{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T20:09:59Z","timestamp":1773432599930,"version":"3.50.1"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.149948.1","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]],"date-time":"2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746489600000}},{"DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.149948.2","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]],"date-time":"2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746489600000}}],"reference-count":38,"publisher":"F1000 Research Ltd","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]],"date-time":"2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746489600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000038","name":"Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000038","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009776","name":"McMaster University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009776","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["f1000research.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["F1000Res"],"abstract":"<ns3:p>Background Darwin assumed that the peacock\u2019s long train was maladaptive and was the indirect effect of selection by female mate choice based on the train\u2019s beauty. While a relationship between the feathers elaborate features and mating success has been shown in some studies, what features of the train females are attracted to remains controversial. Methods We used museum specimens to examine the anatomical plan underlying feather development responsible for the train\u2019s symmetry. We developed a model based on an alternate arrangement of primordial feather buds during development and locations of concentric circles of eyespot distribution using the pattern on the train as a template. Results We observed a zigzag pattern of feather follicles that determined both the number and the arrangement of eyespots on the train. Our model explains the bilateral symmetry of train feathers, the hexagonal arrangement of eyespots on the train, and the concentric color rings of the eyespots. While the zigzag pattern explains the symmetry, complexity, and (structural) beauty of the peacock\u2019s train, it also precludes variation in eyespot number except by annual addition of new feathers as a function of age. Conclusions We propose a multimodal model of mate choice which holds that (1) eyespot number and feather length are developmentally correlated and females see them not as separate traits but as one complex trait combining both, (2) females may not always choose males with the largest number of eyespots, as old males may lack vigor, and (3) females may choose mates on the basis of train size, vigor, and beauty. The maladaptation of the long tail is a byproduct of the adaptation of the tall train. Who would have thought that zigzag arrangement, the densest form of spherical packing, when applied to the living world would produce such profound effects on phenotypic diversity.<\/ns3:p>","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.149948.3","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]],"date-time":"2025-05-06T06:55:11Z","timestamp":1746514511000},"page":"520","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12688\/f1000research.crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A long tail of truth and beauty: A zigzag pattern of feather formation determines the symmetry, complexity, and beauty of the peacock\u2019s tail"],"prefix":"10.12688","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5407-537X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rama","family":"Singh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4285-9281","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santosh","family":"Jagadeeshan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2560","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9780691207278","author":"M Andersson","year":"1994","journal-title":"Sexual selection."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"292-300","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tree.2009.11.003","article-title":"Dynamics of multiple signalling systems: animal communication in a world in flux.","volume":"25","author":"J Bro-J\u00f8rgensen","year":"2010","journal-title":"Trends Ecol. 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Biol."}],"container-title":["F1000Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3\/pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3\/iparadigms","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,27]],"date-time":"2025-09-27T09:45:08Z","timestamp":1758966308000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]]},"references-count":38,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12688\/f1000research.149948.3","relation":{"has-version":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.12688\/f1000research.149948.2","asserted-by":"subject"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.12688\/f1000research.149948.1","asserted-by":"subject"}],"has-review":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.5256\/f1000research.181505.r383122","asserted-by":"subject"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.5256\/f1000research.181505.r383122","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["2046-1402"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2046-1402","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,6]]},"assertion":[{"value":"Indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3#article-reports","order":0,"name":"referee-status","label":"Referee status","group":{"name":"current-referee-status","label":"Current Referee Status"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.178029.r368433, Joseph Jordania, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 28 Feb 2025, version 2, indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v2#referee-response-368433","order":0,"name":"referee-response-368433","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Rama Singh<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 28 Feb 2025<\/i>; Thank you, Dr. Jordania, for your approval of the manuscript. Hopefully it will also be approved by Reviewer 2 and get published.&nbsp;  Rama Singh&nbsp;","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3#referee-comment-13441","order":1,"name":"referee-comment-13441","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.164464.r356816, Joao Menezes, Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo, S\u00e3o Paulo, 05 Feb 2025, version 1, 2 approved with reservations","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v1#referee-response-356816","order":2,"name":"referee-response-356816","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Rama Singh<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 07 Feb 2025<\/i>; Revisions made in Version 2:  Reviewer: Dr. Menezes  We sincerely thank the reviewer for liking the paper and noticing its originality. We see that the reviewer has read the paper very carefully as only a careful reading would pick up all the editorial sloppiness that has crept unnoticed in the manuscript! We have accepted all the suggestions. The paper has gone through thorough editing and cleaning up making it easier to read. &nbsp; We again thank the reviewers for their critical comments and hope that the revised paper will get their final Approval.  Rama Singh","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3#referee-comment-13305","order":3,"name":"referee-comment-13305","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.181505.r383122, Jutta Schneider, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, 11 Sep 2025, version 3, indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3#referee-response-383122","order":4,"name":"referee-response-383122","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Rama Singh<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 11 Sep 2025<\/i>; I sincerely appreciate and thank Dr. Schneider for her approval of the paper. While requiring two reviewers approvals may not be too high a bar to publish a paper, it can be a too low bar to reject a good idea.  I am happy with the outcome.  Rama Singh","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/13-520\/v3#referee-comment-14554","order":5,"name":"referee-comment-14554","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"This work was supported by grants from a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and McMaster University to RSS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.","order":6,"name":"grant-information","label":"Grant Information"},{"value":"This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.","order":0,"name":"copyright-info","label":"Copyright"}]}}