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Lipid composition and partitioning of deepwater chondrichthyans: inferences of feeding ecology and distribution

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 05:23 authored by Pethybridge, HR, Daley, R, Patti VirtuePatti Virtue, Nichols, PD
The composition of lipids and fatty acids was determined for the livers, muscle, pancreas, kidney and stomach Xuids of deepwater chondrichthyan species (including 11 squaliformes, 3 chimaeriformes, 1 hexanchiforme and 3 carcharhiniformes) caught as bycatch from continental waters oV south-eastern Australia. The lipid class, fatty acid and fatty alcohol composition diVered markedly in each tissue and in each species. The lipid and fatty acid composition of large, lipid-rich (38–70% wet weight, ww) livers demonstrated the multifunctional role of this organ in: lipid distribution, storage and biosynthesis, and buoyancy regulation. In the liver, the importance of certain lipids (including squalene, diacylglyceryl ethers, triacylglycerols and to a lesser extent wax esters) as mediators of buoyancy varied according to lifestyle and habitat. Less variability was observed in the muscle proWles, characterized by low lipid content (<1.0% ww) and high relative levels of polar lipids (>70%). The lipid and fatty acid proWles of the kidney and pancreas showed the highest intraspeciWc variability, suggesting these organs also have complex roles in lipid storage and metabolism. Overall intra- and interspeciWc diVerences in the tissue fatty acid proWles could be related to diVerences in a number of factors including phylogeny, habitat (depth), buoyancy regulation and diet and presumably also reXect diVerent ecological roles. The lipid and fatty acid proWles are the Wrst published for Rhinochimaera paciWca, Chimaera lignaria and Figaro boardmani and the Wrst to demonstrate interspeciWc variation in lipid proWles of various tissues of deepwater chondrichthyans. The application of multivariate analysis to lipid class and fatty acid tissue proWles in chondrichthyans inferred dietary diVerences and metabolic preferences between species and habitats. These results have important implications for the future use of fatty acids as dietary tracers in chondrichthyan research.

History

Publication title

Marine Biology: International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters

Volume

157

Issue

6

Pagination

1367-1384

ISSN

0025-3162

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Springer-Verlag

Place of publication

175 Fifth Ave, New York, USA, Ny, 10010

Rights statement

The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Marine biodiversity

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