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Seasonal changes in carotenoid and lipid storage by threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus

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Abstract

Total body astaxanthin and lipid concentrations in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) collected from fall through the start of the breeding season were correlated; concentrations of each increased between fall and spring and decrease during the pre-breeding season. Individual tissues (skin, muscle, viscera, carcass, and gonads) showed a decrease between the spring and pre-breeding seasons; beta-carotene also decreased in all tissues except the skin, where there was an increase. Unlike previous studies, beta-carotene, but not astaxanthin, was deposited in the skin prior to nesting, suggesting that that beta-carotene is the carotenoid responsible for creating the nuptial signal in this wild population.

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Acknowledgments

We thank E. MacDougal-Shackleton, C. Guglielmo, J. McNeil, B. Neff, and L. Milligan for logistic support and advice on experimental design. Two anonymous reviewers made valuable suggestions and contributed to an improved paper. We would also like to thank D. Gamu for technical assistance. This project was funded by an NSERC discover Grant to R.J.S. This study was approved by the University of Western Ontario’s University Council on Animal Care (Protocol # 2004-039-04).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada

    C. A. Black & M. A. Bernards

  2. Sustainable Resource Management, and Environmental Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland – Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook, NL, A2H 6P9, Canada

    R. J. Scott

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  1. C. A. Black
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  2. R. J. Scott
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  3. M. A. Bernards
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Correspondence to R. J. Scott.

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Black, C.A., Scott, R.J. & Bernards, M.A. Seasonal changes in carotenoid and lipid storage by threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus . Environ Biol Fish 97, 209–214 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-013-0130-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-013-0130-x

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