Meeting Abstract
Carotenoid pigments are fat-soluble nutrients that are obtained via the diet and have diverse physiological and morphological functions. Despite all the attention paid to internal carotenoid functions in animals, surprisingly little has been paid to where in the body carotenoids may be exerting their functions, even though there is evidence of function-associated tissue allocation of carotenoids. As part of two separate studies, we characterized the tissue carotenoid profiles of two different carotenoid-colored species, king quail (Excalfactoria chinensis) and house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). For the king quail, we manipulated an environmental variable and measured the effect on their carotenoid profiles. For the house finches, we measured the natural variation across sexes and seasons. In king quail, we found that the environmental variable had an effect on their carotenoid profiles, and there were sex differences in how the carotenoids were distributed generally. House finch carotenoid profiles are different from king quail carotenoid profiles. Further analyses will reveal if there are seasonal differences and/or sex differences among house finches.
