Effects of preservation by ethanol on <scp>δ 13 C</scp> and <scp>δ 15 N</scp> of three tissues of the critically endangered <scp>European</scp> eel Anguilla anguilla

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Boardman, RM, Pinder, AC, Piper, AT, Gutmann Roberts, Catherine, Wright, RM, Britton, JR
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2023
• Subjects: Anguillid; chemical preservation effects; critically endangered; stable isotope analysis; trophic ecology; Animals; Anguilla; Ethanol; Preservation; Biological; Anguilla anguilla
• Online Access: https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/21114; https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15394

The temporal effects of ethanol preservation on the δ13C and δ15N values of tissues excised from European eel Anguilla anguilla were assessed. Preservation significantly enriched 13C values of fin and mucus but not dorsal muscle. The 13C enrichment occurred in the initial 15 days of preservation and was independent of initial eel mass. Tissue preservation effects on δ15N values were negligible. These tissue-specific isotopic shifts should be considered when ethanol-preserved eel samples are used.