Plasma carotenoid depletion during fasting in moulting penguins
The questions of whether carotenoids are mobilized from storage organs or the blood during food shortages or in stressful situations and the amount of carotenoids available in these situations remain contentious. We study the amount of carotenoids circulating in the blood stream in Gentoo Penguins (...
| Published in: | Journal of Ornithology |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Blackwell Publishing
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/74226 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-012-0918-z |
| Summary: | The questions of whether carotenoids are mobilized from storage organs or the blood during food shortages or in stressful situations and the amount of carotenoids available in these situations remain contentious. We study the amount of carotenoids circulating in the blood stream in Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua), taking advantage of the physiological stress produced by fasting during moulting. Carotenoids are not detectable in the blood after 1 week of fasting during moulting in Gentoo Penguins, whereas breeding adults and chicks show a high concentration of astaxanthin. Our results suggest that carotenoids are consumed in physiologically stressful processes other than ornamentation. © 2012 Dt. Ornithologen-Gesellschaft e.V. Peer Reviewed |
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