Use of blubber fatty acid profiles to distinguish dietary differences between grey seals Halichoerus grypus from two UK breeding colonies

The population structure of grey seals Halichoerus grypus has previously been studied using molecular biological techniques. These works may be complemented by studies of certain ecological factors which play an important role in providing information on habitat usage, dietary behaviour, local migra...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Walton, M J, Henderson, R J, Pomeroy, P P
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2000
Subjects:
fatty acids
grey seals
population discrimination
ADIPOSE-TISSUE
HARBOR SEALS
LIPID-COMPOSITION
PHOCA-VITULINA
GRAY SEALS
POPULATIONS
SIGNATURES
IDENTIFICATION
GROENLANDICA
MAMMALS
Rona
Phoca vitulina
Online Access:https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/use-of-blubber-fatty-acid-profiles-to-distinguish-dietary-differences-between-grey-seals-halichoerus-grypus-from-two-uk-breeding-colonies(0de561bc-4923-40f6-b3a1-4d28b1e7ce46).html
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034723826&partnerID=8YFLogxK
Description
Summary:The population structure of grey seals Halichoerus grypus has previously been studied using molecular biological techniques. These works may be complemented by studies of certain ecological factors which play an important role in providing information on habitat usage, dietary behaviour, local migrations, distribution and social structure. One such factor is the fatty acid composition of depot fats, which is strongly influenced by the fatty acid composition found in the prey. To examine the extent to which the fatty acid composition of seal depot fats can be used to distinguish between populations, blubber biopsy samples were obtained from female grey seals at 2 Scottish breeding sites, Rona (n = 23) and the Isle of May (n = 34) and the fatty acid compositions determined by gas chromatography. The patterns obtained were compared using both univariate and multivariate statistical procedures. Fatty acid profiles at the 2 breeding sites could be clearly differentiated, with only 1 seal out of 57 being mis-classified. Thus, on the basis of blubber fatty acid composition, they may be regarded as 2 distinct foraging groups.

Similar Items