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Changes in the digestive gland of Euphausia superba during short-term starvation: lipid class, fatty acid and sterol content and composition
Citation
Virtue, P and Nicol, S and Nichols, P, Changes in the digestive gland of Euphausia superba during short-term starvation: lipid class, fatty acid and sterol content and composition, Marine Biology: International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters, 117, (3) pp. 441-448. ISSN 0025-3162 (1993) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 1993 Springer-Verlag
Abstract
During a period of short-term (19 d) starvation,
total lipid in the digestive gland of Euphausia superba
Dana decreased from 21 to 9% dry weight. Total lipid per
digestive gland decreased significantly during starvation
compared to Day 0 individuals, falling from 1960 (_+ 172)
to 385 (_+81)gg. Polar lipid was the major lipid class
utilised during starvation, falling from 1510 (,.-225) to
177 (__ 46) gg per digestive gland (76 to 45 %). Absolute
levels of triacylglycerol fell from 300 (_+41) to 76
(_+5) gg; however, relative levels remained unchanged.
The relative level of free fatty acid increased significantly
with starvation (4 to 39 %) with absolute levels ranging
from 79 (+ 1) to 156 (_+20) ~tg per digestive gland. Absolute
levels of all fatty acids per digestive gland declined
continually until the end of the starvation period. The
long-chain polyunsaturated acids eicosapentaenoic
(20:50)3) and docosahexaenoic (22:60)3), decreased with
starvation from 37 to 26% and 15 to 10%, respectively
whereas the saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid (16:0),
increased from 15 to 22%. Cholesterol, the major sterol
in this organ, increased from 17 (+ 20) to 44 (___ ] 3) gg per
digestive gland by Day 3, and by Day 19 had returned to
levels found in the digestive gland of Day 0 individuals.
Desmosterol followed a similar pattern to cholesterol,
increasing from 3 (__ 1) l~g per digestive gland on Day 0
to 11 (+_4) gg on Day3, and falling to 2 (+-l)Bg on
Day 19. Other sterols in the digestive gland, predominantly
of algal origin, fell from the levels found in Day 0
individuals to near zero amounts by Day 6. The digestive
gland of E. superba plays a dynamic role during shortterm
starvation in terms of lipid content and composition.
The relative levels of polar lipids, free fatty acids
and cholesterol in the digestive gland may provide reliable
indices of the nutritional condition of E. superba in
the field. Sterols in the digestive gland are indicative of
recent dietary composition of krill, and may also be used
to quantify dietary input from individual phytoplanktonic
species.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Krill, digestive gland, starvation, fatty acids, sterols |
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Ecology |
Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments |
Objective Field: | Biodiversity in Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments |
UTAS Author: | Virtue, P (Associate Professor Patti Virtue) |
ID Code: | 90443 |
Year Published: | 1993 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 53 |
Deposited By: | IMAS Research and Education Centre |
Deposited On: | 2014-04-03 |
Last Modified: | 2014-06-12 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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