TY - JOUR
T1 - Contributions of pterin and carotenoid pigments to dewlap coloration in two anole species
AU - Steffen, John E.
AU - McGraw, Kevin J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Geoff Hill and members of the Hill lab offered helpful comments during preparation of the manuscript. Craig Guyer and Organization for Tropical Studies provided financial support during tissue collection of N. humilis . Javier Guitterez and Costa Rica MINAE issued collection permits. Luis Diego-Gomez and Mahmood Sosa at La Selva Biological Station gave consent to collect N. humilis . Glades Herp (Bushnell, FL) expedited shipment of N. sagrei . KJM would like to thank the School of Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University for funding this research.
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Animals can acquire bright coloration using a variety of pigmentary and microstructural mechanisms. Reptiles and amphibians are known to use two types of pigments-pterins and carotenoids-to generate their spectrum of colorful red, orange, and yellow hues. Because both pigment classes can confer all of these hues, the relative importance of pterins versus carotenoids in creating these different colors is not always apparent. We studied the carotenoid and pterin content of red and yellow dewlap regions in two neotropical anole species-the brown anole (Norops sagrei) and the ground anole (N. humilis). Pterins (likely drosopterins) and carotenoids (likely xanthophylls) were present in all tissues from all individuals. Pterins were more enriched in the lateral (red) region, and carotenoids more enriched in the midline (yellow) region in N. humilis, but pterins and carotenoids were found in similar concentrations among lateral and midline regions in N. sagrei. These patterns indicate that both carotenoid and pterin pigments are responsible for producing color in the dichromatic dewlaps of these two species, and that in these two species the two pigments interact differently to produce the observed colors.
AB - Animals can acquire bright coloration using a variety of pigmentary and microstructural mechanisms. Reptiles and amphibians are known to use two types of pigments-pterins and carotenoids-to generate their spectrum of colorful red, orange, and yellow hues. Because both pigment classes can confer all of these hues, the relative importance of pterins versus carotenoids in creating these different colors is not always apparent. We studied the carotenoid and pterin content of red and yellow dewlap regions in two neotropical anole species-the brown anole (Norops sagrei) and the ground anole (N. humilis). Pterins (likely drosopterins) and carotenoids (likely xanthophylls) were present in all tissues from all individuals. Pterins were more enriched in the lateral (red) region, and carotenoids more enriched in the midline (yellow) region in N. humilis, but pterins and carotenoids were found in similar concentrations among lateral and midline regions in N. sagrei. These patterns indicate that both carotenoid and pterin pigments are responsible for producing color in the dichromatic dewlaps of these two species, and that in these two species the two pigments interact differently to produce the observed colors.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.cbpb.2006.08.017
DO - 10.1016/j.cbpb.2006.08.017
M3 - Article
C2 - 17056290
AN - SCOPUS:33846613589
SN - 1096-4959
VL - 146
SP - 42
EP - 46
JO - Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - B Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
JF - Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - B Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
IS - 1
ER -