Fatty acid, fatty alcohol and sterol content and composition in the CWC Dendrophyllia cornigera and sediment from the Cantabrian Sea (Northeast Atlantic Ocean) and the Menorca Channel (Western Mediterranean Sea) ...

• Main Authors: Gori, Andrea, Tolosa, Imma, Orejas, Covadonga, Rueda, Lucia, Viladrich, Nuria, Grinyó, Jordi, Flögel, Sascha, Grover, Renaud, Ferrier-Pagès, Christine
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2019
• Subjects: Cantabrian Sea; cold-water corals; fatty acids; fatty alcohols; lipids; Mediterranean Sea; Sterols; Renaud; Ferrier; Tolosa; Covadonga; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.905354; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.905354

The cold-water coral (CWC) Dendrophyllia cornigera is widely distributed in areas of both high and low productivity, suggesting a significant trophic plasticity of this coral depending on the food available in the environment. In this study, lipid biomarkers and their isotopic signature were compared in colonies of D. cornigera and sediment from the highly productive Cantabrian Sea (Northeast Atlantic Ocean) and the less productive Menorca Channel (Western Mediterranean Sea). Lipid content and composition in coral tissue clearly reflected the contrasting productivity in the two areas. Cantabrian corals presented higher content in fatty acids (FA), fatty alcohols and sterols than Menorca corals.Energy storage (saturated + mono-unsaturated FA) to structural (poly-unsaturated FA) ratio was higher in Cantabrian than in Menorca corals. The high ΣC20:1 content as well as PUFA(n-3)/PUFA(n-6) ratio suggest that Cantabrian corals mainly feed on phytoplankton and herbivorous grazers. This is also supported by the ... : Supplement to: Gori, Andrea; Tolosa, Imma; Orejas, Covadonga; Rueda, Lucia; Viladrich, Nuria; Grinyó, Jordi; Flögel, Sascha; Grover, Renaud; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine (2018): Biochemical composition of the cold-water coral Dendrophyllia cornigera under contrasting productivity regimes: Insights from lipid biomarkers and compound-specific isotopes. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 141, 106-117 ...