Absorbance of retinal oil droplets of the budgerigar : sex, spatial and plumage morph-related variation Knott, Ben, Bowmaker, James K., Berg, Matthew L. and Bennett, Andrew T.D. 2012, Absorbance of retinal oil droplets of the budgerigar : sex, spatial and plumage morph-related variation, Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology, vol. 198, no. 1, pp. 43-51, doi: 10.1007/s00359-011-0684-z. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Absorbance of retinal oil droplets of the budgerigar : sex, spatial and plumage morph-related variation Author(s) Knott, Ben Bowmaker, James K. Berg, Matthew L. orcid.org/0000-0002-5774-3089 Bennett, Andrew T.D. orcid.org/0000-0001-8512-2805 Journal name Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology Volume number 198 Issue number 1 Start page 43 End page 51 Total pages 9 Publisher Springer Place of publication Berlin, Germany Publication date 2012 ISSN 0340-7594 1432-1351 Keyword(s) avian vision carotenoids microspectrophotometry retinal oil droplets sensory ecology Summary Intraspecific variation in photoreceptor physiology is known in several vertebrate taxa, but is currently unknown in birds, despite many avian traits varying intraspecifically, and avian visual ecology encompassing a wide range of environments and visual stimuli, which might influence spectral sensitivity. Avian retinal photoreceptors contain light absorbing carotenoid-rich oil droplets that affect vision. Carotenoids are also important plumage components. However, our understanding of the regulation of carotenoids in oil droplets remains rudimentary. Among birds, Melopsittacus undulatus has probably the best-studied colour vision, shows profound intraspecific variation in plumage colour, and increased plasma carotenoids during moult. We used microspectrophotometry to determine whether a relationship exists between oil droplet carotenoid concentration and plumage pigmentation, and tested for sex and spatial variation in droplet absorbance across the retina. Absorbance of one variety of P-type droplets was higher in males. No relationship was found between droplet absorbance and plumage colour. We found a spatial pattern of droplets absorbance across the retina that matched a pattern found in another parrot, and other avian species. Our work provides insights into the development and maintenance of retinal oil droplets and suggests a common mechanism and function for carotenoid deposition in the retina across bird species. Language eng DOI 10.1007/s00359-011-0684-z Field of Research 059999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Socio Economic Objective 970105 Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2012, Springer Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30046870 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Arts and Education Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment School of Life and Environmental Sciences Higher Education Research Group Centre for Integrative Ecology Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Mon, 13 Aug 2012, 12:36:35 EST Tue, 04 Sep 2012, 10:22:43 EST Tue, 04 Sep 2012, 10:24:11 EST Fri, 13 Jun 2014, 14:37:40 EST Mon, 30 Jun 2014, 10:30:29 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 12 times in TR Web of Science Cited 12 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 943 Abstract Views, 5 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Mon, 13 Aug 2012, 12:36:35 EST