Owens and Olson hypothesize that the presence of carotenoids, as signaled by coloration, would be meaningful in the context of mate selection if carotenoids were either rare or required for health.

欧文斯和奥尔森假设，如果类胡萝卜素是稀有的或对健康有要求的，则通过着色指示的类胡萝卜素的存在在配偶选择的背景下将是有意义的。