An experimental test of the contributions and condition dependence of microstructure and carotenoids in yellow plumage coloration.

ABSTRACT: A combination of structural and pigmentary components is responsible for many of the colour displays of animals. Despite the ubiquity of this type of coloration, neither the relative contribution of structures and pigments to variation in such colour displays nor the relative effects of extrinsic factors on the structural and pigment-based components of such colour has been determined. Understanding the sources of colour variation is important because structures and pigments may convey different information to conspecifics. In an experiment on captive American goldfinches Carduelis tristis, we manipulated two parameters, carotenoid availability and food availability, known to affect the expression of carotenoid pigments in a full-factorial design. Yellow feathers from these birds were then

SUBMITTER: Shawkey MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1639519 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature