Carotenoid availability in diet and phenotype of blue and great tit nestlings

The Journal of Experimental Biology
C BiardAnders Pape Møller

Abstract

Carotenoids are biologically active pigments of crucial importance for the development of avian embryos and nestlings. Thus parental ability to provide nestlings with a carotenoid-rich diet may enhance offspring fitness. However, very little is known about the possible effects of carotenoid availability in the diet on growing nestlings in natural populations. We experimentally manipulated dietary intake of carotenoids by nestlings of two closely related passerine species, the great tit Parus major and the blue tit Parus caeruleus, and measured nestling antioxidants, body condition, immunity and plumage colour. There was no detectable increase in plasma carotenoids after treatment in carotenoid-fed nestlings of either species despite regular supply of dietary carotenoids. However, in carotenoid-fed blue tit nestlings, plasma vitamin E concentration increased with plasma carotenoid concentration, while that was not the case for control nestlings. In both species, there was no significant effect of carotenoid supply on immune function. Carotenoid supplementation enhanced yellow feather colour in great tit nestlings only. In both species a strong effect of carotenoid supply was found on body condition with an increase in body mass ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 15, 2010·Die Naturwissenschaften·Stephen D LarcombeKathryn E Arnold
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