Essential fatty acid (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) availability affects growth of larval herring in the field

Paulsen, Matthias; Clemmesen, Catriona; Malzahn, Arne M.

doi:10.1007/s00227-013-2313-6

Cited by 42 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Larval herring in the field have their highest RNA/DNA derived growth rates during periods of high DHA concentration in the Kiel Canal [41]. Food web models have shown that increased abundance of high quality phytoplankton can enable high growth efficiency for zooplankton predators, in turn allowing for subsequently high zooplanktivory by fish [42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partitioning the Relative Importance of Phylogeny and Environmental Conditions on Phytoplankton Fatty Acids

2015

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Essential fatty acids (EFA), which are primarily generated by phytoplankton, limit growth and reproduction in diverse heterotrophs. The biochemical composition of phytoplankton is well-known to be governed both by phylogeny and environmental conditions. Nutrients, light, salinity, and temperature all affect both phytoplankton growth and fatty acid composition. However, the relative importance of taxonomy and environment on algal fatty acid content has yet to be comparatively quantified, thus inhibiting predictions of changes to phytoplankton food quality in response to global environmental change. We compiled 1145 published marine and freshwater phytoplankton fatty acid profiles, consisting of 208 species from six major taxonomic groups, cultured in a wide range of environmental conditions, and used a multivariate distance-based linear model to quantify the total variation explained by each variable. Our results show that taxonomic group accounts for 3-4 times more variation in phytoplankton fatty acids than the most important growth condition variables. The results underscore that environmental conditions clearly affect phytoplankton fatty acid profiles, but also show that conditions account for relatively low variation compared to phylogeny. This suggests that the underlying mechanism determining basal food quality in aquatic habitats is primarily phytoplankton community composition, and allows for prediction of environmental-scale EFA dynamics based on phytoplankton community data. We used the compiled dataset to calculate seasonal dynamics of long-chain EFA (LCEFA; ≥C20 ɷ-3 and ɷ-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid) concentrations and ɷ-3:ɷ-6 EFA ratios in Lake Washington using a multi-decadal phytoplankton community time series. These analyses quantify temporal dynamics of algal-derived LCEFA and food quality in a freshwater ecosystem that has undergone large community changes as a result of shifting resource management practices, highlighting diatoms, cryptophytes and dinoflagellates as key sources of LCEFA. Moreover, the analyses indicate that future shifts towards cyanobacteria-dominated communities will result in lower LCEFA content in aquatic ecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partitioning the Relative Importance of Phylogeny and Environmental Conditions on Phytoplankton Fatty Acids

2015

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“…Both eutrophication and browning have been observed to reduce biodiversity across multiple trophic levels (Karlsson et al., ; Vonlanthen et al., ). While the effects of eutrophication and browning on basal production is generally well‐understood, how shifts in basal resource pathways impact the availability of essential biomolecules, and their transfer through the food web to higher consumers, has only recently received consideration (Galloway & Winder, ; Paulsen, Clemmesen, & Malzahn, ; Taipale, et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulated eutrophication and browning alters zooplankton nutritional quality and determines juvenile fish growth and survival

Taipale

Kahilainen

Holtgrieve

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The first few months of life is the most vulnerable period for fish and their optimal hatching time with zooplankton prey is favored by natural selection. Traditionally, however, prey abundance (i.e., zooplankton density) has been considered important, whereas prey nutritional composition has been largely neglected in natural settings. High‐quality zooplankton, rich in both essential amino acids (EAAs) and fatty acids (FAs), are required as starting prey to initiate development and fast juvenile growth. Prey quality is dependent on environmental conditions, and, for example, eutrophication and browning are two major factors defining primary producer community structures that will directly determine the nutritional quality of the basal food sources (algae, bacteria, terrestrial matter) for zooplankton. We experimentally tested how eutrophication and browning affect the growth and survival of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by changing the quality of basal resources. We fed the fish on herbivorous zooplankton (Daphnia) grown with foods of different nutritional quality (algae, bacteria, terrestrial matter), and used GC‐MS, stable isotope labeling as well as bulk and compound‐specific stable isotope analyses for detecting the effects of different diets on the nutritional status of fish. The content of EAAs and omega‐3 (ω‐3) polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) in basal foods and zooplankton decreased in both eutrophication and browning treatments. The decrease in ω‐3 PUFA and especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was reflected to fish juveniles, but they were able to compensate for low availability of EAAs in their food. Therefore, the reduced growth and survival of the juvenile fish was linked to the low availability of DHA. Fish showed very low ability to convert alpha‐linolenic acid (ALA) to DHA. We conclude that eutrophication and browning decrease the availability of the originally phytoplankton‐derived DHA for zooplankton and juvenile fish, suggesting bottom‐up regulation of food web quality.

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“…The underlying mechanisms driving growth in larval fish are not fully understood in marine systems because the relative contributions of multiple factors are rarely assessed. Previous studies have evaluated the drivers of larval growth using mathematical models (Pitchford et al ; Burrow et al ), laboratory experiments (Berkeley et al ), and by correlating biological or environmental parameters to larval traits (Meekan et al ; Baumann et al ; Takasuka et al ; Shima and Swearer ; Comerford et al ; Paulsen et al ). Our study contributes to the limited number of studies comparing the relative effects of initial condition, temperature, and food availability on individual larval growth in the marine environment (Meekan et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional productivity predicts individual growth and recruitment of rockfishes in a northern California upwelling system

Wheeler

Anderson

Bell

et al. 2016

Limnology & Oceanography

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Recruitment of marine fishes is largely determined by biological and environmental factors acting on early‐life stages. Subtle changes in larval condition in response to their environment can result in order‐of‐magnitude differences in year‐class‐strength. Overlap of larval production and favorable feeding conditions drives recruitment for many temperate marine fishes, but challenges associated with studying marine larvae have made it difficult to assess how environmental processes act on individual larvae to affect their growth and survival. We conducted a 2‐yr study in an upwelling system to assess the influence of regional productivity, temperature, and larval condition in explaining growth in rockfishes (Sebastes spp.). We employed otolith microstructure and satellite imagery to measure initial larval growth and estimate the productivity and temperature experienced by individuals to determine their relative importance in subsequent growth at metamorphosis. We compared model performance using indexed environmental conditions scaled over three different regions. In both years, net primary productivity explained the most variation in pre‐metamorphic growth relative to temperature and initial growth. This relationship was consistent across spatial regions, although model fit was highest using indices scaled to the south continental shelf region. Recent settlement, juvenile recruitment, and individual growth were significantly higher in a year when productivity bloomed earlier and individual larvae experienced higher levels of productivity. Thus, this link between regional scale productivity, growth, and subsequent year‐class strength supports the hypothesis that large‐scale oceanographic processes stimulating upwelling and secondary production are primary drivers of larval growth and recruitment in rockfishes.

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Essential fatty acid (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) availability affects growth of larval herring in the field

Cited by 42 publications

References 24 publications

Partitioning the Relative Importance of Phylogeny and Environmental Conditions on Phytoplankton Fatty Acids

Partitioning the Relative Importance of Phylogeny and Environmental Conditions on Phytoplankton Fatty Acids

Simulated eutrophication and browning alters zooplankton nutritional quality and determines juvenile fish growth and survival

Regional productivity predicts individual growth and recruitment of rockfishes in a northern California upwelling system

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