International Journal of Molecular Zoology 2024, Vol.14, No.5, 281-289 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmz 285 Figure 2 Spectrograms of zebra finch songs and calls (Adopted from Hauber et al., 2021) Image caption: Spectrogram of tutor and tutee adult male zebra finch songs, and undirected contact calls of adult females and males. Spectrograms represent time (x-axes) and pitch (y-axes) with greater amplitude as increasing brightness. Note the similarity of the tutor (typically social father) and tutee (son) song pair of male zebra finches and the distinct sexual differences of the calls (Adopted from Hauber et al., 2021) 5.3 Findings and implications Research has shown that plumage coloration in zebra finches is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The study using a controlled breeding design found that white plumage morphs had poorer body condition but compensated by reproducing earlier and producing heavier eggs relative to their body mass. This suggests that plumage coloration can be linked to fitness-related traits, although further studies are needed to evaluate these effects under natural conditions. Another study on the MC1R gene found no significant association between MC1R polymorphism and plumage coloration after controlling for population structure, indicating that genome-wide divergence might explain the initial findings (Hoffman et al., 2014). This highlights the importance of considering population structure in genetic association studies. 5.4 Comparison with other species Comparative studies in other bird species have also explored the genetic basis of plumage coloration. For example, similar to zebra finches, leaf warblers showed no association between MC1R polymorphism and plumage coloration, suggesting that other genetic factors or environmental influences might play a more significant role.
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