Carotenoids and throat pouch coloration in the great frigatebird (Fregata minor).
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol
; 149(2): 370-7, 2008 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18035568
ABSTRACT
Carotenoid pigments are a common source of red, orange, and yellow coloration in vertebrates. Animals cannot manufacture carotenoids and therefore must obtain them in their diet to produce carotenoid-based coloration. Male great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) display a bright red inflated gular pouch as part of their elaborate courtship display. The basis of this coloration until now has not been investigated. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we investigated the types and concentrations of carotenoids that great frigatebirds circulate in their plasma and whether male gular pouch coloration was carotenoid-based. Great frigatebird plasma collected during the breeding season contained three carotenoid pigments in dilute concentrations-tunaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin-with astaxanthin accounting for nearly 85% of the carotenoids present. Astaxanthin was the only carotenoid present in gular pouch tissue, but the concentration is the highest reported for any carotenoid-pigmented avian tissue. Throat pouch reflectance curves were measured with a UV-VIS spectrophotometer, revealing a complex pattern of one UV peak (approx. 360 nm), two absorption valleys (approx. 542 and 577 nm), followed by a plateau at approx 630 nm. The reflectance curve suggests a role for additional pigments, in particular hemoglobin, in the production of color in this ornament.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Faringe
/
Aves
/
Pigmentação
/
Carotenoides
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
/
BIOQUIMICA
Ano de publicação:
2008
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos