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Alteration of essential fatty acids in secondary consumers across a gradient of cyanobacteria

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Abstract

Cyanobacteria blooms pose an increasing threat to ecosystem services. Consequently, understanding their impacts on ecosystem function is important. Cyanobacteria are poor producers of long-chain essential fatty acids (LC-EFA; eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic, and arachidonic acids) and are inadequate for primary consumer growth and reproduction. Higher-level consumers such as planktivorous fishes are hypothesized to be negatively impacted through disruption of LC-EFA availability and transfer up the food web. We tested this hypothesis by comparing fatty acids in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and white perch (Morone americana) across a gradient of cyanobacteria densities spanning four sites in Lake Champlain and Shelburne Pond, Vermont, USA. Phytoplankton community composition and fatty acid content of seston and fish tissue (liver and muscle) were collected in June, August, and October 2013. Yellow perch liver and muscle tissue increased in percent composition of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid and decreased in LC-EFA with increased cyanobacteria. Total EFA and arachidonic acid in white perch muscle were negatively related to cyanobacteria. White perch liver did not show any relationship between EFA and cyanobacteria. We conclude that both fish species experienced altered EFA coinciding with cyanobacteria blooms, consistent with disruption of LC-EFA transfer across multiple trophic levels.

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Acknowledgments

Fish samples were collected in accordance with University of Vermont Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee guidelines (IACUC 13-051). We thank Melissa Bainbridge, Katie Bryan, Emily Berry, and Nora Hill for their assistance with sample collection and preparation. We would like to thank Captain Steve Cluett of the RV Melosira for always going the extra step and to make sure sample collections were as successful as possible. Support provided by Vermont EPSCoR with funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant EPS-1101317, a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates award to EN (Award DBI-1358838), and a University of Vermont Office of Undergraduate Research Summer Mini-Grant to KR.

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Author notes

  1. Katie Ritchie

    Present address: College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

  2. Evan Nathan

    Present address: Success Academy Hell’s Kitchen, 439 West 49th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10019, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Marsh Life Sciences Building, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Trevor A. Gearhart

  2. Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Vermont, Terrill Building, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Katie Ritchie & Jana Kraft

  3. Environmental Studies Program, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866, USA

    Evan Nathan

  4. Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Jason D. Stockwell

  5. Vermont EPSCoR, University of Vermont, Cook Physical Science Building, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Trevor A. Gearhart

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  1. Trevor A. Gearhart
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Correspondence to Jason D. Stockwell.

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Handling editor: Luigi Naselli-Flores

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Gearhart, T.A., Ritchie, K., Nathan, E. et al. Alteration of essential fatty acids in secondary consumers across a gradient of cyanobacteria. Hydrobiologia 784, 155–170 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2864-x

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