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Distinctive Lipid Composition of the Copepod Limnocalanus macrurus with a High Abundance of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

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Lipids

Abstract

We studied the copepod Limnocalanus macrurus for seasonal variation in the composition of fatty acids, wax esters and sterols in large boreal lakes, where it occurs as a glacial-relict. Vast wax ester reserves of Limnocalanus were accumulated in a period of only two months, and comprised mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and saturated fatty alcohols. In winter, the mobilization of wax esters was selective, and the proportion of long-chain polyunsaturated wax esters declined first. PUFA accounted for >50 % of all fatty acids throughout the year reaching up to ca. 65 % during late summer and fall. Long-chain PUFA 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 together comprised 17–40 % of all fatty acids. The rarely reported C24 and C26 very-long-chain PUFA (VLC-PUFA) comprised 6.2 ± 3.4 % of all fatty acids in August and 2.1 ± 1.7 % in September. The VLC-PUFA are presumably synthesized by Limnocalanus from shorter chain-length precursors because they were not found in the potential food sources. We hypothesize that these VLC-PUFA help Limnocalanus to maximize lipid reserves when food is abundant. Sterol content of Limnocalanus, consisting ca. 90 % of cholesterol, did not show great seasonal variation. As a lipid-rich copepod with high abundance of PUFA, Limnocalanus is excellent quality food for fish. The VLC-PUFA were also detected in planktivorous fish, suggesting that these compounds can be used as a trophic marker indicating feeding on Limnocalanus.

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Abbreviations

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid(s)

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

TMTD:

4,8,12-Trimethyltridecanoic acid

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid(s)

VLC-PUFA:

Very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Academy of Finland grants to Paula Kankaala (139786) and to Sami Taipale (251665). The help of Kari Ratilainen and the crew of R/V Muikku during the field sampling is greatly appreciated. We would also like to thank Dr. Tarja Katajisto (Finnish Environment Institute) and the crew of R/V Aranda for providing the Baltic Sea samples. We thank Aaron Galloway and the two anonymous reviewers for the constructive comments that greatly improved this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Minna Hiltunen, Ursula Strandberg, Markku Keinänen & Paula Kankaala

  2. Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Sami Taipale

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  1. Minna Hiltunen
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  2. Ursula Strandberg
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Correspondence to Minna Hiltunen.

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Hiltunen, M., Strandberg, U., Keinänen, M. et al. Distinctive Lipid Composition of the Copepod Limnocalanus macrurus with a High Abundance of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. Lipids 49, 919–932 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-014-3933-4

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