Dataset Information

Validation of dried blood spot sampling for determining trophic positions of Arctic char using nitrogen stable isotope analyses of amino acids.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Dried blood spots (DBSs) are gaining popularity for biomarker analyses in ecological research due to their advantages for use in field-based research and in remote settings; however, many DBS biomarkers remain unvalidated. We validated the application of compound-specific stable nitrogen isotope analyses of amino acids (CSIA-AAs) to field-prepared DBSs for determining trophic positions of wild-caught Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus).

Methods

Whole blood and muscle from Arctic char were collected, and DBSs were created in the field. We measured the stable nitrogen isotope ratios (expressed as ?¹⁵ N values) of the amino acids glutamic acid (Glu) and phenylalanine (Phe) isolated from Arctic char samples using CSIA-AAs. We then compared amino acid ?¹⁵ N values from DBSs and the other sample types (whole blood and muscle) from the same specimens. We calculated and compared trophic position estimates generated from whole blood, DBSs, and muscle.

Results

The ?¹⁵ N values of Glu and Phe, as well as trophic position estimates from DBSs, were highly correlated with ?¹⁵ N values and estimates from both whole blood and muscle. The DBS amino acid ?¹⁵ N values and trophic position estimates agreed well with those from whole blood. Although mean differences between amino acid ?¹⁵ N values from DBSs and muscle were noted, the offsets were small and resulted in a 0.2 mean difference between trophic position estimates for DBSs and muscle.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that the application of CSIA-AAs to field-prepared DBSs of Arctic char generates similar trophic position estimates to those from whole blood and muscle. We suggest that DBSs could be developed as a minimally invasive sampling technique to study feeding ecology of wild fish and perhaps other organisms of interest.

SUBMITTER: Barst BD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7755117 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Validation of dried blood spot sampling for determining trophic positions of Arctic char using nitrogen stable isotope analyses of amino acids.

Barst Benjamin D BD Muir Derek C G DCG O'Brien Diane M DM Wooller Matthew J MJ

Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM 20210101 2

<h4>Rationale</h4>Dried blood spots (DBSs) are gaining popularity for biomarker analyses in ecological research due to their advantages for use in field-based research and in remote settings; however, many DBS biomarkers remain unvalidated. We validated the application of compound-specific stable nitrogen isotope analyses of amino acids (CSIA-AAs) to field-prepared DBSs for determining trophic positions of wild-caught Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus).<h4>Methods</h4>Whole blood and muscle from A ...[more]

PMID: 33125783

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Project description:Northern populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) can be anadromous, migrating annually from the ocean to freshwater lakes and rivers in order to escape sub-zero temperatures. Such seasonal behavior demands that these fish and their associated microbiomes adapt to changes in salinity, temperature, and other environmental challenges. We characterized the microbial community composition of anadromous S. alpinus, netted by Inuit fishermen at freshwater and seawater fishing sites in the high Arctic, both under ice and in open water. Bacterial profiles were generated by DNA extraction and high-throughput sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Results showed that microbial communities on the skin and intestine of Arctic char were statistically different when sampled from freshwater or saline water sites. This association was tested using hierarchical Ward's linkage clustering, showing eight distinct clusters in each of the skin and intestinal microbiomes, with the clusters reflecting sampling location between fresh and saline environments, confirming a salinity-linked turnover. This analysis also provided evidence for a core composition of skin and intestinal bacteria, with the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria presenting as major phyla within the skin-associated microbiomes. The intestine-associated microbiome was characterized by unidentified genera from families Fusobacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Vibrionaceae. The salinity-linked turnover was further tested through ordinations that showed samples grouping based on environment for both skin- and intestine-associated microbiomes. This finding implies that core microbiomes between fresh and saline conditions could be used to assist in regulating optimal fish health in aquaculture practices. Furthermore, identified taxa from known psychrophiles and with nitrogen cycling properties suggest that there is additional potential for biotechnological applications for fish farm and waste management practices.

Project description:BACKGROUND:While nitrogen and carbon stable isotope values can reflect ecological segregation, prey choice and spatial distribution in seabirds, the interpretation of bulk stable isotope values is frequently hampered by a lack of isotopic baseline data. In this study, we used compound-specific isotope analyses of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to overcome this constraint and to study interspecific differences, seasonal and historical changes in trophic positions of five seabird species, three penguins and two petrels, from a sub-Antarctic seabird community. RESULTS:CSIA-AA allowed comparing trophic positions of seabirds with temperate and polar distributions. Gentoo and Magellanic penguins had the highest trophic positions during the breeding season (3.7 and 3.9), but decreased these (2.9 and 3.3) during the feed-up for moult. Intra-specific differences were also detected in Thin-billed prions, where carbon isotope values clearly separated individuals with polar and temperate distributions, both in the breeding and interbreeding periods. Thin-billed prions that foraged in polar waters had lower trophic positions (3.2) than conspecifics foraging in temperate waters (3.8). We further investigated historical changes by comparing museum samples with samples collected recently. Our pilot study suggests that Rockhopper penguins, Magellanic penguins and Thin-billed prions with temperate non-breeding distributions had retained their trophic levels over a 90-100 year period, while Gentoo penguins and Thin-billed prions with polar non-breeding distributions had decreased trophic levels compared to historical samples. In contrast, Wilson's storm-petrels had slightly increased trophic levels compared to samples taken in 1924-1930. CONCLUSIONS:We applied compound-specific stable isotope analyses across a range of contexts, from intra-specific comparisons between stages of the breeding cycle to inter-specific seabird community analysis that would not have been possible using bulk stable isotope analyses alone due to differences in isotopic baselines.

Dataset Information

Validation of dried blood spot sampling for determining trophic positions of Arctic char using nitrogen stable isotope analyses of amino acids.

Rationale

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Validation of dried blood spot sampling for determining trophic positions of Arctic char using nitrogen stable isotope analyses of amino acids.

Similar Datasets

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