Sami Johan Taipale, Cyril Rigaud, Marco Lucas Calderini, Harri Asikainen, Jaakko Juhani Litmanen, Jussi Severi Vesamäki, Mzime Regina Ndebele-Murisa, Tamuka Nhiwatiwa
{"title":"Production and transfer of essential fatty acids in a man-made tropical lake ecosystem","authors":"Sami Johan Taipale, Cyril Rigaud, Marco Lucas Calderini, Harri Asikainen, Jaakko Juhani Litmanen, Jussi Severi Vesamäki, Mzime Regina Ndebele-Murisa, Tamuka Nhiwatiwa","doi":"10.1002/lno.12793","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Essential biomolecules, such as physiologically essential fatty acids, can critically influence consumers' performance and the ecosystem's functioning. Eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5ω3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6ω3) fatty acids are physiologically crucial for consumers, and they must be either obtained from the diet or bioconverted from precursors. We monitored the synthesis of EPA and DHA by primary producers in the largest man-made ecosystem (Lake Kariba) and in situ fatty acid production, trophic transfer, and endogenous production of EPA and DHA in the tropical lake food web using <sup>13</sup>C-labeling, compound-specific isotopes, and gene expression of <i>fads2</i> and <i>elovl5</i> genes in most abundant fish species. Seston pigment analysis and 23S rRNA sequencing revealed that cyanobacteria dominated primary producers throughout three seasons, and the biosynthesis rate of EPA and DHA was under the detection limit. Moreover, due to the low zooplankton densities and EPA and DHA content in zooplankton, the transfer of EPA and DHA from phytoplankton–zooplankton to upper trophic levels is low. The low production of EPA and DHA by primary producers is mitigated by bioconversion of α-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA in two tilapia species, especially by Nile tilapia (<i>Oreochromis niloticus</i>) known to feed on cyanobacteria. Compound-specific isotope analysis revealed that tigerfish (<i>Hydrocynus vittatus</i>), the main predatory fish on the lake, was more closely related to Nile tilapia than to lake planktivorous fish (<i>Limnothrissa miodon</i>). Therefore, trophic interaction between cyanobacteria and algivorous fish has replaced traditional phytoplankton and zooplankton trophic interaction in the synthesis and transfer of EPA and DHA to upper trophic levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":18143,"journal":{"name":"Limnology and Oceanography","volume":"70 3","pages":"667-683"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Limnology and Oceanography","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.12793","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"LIMNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Essential biomolecules, such as physiologically essential fatty acids, can critically influence consumers' performance and the ecosystem's functioning. Eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5ω3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6ω3) fatty acids are physiologically crucial for consumers, and they must be either obtained from the diet or bioconverted from precursors. We monitored the synthesis of EPA and DHA by primary producers in the largest man-made ecosystem (Lake Kariba) and in situ fatty acid production, trophic transfer, and endogenous production of EPA and DHA in the tropical lake food web using 13C-labeling, compound-specific isotopes, and gene expression of fads2 and elovl5 genes in most abundant fish species. Seston pigment analysis and 23S rRNA sequencing revealed that cyanobacteria dominated primary producers throughout three seasons, and the biosynthesis rate of EPA and DHA was under the detection limit. Moreover, due to the low zooplankton densities and EPA and DHA content in zooplankton, the transfer of EPA and DHA from phytoplankton–zooplankton to upper trophic levels is low. The low production of EPA and DHA by primary producers is mitigated by bioconversion of α-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA in two tilapia species, especially by Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) known to feed on cyanobacteria. Compound-specific isotope analysis revealed that tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus), the main predatory fish on the lake, was more closely related to Nile tilapia than to lake planktivorous fish (Limnothrissa miodon). Therefore, trophic interaction between cyanobacteria and algivorous fish has replaced traditional phytoplankton and zooplankton trophic interaction in the synthesis and transfer of EPA and DHA to upper trophic levels.
期刊介绍:
Limnology and Oceanography (L&O; print ISSN 0024-3590, online ISSN 1939-5590) publishes original articles, including scholarly reviews, about all aspects of limnology and oceanography. The journal''s unifying theme is the understanding of aquatic systems. Submissions are judged on the originality of their data, interpretations, and ideas, and on the degree to which they can be generalized beyond the particular aquatic system examined. Laboratory and modeling studies must demonstrate relevance to field environments; typically this means that they are bolstered by substantial "real-world" data. Few purely theoretical or purely empirical papers are accepted for review.