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Article
Open AccessValidation of quantitative fatty acid signature analysis for estimating the diet composition of free-ranging killer whales
Accurate diet estimates are necessary to assess trophic interactions and food web dynamics in ecosystems, particularly for apex predators like cetaceans, which can regulate entire food webs. Quantitative fatty...
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Article
Diet of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) in Arctic lakes during the nesting season inferred from fatty acid analysis
Understanding the dietary habits of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) can give important insights into their ecology, however, studying the diet of loons is difficult when direct observation or specimen collect...
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Article
Open AccessA novel approach to quantifying the spatiotemporal behavior of instrumented grey seals used to sample the environment
Paired with satellite location telemetry, animal-borne instruments can collect spatiotemporal data describing the animal’s movement and environment at a scale relevant to its behavior.
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Article
Characterization of blubber fatty acid signatures in northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) over the postweaning fast
Phocids routinely fast for extended periods. During these fasts, energetic requirements are met primarily through the catabolism of blubber lipid. To assess whether fatty acid (FA) composition changes during t...
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Article
Validating quantitative fatty acid signature analysis to estimate diets of spectacled and Steller’s eiders (Somateria fischeri and Polysticta stelleri)
Fatty acid (FA) signature analysis has been used to study foraging ecology and food webs in marine ecosystems. This powerful method provides information about diets over an extended time period (e.g., 2–4 week...
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Article
The effects of diet and caloric restriction on adipose tissue fatty acid signatures of tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) nestlings
Fatty acid (FA) signature analysis is a powerful tool to investigate foraging ecology and food web dynamics in marine ecosystems. However, use of FA signatures to qualitatively or quantitatively infer diets is...
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Tracing aquatic food webs using fatty acids: from qualitative indicators to quantitative determination
Food web structure, predator–prey dynamics, foraging behavior, and consequences of these factors for individual growth, reproduction and survival are central to our understanding of ecosystem structure and fun...
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Article
Fatty acid signatures of stomach oil and adipose tissue of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in Alaska: implications for diet analysis of Procellariiform birds
Procellariiforms are unique among seabirds in storing dietary lipids in both adipose tissue and stomach oil. Thus, both lipid sources are potentially useful for trophic studies using fatty acid (FA) signatures...
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Article
Dynamics of blood chylomicron fatty acids in a marine carnivore: implications for lipid metabolism and quantitative estimation of predator diets
Blubber fatty acid(s) (FA) signatures can provide accurate estimates of predator diets using quantitative FA signature analysis, provided that aspects of predator FA metabolism are taken into account. Because ...
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Article
Comparison of the bligh and dyer and folch methods for total lipid determination in a broad range of marine tissue
For many studies, it is important to measure the total lipid content of biological samples accurately. The Bligh and Dyer method of extraction was developed as a rapid but effective method for determining tota...
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Article
Does male harassment of females contribute to reproductive synchrony in the grey seal by affecting maternal performance?
We investigated the possibility that male harassment of lactating females differed in relation to time of birth in the grey seal, Halichoerus grypus, on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. This was done by comparing th...
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Article
Fatty acid composition of black bear (Ursus americanus) milk during and after the period of winter dormancy
Black bears give birth and lactate during the 2–3-mon fast of winter dormancy. Thereafter the female emerges from the den with her cubs and begins to feed. We investigated fatty acid patterns of milk from nati...
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Article
Positional specificity of gastric hydrolysis of long-chain n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids of seal milk triglycerides
Long-chain n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−3 PUFA) of marine oils are important dietary components for both infants and adults, and are incorporated into milks following maternal dietary intake. However, li...
