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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