In April 1860, in a letter sent to the American botanist Asa Gray, the naturalist Charles Darwin expressed his disappointment when he saw the peacock's striking feathers. One of the reasons was precisely because of the colors of their feathers. That's a little curious, isn't it? If you think so too, check out the full article on how birds are losing their colors and understand better about this story.
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Check out one of the reasons for this below.
Darwin's disappointment was due to the fact that peacocks' tails contradict the proposal described in his theory of evolution. This theory called natural selection. His revolt is based on the fact that instead of increasing the survival of peacocks, tails seem to have the opposite effect.
Approximately 10 years later, in 1871, the naturalist suggested a solution to this disagreement in his book “The Origin of Man and Sexual Selection”. Based on this book, the purpose of ornamental attributes is not to expand their owner's survival, but rather their reproductive success. That is, the presence of striking features, such as peacocks' tails, is explained by sexual selection, not natural selection.
Color as health and quality
Nowadays, we know that one of the signs of quality is ornaments. In this, they inform the physical condition of each animal, the health and personality of their owners. Furthermore, ornaments also give true information, since they are difficult to expose.
One of the reasons for the loss of colors: Climate change
Climate change and its effects on the ecosystem, especially the fauna and flora, have been highlighted by scientists and their community. His studies focused on knowing the effects of climate change.
The importance of studying the effects of climate change on ornaments is because temperature, for example, directly influences the coloring of some birds. Colors tend to be more opaque in warmer times and with global warming, this is becoming a trend.
