Fatty Acids Composition of the Muscles of Leptoclinus maculatus (Stichaeidae) postlarvae from Kongsfjord and Rijpfjord, Spitsbergen

Abstract

The fatty acids composition of total lipids and individual lipid classes (phospholipids and triacylglycerols) were studied in the muscles of daubed shanny Leptoclinus maculatus postlarvae at different stages of development from the Kongsfjord and Rijpfjord bays (Spitsbergen) in summer. The content of 20:1n-9 and 22:1n-11 fatty acids, which are biomarkers of copepods of the genus Calanus, increases with age in the daubed shanny postlarvae from Kongsfjord as compared with those from Rijpfjord. The content of fatty acids 18:1n-9, 18:1n-7, and 16:1n-7 in postlarvae from Kongsfjord decreases or remains the same at the transitional (from pelagic to demersal mode of life) and the demersal stages of development. On the contrary, the content of these fatty acids increases in fish from Rijpfjord. The dominance of these monounsaturated fatty acids in the composition of triacylglycerols confirms their food origin and their content reflects differences in the food supply of postlarvae from the studied bays. A higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in phospholipids of daubed shanny from Rijpfjord may indicate adaptive changes in muscle biomembranes in response to lower water temperature.