Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers
The diet and feeding ecology of Eastern Canada – West Greenland bowhead whales were examined using fatty acid (FA) composition of the outer blubber layer of 50 individuals sampled during the summers of 2008 and 2009. Bowhead blubber was rich in the following FAs: 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n – 7, 18:0, 18:1n –...
Published in: | ARCTIC |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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The Arctic Institute of North America
2014
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411 |
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University of Calgary Journal Hosting |
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English |
topic |
Arctic bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus blubber calanoid copepods diet fatty acids feeding ecology zooplankton Arctique acides gras baleine boréale couche de graisse copépodes calanoides diète écologie alimentaire lipides |
spellingShingle |
Arctic bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus blubber calanoid copepods diet fatty acids feeding ecology zooplankton Arctique acides gras baleine boréale couche de graisse copépodes calanoides diète écologie alimentaire lipides Pomerleau, Corinne Lesage, Véronique Winkler, Gesche Rosenberg, Bruno Ferguson, Steven H. Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers |
topic_facet |
Arctic bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus blubber calanoid copepods diet fatty acids feeding ecology zooplankton Arctique acides gras baleine boréale couche de graisse copépodes calanoides diète écologie alimentaire lipides |
description |
The diet and feeding ecology of Eastern Canada – West Greenland bowhead whales were examined using fatty acid (FA) composition of the outer blubber layer of 50 individuals sampled during the summers of 2008 and 2009. Bowhead blubber was rich in the following FAs: 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n – 7, 18:0, 18:1n – 11, 18:1n – 9, 18:1n – 7, 20:1n – 11, 20:1n – 9, 20:1n – 7, 20:5n – 3, 22:1n – 11, 22:1n – 9, 22:5n – 3, and 22:6n – 3, which together accounted for 91% of total FAs identified. Four groups of bowhead whales were identified from their FA signatures using multivariate analysis. Long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (20:1n – 9, 20:1n – 11, 22:1n – 9 and 22:1n – 11) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (20:5n – 3, 22:5n – 3, 22:6n – 3) accounted for most of the variance among groups. Whales from a single sampling site segregated into different groups, some of which included whales from other sampling sites, suggesting summer mixing of whales from different wintering areas and prey assemblages, or alternatively, selective feeding. FA composition was similar in males and females and among whales of different age classes, which suggests that these different groups shared foraging areas and had similar diets. The blubber of bowhead whales from the eastern Canadian Arctic was composed of high proportions of calanoid copepod markers (20:1n – 9 and 22:1n – 11), especially compared to the adipose tissue of western Arctic bowhead whales. This finding suggests that Calanus spp. were likely a major prey item. Given the expected change in Arctic zooplankton assemblages with climate warming, bowhead whales, through their FA biomarkers, may serve as sentinels of change in Arctic ecosystems. Afin d’approfondir les connaissances sur la diète et l’écologie alimentaire de la baleine boréale de la population EC-WG, nous avons examiné la composition en acides gras de la couche de graisse sous-cutanée de 50 animaux échantillonnés durant les étés 2008 et 2009. Les baleines boréales étaient riches en certains acides gras (AG) notamment 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n-7, 18:0, 18:1n-11, 18:1n-9, 18:1n-7, 20:1n-11, 20:1n-9, 20:1n-7, 20:5n-3, 22:1n-11, 22:1n-9, 22:5n-3 et 22:6n-3. Ces 15 acides gras constituaient 91 % de tous les acides gras identifiés. Nous avons identifié quatre groupes de baleines à l’aide d’une analyse composée principale dans une analyse de fonction discriminante. Les acides gras monoinsaturés à longue chaîne (MUFAs) (20:1n-9, 20:1n-11, 22:1n-9 et 22:1n-11) et les acides gras Oméga-3 polyinsaturés (PUFAs) (20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 et 22:6n3) étaient responsables de la majorité de la variance entre les groupes de baleines. Chacun des quatre groupes de baleines était constitué d’animaux provenant d’une même région ainsi que de régions différentes. Ces résultats suggèrent que des baleines boréales avec des sites d’hivernage différents partagent un même site d’alimentation estival et/ou que les baleines boréales ont une alimentation sélective. La composition en acide gras du tissu adipeux était semblable chez les mâles et les femelles ainsi qu’entre les individus de différentes classes de tailles, ce qui suggère une diète similaire ou des aires d’alimentation communes. Le tissu adipeux des baleines boréales de l’Arctique de l’Est canadien était constitué d’une plus grande proportion de marqueurs spécifiques de copépodes calanoides (20:1n – 9 et 22:1n – 11) comparativement aux baleines boréales de l’Arctique de l’Ouest. Les résultats de notre étude suggèrent que Calanus spp. est une proie importante de la diète des baleines boréales de la population de l’est du Canada et de l’ouest du Groenland. Compte tenu de l’évolution attendue dans les assemblages de zooplancton de l’Arctique en raison du réchauffement climatique, les baleines boréales, par leurs biomarqueurs AG, peuvent servir de sentinelles des changements dans les écosystèmes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pomerleau, Corinne Lesage, Véronique Winkler, Gesche Rosenberg, Bruno Ferguson, Steven H. |
author_facet |
Pomerleau, Corinne Lesage, Véronique Winkler, Gesche Rosenberg, Bruno Ferguson, Steven H. |
author_sort |
Pomerleau, Corinne |
title |
Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers |
title_short |
Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers |
title_full |
Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers |
title_fullStr |
Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers |
title_sort |
contemporary diet of bowhead whales (balaena mysticetus) from the eastern canadian arctic inferred from fatty acid biomarkers |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411 |
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ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) ENVELOPE(141.696,141.696,-66.778,-66.778) |
geographic |
Arctic Baleine Canada Greenland la Baleine Sentinelles |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Baleine Canada Greenland la Baleine Sentinelles |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Arctique* Balaena mysticetus baleine boréale bowhead whale Greenland Groenland Zooplankton Copepods |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Arctique* Balaena mysticetus baleine boréale bowhead whale Greenland Groenland Zooplankton Copepods |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 67 No. 1 (2014): March: 1–133; 84–92 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411/51318 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411 |
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ARCTIC |
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67 |
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container_start_page |
84 |
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ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/67411 2023-05-15T14:19:23+02:00 Contemporary Diet of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) from the Eastern Canadian Arctic Inferred from Fatty Acid Biomarkers Pomerleau, Corinne Lesage, Véronique Winkler, Gesche Rosenberg, Bruno Ferguson, Steven H. 2014-03-18 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411/51318 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/67411 ARCTIC; Vol. 67 No. 1 (2014): March: 1–133; 84–92 1923-1245 0004-0843 Arctic bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus blubber calanoid copepods diet fatty acids feeding ecology zooplankton Arctique acides gras baleine boréale couche de graisse copépodes calanoides diète écologie alimentaire lipides info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 2014 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:24:07Z The diet and feeding ecology of Eastern Canada – West Greenland bowhead whales were examined using fatty acid (FA) composition of the outer blubber layer of 50 individuals sampled during the summers of 2008 and 2009. Bowhead blubber was rich in the following FAs: 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n – 7, 18:0, 18:1n – 11, 18:1n – 9, 18:1n – 7, 20:1n – 11, 20:1n – 9, 20:1n – 7, 20:5n – 3, 22:1n – 11, 22:1n – 9, 22:5n – 3, and 22:6n – 3, which together accounted for 91% of total FAs identified. Four groups of bowhead whales were identified from their FA signatures using multivariate analysis. Long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (20:1n – 9, 20:1n – 11, 22:1n – 9 and 22:1n – 11) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (20:5n – 3, 22:5n – 3, 22:6n – 3) accounted for most of the variance among groups. Whales from a single sampling site segregated into different groups, some of which included whales from other sampling sites, suggesting summer mixing of whales from different wintering areas and prey assemblages, or alternatively, selective feeding. FA composition was similar in males and females and among whales of different age classes, which suggests that these different groups shared foraging areas and had similar diets. The blubber of bowhead whales from the eastern Canadian Arctic was composed of high proportions of calanoid copepod markers (20:1n – 9 and 22:1n – 11), especially compared to the adipose tissue of western Arctic bowhead whales. This finding suggests that Calanus spp. were likely a major prey item. Given the expected change in Arctic zooplankton assemblages with climate warming, bowhead whales, through their FA biomarkers, may serve as sentinels of change in Arctic ecosystems. Afin d’approfondir les connaissances sur la diète et l’écologie alimentaire de la baleine boréale de la population EC-WG, nous avons examiné la composition en acides gras de la couche de graisse sous-cutanée de 50 animaux échantillonnés durant les étés 2008 et 2009. Les baleines boréales étaient riches en certains acides gras (AG) notamment 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n-7, 18:0, 18:1n-11, 18:1n-9, 18:1n-7, 20:1n-11, 20:1n-9, 20:1n-7, 20:5n-3, 22:1n-11, 22:1n-9, 22:5n-3 et 22:6n-3. Ces 15 acides gras constituaient 91 % de tous les acides gras identifiés. Nous avons identifié quatre groupes de baleines à l’aide d’une analyse composée principale dans une analyse de fonction discriminante. Les acides gras monoinsaturés à longue chaîne (MUFAs) (20:1n-9, 20:1n-11, 22:1n-9 et 22:1n-11) et les acides gras Oméga-3 polyinsaturés (PUFAs) (20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 et 22:6n3) étaient responsables de la majorité de la variance entre les groupes de baleines. Chacun des quatre groupes de baleines était constitué d’animaux provenant d’une même région ainsi que de régions différentes. Ces résultats suggèrent que des baleines boréales avec des sites d’hivernage différents partagent un même site d’alimentation estival et/ou que les baleines boréales ont une alimentation sélective. La composition en acide gras du tissu adipeux était semblable chez les mâles et les femelles ainsi qu’entre les individus de différentes classes de tailles, ce qui suggère une diète similaire ou des aires d’alimentation communes. Le tissu adipeux des baleines boréales de l’Arctique de l’Est canadien était constitué d’une plus grande proportion de marqueurs spécifiques de copépodes calanoides (20:1n – 9 et 22:1n – 11) comparativement aux baleines boréales de l’Arctique de l’Ouest. Les résultats de notre étude suggèrent que Calanus spp. est une proie importante de la diète des baleines boréales de la population de l’est du Canada et de l’ouest du Groenland. Compte tenu de l’évolution attendue dans les assemblages de zooplancton de l’Arctique en raison du réchauffement climatique, les baleines boréales, par leurs biomarqueurs AG, peuvent servir de sentinelles des changements dans les écosystèmes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Arctique* Balaena mysticetus baleine boréale bowhead whale Greenland Groenland Zooplankton Copepods University of Calgary Journal Hosting Arctic Baleine ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) Canada Greenland la Baleine ENVELOPE(140.012,140.012,-66.649,-66.649) Sentinelles ENVELOPE(141.696,141.696,-66.778,-66.778) ARCTIC 67 1 84 |