and green hues (Kennedy and Vevers 1973; 1976).
In this study I look at how eggshell pigment and colour relate to specific life-history and breeding ecology traits, and how these co-vary with phylogenetic affiliations among species. The individual photos were used to ascertain information about background colour, foreground colour and percentage spotting present on eggs. Eggshells were made available through a destructive loan from the Natural History Museum, Tring, UK.
Kaat Brulez
PhD
College of Life and Environmental Sciences