Selective absorption of carotenoids in the common green iguana (Iguana iguana)

Raila, Jens; Schuhmacher, Annette; Gropp, Jürgen; Schweigert, Florian J.

doi:10.1016/s1095-6433(02)00098-3

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Although most studies on carotenoids have been carried out in mammals, birds and fishes (e.g. Goodwin 1984;Olson & Owens 1998;Møller et al 2000), there are some studies clearly showing the high importance of these pigments in reptiles, in particular iguanas and lizards (Czeczuga 1980;Goodwin 1984;Raila et al 2002;Costantini et al 2005;Steffen & McGraw 2007). Indeed, carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which have important properties as antioxidants and stimulators of both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in vertebrates (Mortensen et al 1997;Blount et al 2003b), were found in the Gàlapagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In detail, we verified (1) whether both stimuli were equally effective to elicit a response by tortoises, and (2) whether both sexes were able to discriminate between different colour stimuli, either artificial or natural, and show preferences for specific colours. Since yellow flowers are known to contain a larger amount of carotenoids than other coloured flowers (Hattori 1991;MelendezMartinez et al 2006) and given the importance of carotenoids in the diet of herbivorous reptiles (Czeczuga 1980;Raila et al 2002;Costantini et al 2005), we predicted that tortoises would show a preference for yellow flowers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) discriminate colours? An experiment with natural and artificial stimuli

Pellitteri‐Rosa

Sacchi

Galeotti

et al. 2010

Italian Journal of Zoology

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Many animals use chemical and visual cues to obtain reliable information about potential food resources. Most reptiles have evolved highly specialized chemosensory and visual capacities, in particular colour vision, to accomplish this task. By presenting animals with flowers and coloured cardboard discs in two-choice experiments, we examined whether both male and female Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) were able to distinguish between different colours, and show some preference for certain colours. We found that both sexes responded and discriminated equally between different colours, with some differences between flowers and discs. In particular, the red was preferred in the disc experiment, mainly by males, but was disregarded by both sexes in the flower experiment, where red was represented by poppy, Papaver rhoeas. This suggests that Hermann's tortoise probably relies on a mixed system of olfactory and visual abilities to detect food in order to optimize the intake of essential nutrients as minerals or carotenoids. Our results demonstrate that the most preferred colour by tortoises was the yellow, which might reflect carotenoid content, and we discuss the potential implications of this finding.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) discriminate colours? An experiment with natural and artificial stimuli

Pellitteri‐Rosa

Sacchi

Galeotti

et al. 2010

Italian Journal of Zoology

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“…Carotenoids absorption varies depending on reptile species. Some tortoises have been reported to absorb all carotenoid types while green iguanas are unable to absorb β‐carotene (Raila et al., ). Similarly, the ability of panther chameleons to utilize dietary carotenoids has been questioned (Dierenfeld et al., ; Ferguson, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A 47% prevalence of ophthalmic disease has been recently documented in a population of captive leopard geckos over a 19‐year period, and a statistical association has been found between ophthalmic disease and a lack of dietary vitamin A supplementation (Wiggans et al., ). Hypovitaminosis A has been reported in veiled chameleons ( Chamaeleo calyptratus ) (Dierenfeld, Norkus, Carroll, & Fergusion, ; Ferguson, ; Hoby et al., ), green iguanas ( Iguana iguana ) (Raila, Schuhmacher, Gropp, & Schweigert, ), various terrapins (Elkan & Zwart, ; Millichamp, Jacobson, & Wolf, ), box turtles ( Terrapene carolina ) (Boyer, ; Kroenlein et al., ) and crocodilians (Ariel, Ladds, & Buenviaje, ) among others. Typical lesions induced by hypovitaminosis A include conjunctival squamous metaplasia, which has also been reported in leopard geckos (Wiggans et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of β‐carotene assimilation in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

Cojean

Lair

Vergneau‐Grosset

2018

Animal Physiology Nutrition

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Although leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are commonly kept under human care, their vitamin requirements are largely unknown. Many invertebrate preys display a low vitamin A concentration; thus, gut-loading insects with vitamin A or carotenoids is a common practice. The objective of this prospective experimental study was to investigate whether dietary supplementation with β-carotene, including prey gut-loading, leads to sufficient vitamin A hepatic storage and prevents epithelial squamous metaplasia development in leopard geckos. Ten clinically healthy female leopard geckos were randomly divided in two groups with various supplementations: a group receiving vitamin A supplementation and a group receiving β-carotene. Insects were gut-loaded continuously with a supplement containing vitamin A or β-carotene, depending on the group. Oral supplementation with cod liver oil or carrot juice was administered weekly to each lizard from "vitamin A group" and "carotenoid group" respectively. After 10 weeks of supplementation, surgical hepatic biopsies were obtained in three geckos of each group while the two remaining geckos were euthanized to undergo complete necropsy. Hepatic vitamin A concentration was determined for each lizard (n = 10) by ultra-performance liquid chromatography. Histopathology revealed hepatocellular vacuolization and vitellogenic follicles in five females. Epithelial squamous metaplasia was not observed in any of the geckos. Hepatic vitamin A concentration was significantly higher in the carotenoid-supplemented group than in the vitamin A-supplemented group (p = 0.03). Our results suggest that in leopard geckos, dietary supplementation with β-carotene allows sufficient vitamin A hepatic storage.

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“…Sample peak retention times were compared to those of authenticated lutein and zeaxanthin standards purchased from CaroteNature (Switzerland). These two standards were chosen based upon the results of previous studies in iguanas (Raila et al 2002;Costantini et al 2005).…”

Section: Carotenoid Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cellular Basis of Polymorphic Coloration in Common Side-Blotched Lizards,Uta stansburiana

et al. 2015

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Diurnal lizards are useful model organisms for the study of color polymorphisms. The cellular basis of nonavian reptilian coloration and dermal chromatophores, as well as the different pigments contained therein, is relatively well understood. Nonetheless, specific predictions cannot be made for the biochemical chromatophore constituents of individual species a priori. Despite well-documented associations between throat coloration and behavioral, physiological, and life history traits, the cellular basis of throat coloration in polymorphic Common Side-Blotched Lizards, Uta stansburiana, has never been studied. We used a combination of chromatographic techniques in conjunction with transmission electron microscopy and a thin-layer reflectance model to determine the cellular basis of polymorphic coloration in U. stansburiana. We found that different morphs express coloration through varying spatial arrangements of dietary xanthophylls (lutein and zeaxanthin), differential synthesis of drosopterins, differential melanin synthesis, and morph-specific iridophore reflecting platelets. Our results indicate that chromatic variations in this polymorphism cannot be attributed to alternative xanthophore pigmentation or structural reflectance alone. Instead, the chromatophores of U. stansburiana are multicomponent color signals.

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Selective absorption of carotenoids in the common green iguana (Iguana iguana)

Cited by 25 publications

References 22 publications

Do Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) discriminate colours? An experiment with natural and artificial stimuli

Do Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) discriminate colours? An experiment with natural and artificial stimuli

Evaluation of β‐carotene assimilation in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

The Cellular Basis of Polymorphic Coloration in Common Side-Blotched Lizards,Uta stansburiana

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