title: Fatty acid composition of fats around the mystacial and superciliary vibrissae differs from that of blubber in the Saimaa ringed seal (Phoca hispida saimensis).
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Käkelä
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hyvärinen
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D009227:Myristic Acids; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D019814:Myristic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; C026219:docosapentaenoic acid