St Andrews Research Repository

St Andrews University Home
View Item 
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  • Register / Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Changes in stable isotope compositions during fasting in phocid seals

Thumbnail
View/Open
Habran_2018_RCMS_Fasting_AAM.pdf (678.5Kb)
Date
30/01/2019
Author
Habran, Sarah
Damseaux, France
Pomeroy, Patrick
Debier, Cathy
Crocker, Daniel
Lepoint, Gilles
Das, Krishna
Funder
NERC
Grant ID
NE/R015007/1
Keywords
Stable isotopes
Seal
Lactation
Post-weaning fast
Reproduction
GC Oceanography
QH301 Biology
NDAS
NERC
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Rationale:  The grey seal, Halichoerus grypus (GS), and the northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris (NES), come ashore for reproduction. This period involves intense physiological processes such as lactation in females and a developmental post‐weaning fast in juveniles. Previous studies have shown that δ13C and δ15N values are affected by starvation, but the precise effects of fasting associated to lactation and post‐weaning fast in seals remain poorly understood. Methods:  To examine the effect of lactation and post‐weaning fast on stable isotope ratios in GS and NES, blood and hair were sampled from twenty‐one GS mother‐pup pairs on the Isle of May and on twenty‐two weaned NES pups at Año Nuevo State Reserve during their respective breeding seasons. Milk samples were also collected from GS mothers. Stable isotope measurements were performed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an N‐C elemental analyser. Results:  Changes in stable isotope ratios in blood components during fasting were similar and weak between GS and NES mothers especially in blood cells (GS: Δ15N = 0.05‰, Δ13C = 0.02‰; NES: Δ15N = 0.1‰, Δ13C = 0.1‰). GS showed a 15N discrimination factor between maternal and pup blood cells and milk, but not for 13C. The strongest relationship between the isotopic compositions of the mother and the pup was observed in the blood cells. Conclusion:  Isotopic consequences of lactation, fasting, and growth seem limited in NES and GS, especially in medium‐term integrator tissues of feeding activity such as blood cells. Stable isotope ratios in the blood of pups and mothers are correlated. We observed a subtle mother‐to‐pup fractionation factor. Our results suggest that pup blood cells are mostly relevant for exploring the ecology of female seals.
Citation
Habran , S , Damseaux , F , Pomeroy , P , Debier , C , Crocker , D , Lepoint , G & Das , K 2019 , ' Changes in stable isotope compositions during fasting in phocid seals ' , Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry , vol. 33 , no. 2 , pp. 176-184 . https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8308
Publication
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8308
ISSN
0951-4198
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8308
Description
This study was supported by NSF grant #0213095 and by FRFC grant #2.4502.07 (F.R.S.-FNRS).
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/19164

Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Advanced Search

Browse

All of RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunderThis CollectionBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunder

My Account

Login

Open Access

To find out how you can benefit from open access to research, see our library web pages and Open Access blog. For open access help contact: openaccess@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accessibility

Read our Accessibility statement.

How to submit research papers

The full text of research papers can be submitted to the repository via Pure, the University's research information system. For help see our guide: How to deposit in Pure.

Electronic thesis deposit

Help with deposit.

Repository help

For repository help contact: Digital-Repository@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Give Feedback

Cookie policy

This site may use cookies. Please see Terms and Conditions.

Usage statistics

COUNTER-compliant statistics on downloads from the repository are available from the IRUS-UK Service. Contact us for information.

© University of St Andrews Library

University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013532.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter