DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8w9ghx3zm
title: Protocalliphora larvae: moderate but lasting carry-over effects on yearling and mother coloration

description: Parasites play a significant role in the evolution of their hosts,
 influencing a wide range of traits, including animal signals such as
 coloration. While the direct effects of parasitism on coloration are
 well-documented, it remains unclear whether these effects persist beyond
 the parasitized phase, leading to direct carry-over effects. Additionally,
 the impact of parasitism on parental investment may have indirect
 consequences for the parents themselves, potentially affecting their
 coloration. We analyzed a 20-year dataset to estimate both direct and
 indirect long-term effects of the ectoparasite Protocalliphora sp. on blue
 tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and their plumage color. This ectoparasite only
 affects the nestling stage but is also known to increase parental care. We
 measured the impact of ectoparasites on nestlings' condition, and
 then quantified their long-term effects on the colorations produced during
 the subsequent molt in i) parasitized individuals at their yearling stage,
 and ii) parents that had reared parasitized nestlings. Our analyses
 focused on a carotenoid-based (yellow patch) and a structural (blue patch)
 plumage coloration. Our findings revealed that parasite load was
 negatively correlated with nestling condition. We also found long-term
 effects of Protocalliphora larvae on yearling coloration, reducing the
 brightness of the yellow patch in individuals from large broods. In
 parents that reared parasitized nestlings, we observed lasting
 consequences in coloration, reducing brightness of the yellow patch in
 both parents but decreasing blue patch intensity only in mothers. This
 study supports the hypothesis that early life parasitism can have a
 lasting effect on ornaments of parasitized individuals, as well as
 carry-over indirect effects on parent ornaments.
description: # Carry-over effects of Protocalliphora larvae on mothers’ coloration
 Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.8w9ghx3zm](10.5061/dryad.8w9ghx3zm) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Data, analyses, and figures
 associated with the manuscript "Carry-over effects of
 *Protocalliphora* larvae on mothers' coloration" by Christian N.
 Tchana, Amélie Fargevieille, Lisa Sandmeyer, María Del Rey Granado, Arnaud
 Grégoire, Céline Teplitsky, Claire Loiseau & Claire Doutrelant
 **Scripts and figures by Christian N. Tchana & Amélie Fargevieille**
 If you need clarification regarding codes, please contact
 tchanachris94[at]gmail.com and/or afargevieille[at]gmail.com Repository is
 organized into 4 files and 2 folders. The folders are: *
 analyses_figures_script: R codes to run analyses and figures found in the
 manuscript and supplementary materials (see README file in that folder) *
 data: data sets used for the analyses (see details in README file in that
 folder) * figures: figures that can be found in the main manuscript or the
 supplementary materials; names according to their name in the manuscript *
 output tables: tables that can be found in the main manuscript or the
 supplementary materials; names according to their name in the manuscript
 The folders are: * analyses_figures_script: R codes to run analyses and
 figures found in the manuscript and supplementary materials (see README
 file in that folder) - data: data files used for the analyses (see details
 in README file in that folder) ## Access information * Other publicly
 accessible locations of the data: GitHub:
 [https://github.com/ameliefar/protocalliphora/tree/main](https://github.com/ameliefar/protocalliphora/tree/main)