Genetics, local environment and health as factors influencing plasma carotenoids in wild American kestrels (Falco sparverius)

Carotenoids are important as pigments for bright coloration of animals, and as physiologically active compounds with a wide array of health-related functions. Carotenoid-dependent coloration may have evolved as a signal to conspecifics; however, factors that may limit availability of carotenoids are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2000-07, Vol.267 (1451), p.1433-1438
Main Authors: Bortolotti, G. R., Tella, J. L., Forero, M. G., Dawson, R. D., Negro, J. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Kestrel
Animals
Animals, Wild
Bird nesting
Blood plasma
Carotenoids
Carotenoids - blood
Colors
Diet
Environment
Falco sparverius
Feeding Behavior
Genetic variation
Health Status
Heritability
Immune Function
Leukocytes
Lymphocytes
Medical genetics
Phenotypic traits
Raptors - blood
Raptors - genetics
Raptors - physiology
Voles
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Summary:Carotenoids are important as pigments for bright coloration of animals, and as physiologically active compounds with a wide array of health-related functions. Carotenoid-dependent coloration may have evolved as a signal to conspecifics; however, factors that may limit availability of carotenoids are poorly known. We investigated how the acquisition of carotenoids may be constrained by availability in the environment, diet, genetic make-up and health status of wild American kestrels (Falco sparverius). Plasma concentrations of siblings at the time of fledging showed a high degree of resemblance; however, a cross-fostering experiment revealed that variance was largely explained by nest of rearing, rather than nest of origin, thus indicating a low genetic component. A multivariate analysis of attributes of nestlings (sex, size, plasma proteins, immune function), parental reproduction (laying date, clutch size) and rearing conditions (brood size, size hierarchy, nestling mortality) showed only a small significant effect of leucocyte differentials on carotenoid concentrations of nestlings. A strong environmental effect on plasma carotenoids was demonstrated by levels of adult kestrels being correlated within mated pairs, and having a significant association with the abundance of voles, the primary prey species, per territory.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2000.1160