Fatty acid composition of fats around the mystacial and superciliary vibrissae differs from that of blubber in the Saimaa ringed seal (Phoca hispida saimensis).
1. Adipose tissues associated with the mystacial and superciliary vibrissae of the Saimaa seal (Phoca hispida saimensis) contained 31% of hexadecenoic acid (16:1 omega 7), which was almost twice the already high amount in blubber. The amount of tetradecenoic acid (14:1 omega 5) was also double that in blubber. 2. At the same time the levels of long-chain highly unsaturated docosapentaenoic (22:5 omega 3) and docosahexaenoic acids (22:6 omega 3) were only two-thirds of those found in blubber. 3. It is suggested that the excess of low-melting monoenoic fatty acids (14:1 and 16:1) in adipose tissues near the vibrissae might not be compensation for the low supply of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in these tissues, but that the self-induced excess of monoenoic fatty acids ensured the proper functioning of these well-developed sense organs.
Käkelä
R
R
Department of Biology, University of Joensuu, Finland.
Hyvärinen
H
H
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D002923:Cilia / Q000737:chemistry; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis; D019814:Myristic Acid; D009227:Myristic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D046048:Seals, Earless; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000737:chemistry*
D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D009227:Myristic Acids; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D019814:Myristic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; C026219:docosapentaenoic acid