Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis
Fatty acid signature analysis (FASA) is a powerful ecological tool that uses essential fatty acids (FA) from the tissues of animals to indicate aspects of diet. However, the presence of vertical stratification in FA distribution throughout blubber complicates the application of FASA to marine mammal...
Published in: | Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12568803 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/26257 |
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:26257 2023-05-15T16:05:37+02:00 Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis Best, NJ Bradshaw, CJA Hindell, MA Nichols, PD 2003 https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12568803 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/26257 en eng Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X Best, NJ and Bradshaw, CJA and Hindell, MA and Nichols, PD, Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B - Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 134, (2) pp. 253-263. ISSN 1096-4959 (2003) [Refereed Article] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12568803 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/26257 Biological Sciences Ecology Behavioural Ecology Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2003 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X 2019-12-13T21:07:10Z Fatty acid signature analysis (FASA) is a powerful ecological tool that uses essential fatty acids (FA) from the tissues of animals to indicate aspects of diet. However, the presence of vertical stratification in FA distribution throughout blubber complicates the application of FASA to marine mammals. Blubber biopsy samples were collected from adult female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Macquarie Island (n=11), and blubber cores were divided into inner and outer sections to determine the degree to which the blubber layer was stratified in FA composition, we found 19 FA from both blubber layers in greater than trace amounts (>0.5%). The inner and outer blubber layers could be separated using principal components analysis based on the relative proportion of FA in each layer. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were also observed in significantly higher proportions in the inner blubber layer. Due to the degree of FA stratification in southern elephant seals, we concur with other marine mammal studies that sampling only the outer blubber layer will result in a loss of recently accumulated information regarding diet structure (as indicated by 'surplus' PUFA from the diet). This finding suggests that differential mobilization/deposition of certain FA may result in a modified signature from prey to predator. Thus, sampling animals to recover the inner blubber layer is important for studies attempting to describe aspects of marine mammal diet. This can be achieved in animals such as pinnipeds where the whole blubber layer can be readily sampled. 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Article in Journal/Newspaper Elephant Seals Macquarie Island Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seals eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 134 2 253 263 |
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Open Polar |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Biological Sciences Ecology Behavioural Ecology |
spellingShingle |
Biological Sciences Ecology Behavioural Ecology Best, NJ Bradshaw, CJA Hindell, MA Nichols, PD Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences Ecology Behavioural Ecology |
description |
Fatty acid signature analysis (FASA) is a powerful ecological tool that uses essential fatty acids (FA) from the tissues of animals to indicate aspects of diet. However, the presence of vertical stratification in FA distribution throughout blubber complicates the application of FASA to marine mammals. Blubber biopsy samples were collected from adult female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from Macquarie Island (n=11), and blubber cores were divided into inner and outer sections to determine the degree to which the blubber layer was stratified in FA composition, we found 19 FA from both blubber layers in greater than trace amounts (>0.5%). The inner and outer blubber layers could be separated using principal components analysis based on the relative proportion of FA in each layer. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were also observed in significantly higher proportions in the inner blubber layer. Due to the degree of FA stratification in southern elephant seals, we concur with other marine mammal studies that sampling only the outer blubber layer will result in a loss of recently accumulated information regarding diet structure (as indicated by 'surplus' PUFA from the diet). This finding suggests that differential mobilization/deposition of certain FA may result in a modified signature from prey to predator. Thus, sampling animals to recover the inner blubber layer is important for studies attempting to describe aspects of marine mammal diet. This can be achieved in animals such as pinnipeds where the whole blubber layer can be readily sampled. 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Best, NJ Bradshaw, CJA Hindell, MA Nichols, PD |
author_facet |
Best, NJ Bradshaw, CJA Hindell, MA Nichols, PD |
author_sort |
Best, NJ |
title |
Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
title_short |
Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
title_full |
Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
title_fullStr |
Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
title_sort |
vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis |
publisher |
Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd |
publishDate |
2003 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12568803 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/26257 |
genre |
Elephant Seals Macquarie Island Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seals Macquarie Island Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seals |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X Best, NJ and Bradshaw, CJA and Hindell, MA and Nichols, PD, Vertical stratification of fatty acids in the blubber of southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ): implications for diet analysis, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B - Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 134, (2) pp. 253-263. ISSN 1096-4959 (2003) [Refereed Article] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12568803 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/26257 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00252-X |
container_title |
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
container_volume |
134 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
253 |
op_container_end_page |
263 |
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1766401512125235200 |