Fatty acid composition differs between emergent aquatic and terrestrial insects—A detailed single system approach

Type Article
Date 2022-08
Language English
Author(s) Parmar Tarn Preet1, Kindinger Alina L.1, Mathieu-Resuge MargauxORCID2, 3, 4, Twining Cornelia W.1, 5, 6, Shipley Jeremy Ryan6, Kainz Martin J.2, 7, Martin-Creuzburg Dominik8
Affiliation(s) 1 : Department of Biology, Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
2 : WasserCluster Lunz—Inter-University Centre for Aquatic Ecosystem Research, University of Vienna, Lunz am See, Austria
3 : Université de Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, Plouzané, France
4 : UMR DECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), Ifremer, INRAE, Institut Agro, Plouzané, France
5 : Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
6 : Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
7 : Department of Biomedical Research, Danube University Krems, Krems an der Donau, Austria
8 : Department of Aquatic Ecology, Research Station Bad Saarow, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg, Bad Saarow, Germany
Source Frontiers In Ecology And Evolution (2296-701X) (Frontiers Media SA), 2022-08 , Vol. 10 , P. 952292 (13p.)
DOI 10.3389/fevo.2022.952292
WOS© Times Cited 13
Keyword(s) alpha-linolenic acid, aquatic subsidies, arachidonic acid, Diptera, eicosapentaenoic acid, insect emergence, seasonality
Abstract

Emergent insects represent a key vector through which aquatic nutrients are transferred to adjacent terrestrial food webs. Aquatic fluxes of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from emergent insects are particularly important subsidies for terrestrial ecosystems due to high PUFA contents in several aquatic insect taxa and their physiological importance for riparian predators. While recent meta-analyses have shown the general dichotomy in fatty acid profiles between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, differences in fatty acid profiles between aquatic and terrestrial insects have been insufficiently explored. We examined the differences in fatty acid profiles between aquatic and terrestrial insects at a single aquatic-terrestrial interface over an entire growing season to assess the strength and temporal consistency of the dichotomy in fatty acid profiles. Non-metric multidimensional scaling clearly separated aquatic and terrestrial insects based on their fatty acid profiles regardless of season. Aquatic insects were characterized by high proportions of long-chain PUFA, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), and α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3); whereas terrestrial insects were characterized by high proportions of linoleic acid (18:2n-6). Our results provide detailed information on fatty acid profiles of a diversity of aquatic and terrestrial insect taxa and demonstrate that the fundamental differences in fatty acid content between aquatic and terrestrial insects persist throughout the growing season. However, the higher fatty acid dissimilarity between aquatic and terrestrial insects in spring and early summer emphasizes the importance of aquatic emergence as essential subsidies for riparian predators especially during the breading season.

Full Text
File Pages Size Access
Publisher's official version 13 4 MB Open access
Data_Sheet_1 1 MB Open access
Table_1 46 KB Open access
Top of the page

How to cite 

Parmar Tarn Preet, Kindinger Alina L., Mathieu-Resuge Margaux, Twining Cornelia W., Shipley Jeremy Ryan, Kainz Martin J., Martin-Creuzburg Dominik (2022). Fatty acid composition differs between emergent aquatic and terrestrial insects—A detailed single system approach. Frontiers In Ecology And Evolution, 10, 952292 (13p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.952292 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00788/89988/