Lipids and trophic linkages in harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) from the eastern Barents Sea

Fatty acid profiles and lipid biomarkers from 20 harp seals were used to investigate the foraging ecology of harp seals and the transfer of energy through the Franz Josef Land-Novaya Zemlya food chain. High levels of the Calanus fatty acid trophic markers (FATMs) 20:1(n-9) (mean 14.6%) and 22:1(n-11...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Falk-Petersen, Stig, Haug, Tore, Nilssen, Kjell T., Wold, Anette, Dahl, Trine M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2004
Subjects:
Barents Sea
Franz Josef Land
Boreogadus saida
Harp Seal
Novaya Zemlya
Phoca groenlandica
polar cod
Polar Research
Themisto libellula
Copepods
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2072
https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v23i1.6265
Description
Summary:Fatty acid profiles and lipid biomarkers from 20 harp seals were used to investigate the foraging ecology of harp seals and the transfer of energy through the Franz Josef Land-Novaya Zemlya food chain. High levels of the Calanus fatty acid trophic markers (FATMs) 20:1(n-9) (mean 14.6%) and 22:1(n-11) (mean 6.5%), together with the typical dinoflagellate FATMs 22:6(n-3) (mean 6.5%) and C18PUFA (mean 5.5%), were found in blubber samples. Based on the analyses of the fatty acid profiles separated by principal component analysis, we confirmed the importance of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula in the diet of harp seal. The high levels of 22:6(n-3), C18PUFA and C20 and C22 FATMs show that the harp seal lipids mainly originate from dinoflagellates consumed by Calanus copepods.

Similar Items