Figure 4.

Changes of carotenoids during embryo development. The relative loss of astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein from fertilization to 14 days after incubation under the highest stress treatment (nutrient broth at 1:500). While the loss of astaxanthin and zeaxanthin was very similar (linear fit: r ² = 0.67, intercept: t = −1.5, p = .15; regression: t = 5.5, p < .0001), the loss of lutein correlated with the loss of the other two carotenoids but was less pronounced (linear fit to astaxanthin: r ² = 0.72, intercept: t = −5.3, p < .0001; regression: t = 6.2, p < .0001; linear fit to zeaxanthin: r ² = 0.96, intercept: t = −13.2, p < .0001; regression: t = 18.7, p < .0001). Nonhatched lines give the regressions, negative values indicate increased concentrations after 59 days of incubation