Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ontogenic variations in fatty acid and alcohol composition of the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The fatty acid and alcohol composition of the pelagic amphipod, Themisto libellula, was monitored during the 5 first months of its life cycle (4–20 mm length) in an Arctic fjord, Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Fatty acids of the three major lipid classes, polar lipids (PL), triacylglycerol (TAG), and wax esters (WE), were analyzed to highlight ontogenic changes in their diet and metabolism. The PL composition of T. libellula did not show any strong variations along their growth except during the first month where an important increase of 20:5(n-3) (EPA) and 22:6(n-3) (DHA) was observed. The TAG composition revealed a clear gradient corresponding to a diet shift from omnivorous juveniles toward carnivorous sub-adults and adults. Indeed, fatty acid trophic markers of diatoms were dominant in the juveniles, whereas 20:1(n-9) and 22:1(n-11), the Calanus sp. trophic markers, overwhelmed in the older stages. The WE composition highlighted the same general trend, however, differences were found with the TAG and are discussed as a result of differences in turnover rates and assimilation pathways between the two lipid classes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ackman RG, Hooper SN, Epstein S, Kelleher M (1972) Wax esters of Barracuda lipid: a potential replacement for sperm whale oil. J Am Oil Chem Soc 49:378–382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Albers CS, Kattner G, Hagen W (1996) The composition of wax esters, triacylglycerols and phospholipids in Arctic and Antarctic copepods: evidence of energetic adaptations. Mar Chem 55:347–358

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Auel H, Harjes M, da Rocha R, Stübing D, Hagen W (2002) Lipid biomarkers indicate different ecological niches and trophic relationships of the Arctic hyperiid amphipods Themisto abyssorum and T. libellula. Polar Biol 25:374–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Benzecri JP (1973) L’analyse des données. L’analyse des correspondances, vol II. Dunod, Paris

  • Bligh EG, Dyer WJ (1959) A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification. Can J Biochem Physiol 37:911–917

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman TE (1960) The pelagic amphipod genus Parathemisto (Hyperiidea: Hyperiidae) in the North Pacific and adjacent Arctic Ocean. Proc U S Natl Mus 112:343–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Bühring SI, Christiansen B (2001) Lipids in selected abyssal benthopelagic animals: links to the epipelagic zone? Prog Oceanogr 50:369–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conover RJ, Durvasula R, Roy S, Wang R (1986) Probable loss of chlorophyll-derived pigments during passage through the gut of zooplankton and some of the consequences. Limnol Oceanogr 31:878–887

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cripps GC, Atkinson A (2000) Fatty acid composition as an indicator of carnivory in Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57:31–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cripps GC, Hill HJ (1998) Changes in lipid composition of copepods and Euphausia superba associated with diet and environmental conditions in the marginal ice zone, Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Res I 45:1357–1381

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dale K, Falk-Petersen S, Hop H, Fevolden SE (2006) Population dynamics and body composition of the Arctic hyperiid amphipod Themisto libellula in Svalbard fjords. Polar Biol 29:1063–1070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalpadado P (2002) Inter-specific variations in distribution, abundance and possible life-cycle patterns of Themisto spp. (Amphipoda) in the Barents Sea. Polar Biol 25:656–666

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalpadado P, Bogstad B (2004) Diet of juvenile cod (age 0–2) in the Barents Sea in relation to food availability and cod growth. Polar Biol 27:140–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalpadado P, Borkner N, Bogstad B, Mehl S (2001) Distribution of Themisto spp. (Amphipoda) in the Barents Sea and predator-prey interactions. ICES J Mar Sci 58:876–895

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalpadado P, Yamaguchi A, Ellertsen B, Johannessen S (2008) Trophic interactions of macro-zooplankton (krill and amphipods) in the Marginal Ice Zone of the Barents Sea. Deep-Sea Res II 55:2266–2274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalsgaard J, St Jonh M, Kattner G, Müller-Navarra D, Hagen W (2003) Fatty acid trophic markers in the pelagic marine environment: a review. Adv Mar Biol 46:227–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunbar MJ (1957) The determinants of production in the northern seas: a study of the biology of Themisto libellula (Mandt). Can J Zool 35:797–819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunstan GA, Volkman JK, Barrett SM, Leroi JM, Jeffrey SW (1994) Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids from 14 species of diatom (Bacillariophyceae). Phytochemistry 35(1):155–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Falk-Petersen S, Hopkins CCE, Sargent JR (1990) Trophic relationships in the pelagic Arctic food web. In: Barnes M, Gibson RN (eds) Trophic relationships in the marine environment. Proceedings of 24th European marine biological symposium. Aberdeen University Press, Aberdeen, pp 315–333

    Google Scholar 

  • Falk-Petersen S, Hagen W, Kattner G, Clarke A, Sargent J (2000) Lipids, trophic relationships, and biodiversity in Arctic and Antarctic krill. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57:178–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Falk-Petersen S, Haug T, Nilssen KT, Wold A, Dahl TM (2004) Lipids and trophic linkages in harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) from the eastern Barents Sea. Polar Res 23:43–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falk-Petersen S, Mayzaud P, Kattner G, Sargent JR (2009) Lipids and life strategy of Arctic Calanus, a review. Mar Biol Res 5:18–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graeve M, Hagen W, Kattner G (1994a) Herbivorous or omnivorous? On the significance of lipid compositions as trophic markers in Antarctic copepods. Deep-Sea Res I 41:915–924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graeve M, Kattner G, Hagen W (1994b) Diet-induced changes in the fatty acid composition of Arctic herbivorous copepods: experimental evidence of trophic markers. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 182:97–110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Graeve M, Kattner G, Piepenburg D (1997) Lipids in Arctic benthos: does the fatty acid and alcohol composition reflect feeding and trophic interactions? Polar Biol 18:53–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graeve M, Lundberg M, Böer M, Kattner G, Hop H, Falk-Petersen S (2008) The fate of dietary lipids in the Arctic ctenophore Mertensia ovum (Fabricius 1780). Mar Biol 153:643–651

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hagen W (1999) Reproductive strategies and energetic adaptations of polar zooplankton. Invertebr Reprod Dev 36:25–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Håkanson JL (1984) The long and short term feeding condition in field-caught Calanus pacificus, as determined from the lipid content. Limnol Oceanogr 29:794–804

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haug T, Nilssen KT, Lindblom L (2004) Feeding habits of harp and hooded seals in drift ice waters along the east coast of Greenland in summer and winter. Polar Res 23:35–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hop H, Welch HE, Crawford RE (1997) Population structure and feeding ecology of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in the Canadian High Arctic. In: Reynolds J (ed) Fish ecology in Arctic North America. American fisheries society symposium, vol 19. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, pp 66–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Kattner G, Hagen W (1995) Polar herbivorous copepods—different pathways in lipid biosynthesis. ICES J Mar Sci 52:329–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kattner G, Gercken G, Eberlein K (1983) Development of lipids during a spring plankton bloom in the northern North Sea. I. Particulate fatty acids. Mar Chem 14:149–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kattner G, Hagen W, Lee RF, Campbell R, Deibel D, Falk-Petersen S, Graeve M, Hansen BW, Hirche HJ, Jónasdóttir SH, Madsen ML, Mayzaud P, Müller-Navarra D, Nichols PD, Paffenhöfer G-A, Pond D, Saito H, Stübing D, Virtue P (2007) Perspectives on marine zooplankton lipids. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 64:1628–1639

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kibirige I, Perissinotto R (2003) In situ feeding rates and grazing impact of zooplankton in a South African temporarily open estuary. Mar Biol 142:357–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein Breteler WCM, Schogt N, Baas M, Schouten S, Kraay GW (1999) Trophic upgrading of food quality by protozoans enhancing copepod growth: role of essential lipids. Mar Biol 135:191–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein Breteler WCM, Schogt N, Rampen S (2005) Effect of diatom nutrient limitation on copepod development: role of essential lipids. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 291:125–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koszteyn J, Timofeev S, Weslawski JM, Malinga B (1995) Size structure of Themisto abyssorum (Boeck) and Themisto libellula (Mandt) populations in European Arctic seas. Polar Biol 15:85–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee RF, Hagen W, Kattner G (2006) Lipid storage in marine zooplankton. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 307:273–306

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lischka S, Hagen W (2007) Seasonal lipid dynamics of the copepods Pseudocalanus minutus (Calanoida) and Oithona similis (Cycloploida) in the Arctic Kongsfjorden (Svalbard). Mar Biol 150:443–454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lønne OJ, Gabrielsen GW (1992) Summer diet of seabirds feeding in sea-ice-covered waters near Svalbard. Polar Biol 12:685–692

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzen CJ (1966) A method for the continuous measurement of in vivo chlorophyll concentration. Deep-Sea Res 13:223–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackas D, Bohrer R (1976) Fluorescence analysis of zooplankton gut contents and an investigation of diel feeding patterns. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 25:77–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansour MP, Volkman JK, Jackson AE, Blackburn SI (1999) The fatty acid and sterol composition of five marine dinoflagellates. J Phycol 35:710–720

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marion A, Harvey M, Chabot D, Brêthes J-C (2008) Feeding ecology and predation impact of the recently established amphipod, Themisto libellula, in the St. Lawrence marine system, Canada. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 373:53–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayzaud P, Albessard E, Virtue P, Boutoute M (2000) Environmental constraints on the lipid composition and metabolism of euphausiids: the case of Euphausia superba and Meganyctiphanes norvegica. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57:91–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mayzaud P, Boutoute M, Alonzo F (2003) Lipid composition of the euphausiids Euphausia vallentini and Thysanoessa macrura during summer in the Southern Indian Ocean. Antarct Sci 15:463–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison WR, Smith LM (1964) Preparation of fatty acid methyl esters and dimethylacetals from lipids with borom fluoride-methanol. J Lipid Res 5:600–608

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Müller-Navarra DC, Brett MT, Liston AM, Goldman CR (2000) A highly unsaturated fatty acid predicts carbon transfer between primary producers and consumers. Nature 403:74–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson MM, Mooney BD, Nichols PD, Phleger CF (2001) Lipids of Antarctic Ocean amphipods: food chain interactions and the occurrence of novel biomarkers. Mar Chem 73:53–64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nilssen KT, Haug T, Potelov V, Timoshenko YK (1995) Feeding habits of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) during early summer and autumn in the northern Barents Sea. Polar Biol 15:485–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noyon M, Gasparini S, Mayzaud P (2009) Feeding of Themisto libellula (Amphipoda Crustacea) on natural copepods assemblages in an Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard). Polar Biol 32:1559–1570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noyon M, Narcy F, Gasparini S, Mayzaud P (2011) Growth and lipid class composition of the Arctic pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula. Mar Biol 158:883–892

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nyssen F, Brey T, Dauby P, Graeve M (2005) Trophic position of Antarctic amphipods—enhanced analysis by a 2-dimensional biomarker assay. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 300:135–145

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Percy JA (1993) Reproduction and growth of the Arctic hyperiid amphipod Themisto libellula (Mandt). Polar Biol 13:131–139

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters J, Renz J, Beusekom JV, Boersma M, Hagen W (2006) Trophodynamics and seasonal cycle of the copepod Pseudocalanus acuspes in the Central Baltic Sea (Bornholm Basin): evidence from lipid composition. Mar Biol 149:1417–1429

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phleger CF, Nichols PD, Virtue P (1998) Lipids and trophodynamics of Antarctic zooplankton. Comp Biochem Physiol B 120:311–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravet JL, Brett MT, Müller-Navarra DC (2003) A test of the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in phytoplankton food quality for Daphnia using liposome supplementation. Limnol Oceanogr 48:1938–1947

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sargent JR, Falk-Petersen S (1988) The lipid biochemistry of calanoid copepods. Hydrobiologia 167(168):101–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sargent JR, Henderson RJ (1986) Lipids. In: Corner EDS, O’Hara SCM (eds) The biological chemistry of marine copepods, vol 1. Clarendon, Oxford, pp 59–108

  • Sargent JR, McEvoy LA, Bell JG (1997) Requirements, presentation and sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids in marine fish larval feeds. Aquaculture 155:117–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scott CL, Falk-Petersen S, Sargent JR, Hop H, Lønne OJ, Poltermann M (1999) Lipids and trophic interactions of ice fauna and pelagic zooplankton in the marginal ice zone of the Barents Sea. Polar Biol 21:65–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott CL, Kwasniewski S, Falk-Petersen S, Sargent JR (2002) Species differences, origins and functions of fatty alcohols and fatty acids in the wax esters and phospholipids of Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis and C. finmarchicus from Arctic waters. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 235:127–134

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seuthe L, Rokkan Iversen K, Narcy F (2011) Microbial processes in a high-latitude fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard): II. Ciliates and dinoflagellates. Polar Biol 34:751–766

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sugisaki H, Terazaki M, Wada E, Nemoto T (1991) Feeding habits of a pelagic amphipod, Themisto japonica. Mar Biol 109:241–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tamelander T, Renaud PE, Hop H, Carroll ML, Ambrose WG Jr, Hobson KA (2006) Trophic relationships and pelagic-benthic coupling during summer in the Barents Sea Marginal Ice Zone, revealed by stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 310:33–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tande KS, Båmstedt U (1985) Grazing rates of the copepods Calanus glacialis and C. finmarchicus in arctic waters of the Barents Sea. Mar Biol 87:251–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virtue P, Mayzaud P, Albessard E, Nichols P (2000) Use of fatty acids as dietary indicators in northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, from northeastern Atlantic, Kattegat, and Mediterranean waters. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 57(Suppl. 3):104–114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Viso AC, Marty JC (1993) Fatty acids from 28 marine microalgae. Phytochemistry 34(6):1521–1533

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Werner I, Auel H (2005) Seasonal variability in abundance, respiration and lipid composition of Arctic under-ice amphipods. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 292:251–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weslawski JM, Legeżyńska J (2002) Life cycles of some Arctic amphipods. Pol Polar Res 23:253–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Wold A, Leu E, Walkusz W, Falk-Petersen S (2007) Lipids in copepodite stages of Calanus glacialis. Polar Biol 30:655–658

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Kings Bay for their technical support during field work and Marc Boutoute for his advices concerning lipid analyses. This work is a contribution to the Praceal project 455 funded by the French Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) and the MariClim project 165112/S30 funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Margaux Noyon

    Present address: Department of Zoology and Entomology, Southern Ocean Group, Rhodes University, Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7093, 06230, Villefranche-sur-mer, France

    Margaux Noyon, Fanny Narcy, Stéphane Gasparini & Patrick Mayzaud

  2. Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, CNRS, UMR 7093, 06230, Villefranche-sur-mer, France

    Margaux Noyon, Fanny Narcy, Stéphane Gasparini & Patrick Mayzaud

  3. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology-BFE, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Fanny Narcy

  4. Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Fanny Narcy

Authors
  1. Margaux Noyon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fanny Narcy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stéphane Gasparini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Patrick Mayzaud
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaux Noyon.

Additional information

Communicated by X. Irigoyen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Noyon, M., Narcy, F., Gasparini, S. et al. Ontogenic variations in fatty acid and alcohol composition of the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard). Mar Biol 159, 805–816 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1856-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1856-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation