Dear colleagues,
We are conducting a research on the influence of anthropogenic pollution on different types of bird colouration, including both feathers and bare-parts of skin. In this study, we aim to estimate the scale of the problem and to identify significant knowledge gaps for better targeting of future research. Specifically, we would like to focus on two aspects:
- the impact of specific types of pollution (e.g. heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls or radiation), preferably with a known concentration in the studied habitat or bird's tissues, on the expression of colour traits.
- the influence of urban environments on the expression of colour traits, preferably in studies comparing birds from urban vs rural/natural habitats.
We are seeking the data from both correlative and experimental studies. Whenever possible, we would like to request the raw data, with means, SE and sample size, otherwise we also request for correlation and other statistics from the models, together with sample sizes.
Examples of data we prefer are:
Differences in colouration between control and polluted/anthropogenic pressure treated groups
Correlation between pollution/anthropogenic factor and colouration
We will consider all measures of colouration (spectrophotometric, photography-based, colour scoring).
If you have any kind of unpublished data, data from PhD thesis, or from the upcoming articles, we will be very thankful for possibility to include your findings in our study. We are waiting for the data until the 15th of May.
Contact: [email protected]
We will be very grateful for your contribution!
Best wishes,
Agnieszka Gudowska (Jagiellonian University, Kraków),
Katarzyna Janas (Jagiellonian University, Kraków),
Szymon Drobniak (Jagiellonian University, University of New South Wales, Sydney)