Carotane
Plant pigment / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carotane is a plant pigment that belongs to a class of tetraterpenes called carotenoids. These tetraterpenes are known for their yellow, orange, and red colors as these are organic pigments. These colors are beneficial to their host species that tend to be plants and algae.[1] Within plants, carotenoids play the major roles of allowing light to be absorbed via photosynthesis as well ad providing photoprotection through a non-photochemical quenching.[2]
The tetraterpene is also a product of the degradation of carotene and thus represents an important biomarker. However, where carotene has double bonds, carotane only has single bonds. This is the only difference in the structure given that carotane represents the degradation of carotene. Given the length of time it takes to degrade carotane, the species allows for a more extensive geologic record.