Subject: Re: Mr. Goodadaptationist
Date: Dec 11 10:32:51 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


Nicole Perfito wrote:

>Dennis -- Not that I have a good adaptationist explanation for why
>flamingos are pink, I wanted to add that there is a definate cost to
>maintaing that pink color. Often after a successful breeding season with
>frequent feedings to young, parent birds (especially males) will moult white
>feathers and only regain their pink color after their next moult. The theory
>is that parents "shunt" all of their energy for metabolizing the caratenoids
>to
>feather pigment while feeding their chick.

Thanks for the info, Nicole. I think it makes my point perfectly--that
there is a cost to these attributes and therefore there must be a benefit,
for which we adaptationists can search; the flamingo's pink is not
"neutral."

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416