DOI: 10.5061/dryad.vq542
title: Data from: Melanin-specific life-history strategies

description: The maintenance of genetic variation is a long-standing issue because the
 adaptive value of life-history strategies associated with each genetic
 variant is usually unknown. However, evidence for the coexistence of
 alternative evolutionary fixed strategies at the population level remains
 scarce. Because in the tawny owl (Strix aluco) heritable melanin-based
 coloration shows different physiological and behavioral norms of reaction,
 we investigated whether coloration is associated with investment in
 maintenance and reproduction. Light melanic owls had lower adult survival
 compared to dark melanic conspecifics, and color variation was related to
 the trade-off between offspring number and quality. When we experimentally
 enlarged brood size, light melanic males produced more fledglings but in
 poorer condition, and they were less often recruited in the local breeding
 population than those of darker melanic conspecifics. Our results also
 suggest that dark melanic males allocate a constant effort to raise their
 brood independently of environmental conditions, whereas lighter melanic
 males finely adjust reproductive effort in relation to changes in
 environmental conditions. Color traits can therefore be associated with
 life-history strategies, and stochastic environmental perturbation can
 temporarily favor one phenotype over others. The existence of fixed
 strategies implies that some phenotypes can sometimes display a
 “maladapted” strategy. Long-term population monitoring is therefore vital
 for a full understanding of how different genotypes deal with trade-offs.
description: Recruitment in relation
 to paternal colorationFather ID: identity of
 the father; Mother ID: identity of the mother; Year when experiment
 carried out; Treatment = brood size treatment; Father and mother color:
 from 5 (light melanic) to 1 (dark melanic); Mass Fledgling: mean body mass
 of fledglings; Nb recruits: number of fledglings that were recruited in
 the local breeding populationTawny owl color -
 Recruitment.xlsAnalysis of dispersal
 distance in relation to colorationRecruit ring= Identity
 of the individual that dispersed; dispersal distance: distance (m) between
 the nest where the recruit was reared and the nest where it bred for the
 first time; Year = year when born; Brood ID: identity of the nest where
 the recruit was raised; Sex=Sex of the recruit; Treatment: brood size
 manipulation; Father and mother color: 1 for dark melanin to 5 for light
 melanicTawny owl Dispersal distance
 recruits.xlsxTawny owl color-specific
 reproductive success Year1Male ring: identity of
 the breeding male; Year: year when experiment carried out; Nb Fledglings:
 number of fledglings; Father and mother color: from 1 (dark melanic) to 5
 (light melanic); Hatch date: hatching date in number of days to 1st
 January; BroodSizebefore: number of nestlings before treatment was
 applied; Treatment: brood size manipulation experimentTawny owl color-specific
 survivalRing: identity of the
 breeding individual; Year: year when captured; Brood ID: identity of the
 nest where the individual bred; Treatment: Enlarged is for when we added
 nestlings to the brood, Reduced when we removed nestlings, N when no
 treatment was applied and absence of code is for non-breeding individuals;
 Coloration: between 1 (dark melanic) to 5 (light melanic); sex: sex of the
 individualReproductive success
 after having applied brood size manipulation experiment in two successive
 yearsMale Ring: Identity of
 the breeding male; Year X2: second year of brood size manipulation
 experiment; N_Fledglings X2: number of fledglings in the second year;
 Hatch date X2: hatching date in the second year (number of days after 1st
 January); Treatment X1: brood size manipulation in the first year;
 Treatment X2: brood size manipulation in the second year; Class Treatment:
 1 (reduced-reduced), 2 (enlarged-reduced), 3 (reduced-enlarge), 4
 (enlarged-enlarged); Father color: color of the father (1 for dark melanic
 to 5 for light melanic)Tawny owl color-specific
 reproductive success
 2successiveYear.xlsxTawny owl Color-specific
 offspring body massFledging Body Mass: mass
 at fledging (g); Year: Year when the experiment was performed; BroodID:
 identity of the nest where fledglings were raised; Hour: time of the day
 when weighed; Wing: wing length (mm); Sex: sex of the fledgling; Cross
 fostered: No is for when fledglings were raised by their biological
 parents and Yes is for when fledglings were raised by foster parents;
 Father and mother color: 1 for dark melanic to 5 for light melanic;
 Treatment: brood size manipulation experiment