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Fractionation of the stable carbon isotope ratio of essential fatty acids in zebrafish Danio rerio and mud snails Bellamya chinensis

  • Ecosystem ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Fractionation of stable carbon (C) isotopes in the essential fatty acids 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, 20:4n-6, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3 was investigated in the zebrafish Danio rerio and the mud snail Bellamya chinensis fed the same two diets. These diets differed in essential fatty acid compositions: (1) TetraMin contained all five fatty acids, and (2) Chlorella contained only two, 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3. On average, the isotopic fractionation was −0.5 ± 0.9 ‰ for 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 for all experiments, indicating that the fractionation of these essential fatty acids was negligible. However, the isotopic fractionation of 20:4n-6, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3 varied greatly between species and between diets. The isotopic fractionation of the Chlorella diet was −0.2 and −6.9 ‰ for zebrafish and mud snail, but 4.2 and −1.3 ‰, respectively, when these consumers were fed TetraMin. This variation could be explained by the different amount of assimilation and the biosynthesis of these fatty acids from their precursors (i.e., 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3). These results indicate that the isotopic composition of C20 and C22 essential fatty acids was strongly influenced by the fatty acid composition in the diets. Thus the stable C isotope ratios of C18 essential fatty acids in consumers are more useful as dietary tracers in food web studies.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Erik Sperfeld for improving the English and Aya Takasawa for assisting with the feeding experiments. We also would like to thank two reviewers for their valuable comments.

Author contribution statement

M. F. and M. O. originally formulated the idea; M. F. and M. O. conducted all experiments and chemical analyses; O. N. gave advice on the experimental design; M. F. wrote the manuscript; O. N. and M. O. provided editorial advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Megumu Fujibayashi, Masahiro Ogino & Osamu Nishimura

Authors
  1. Megumu Fujibayashi
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  2. Masahiro Ogino
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  3. Osamu Nishimura
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Correspondence to Megumu Fujibayashi.

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Communicated by Joel Trexler.

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Fujibayashi, M., Ogino, M. & Nishimura, O. Fractionation of the stable carbon isotope ratio of essential fatty acids in zebrafish Danio rerio and mud snails Bellamya chinensis . Oecologia 180, 589–600 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3486-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3486-0

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