Specific carotenoid pigments in the diet and a bit of oxidative stress in the recipe for producing red carotenoid-based signals.

ABSTRACT: Colorful ornaments have been the focus of sexual selection studies since the work of Darwin. Yellow to red coloration is often produced by carotenoid pigments. Different hypotheses have been formulated to explain the evolution of these traits as signals of individual quality. Many of these hypotheses involve the existence of a signal production cost. The carotenoids necessary for signaling can only be obtained from food. In this line, carotenoid-based signals could reveal an individual's capacity to find sufficient dietary pigments. However, the ingested carotenoids are often yellow and became transformed by the organism to produce pigments of more intense color (red ketocarotenoids). Biotransformation should involve oxidation reactions, although the exact mechanism is poorly known. We tes

SUBMITTER: Garcia-de Blas E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5012267 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature