LIPIDS OF THE FIN WHALE (BALAENOPTERA PHYSALUS) FROM NORTH ATLANTIC WATERS: III. OCCURRENCE OF EICOSENOIC AND DOCOSENOIC FATTY ACIDS IN THE ZOOPLANKTER MEGANYCTIPHANES NORVEGICA (M. SARS) AND THEIR EFFECT ON WHALE OIL COMPOSITION

1966 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1561-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Ackman ◽  
C. A. Eaton
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAETITIA LEMPEREUR ◽  
MORGAN DELOBELLE ◽  
MARJAN DOOM ◽  
JAN HAELTERS ◽  
ETIENNE LEVY ◽  
...  

SUMMARY On 9 November 2015, a juvenile male fin whale of 11·60 m length was observed on the bulb of a merchant vessel in the Channel Terneuzen – Ghent (The Netherlands – Belgium). A severe parasitosis was present in the right heart ventricle and caudal caval vein. Parasites were identified as Crassicauda boopis based on macroscopic and microscopic observations. The sequence of the 18S rRNA gene obtained from the parasite samples was 100% similar to the sequence of the 18S rRNA gene from Crassicauda magna available on GenBank. While adults of C. boopis and C. magna are morphologically distinct and found at different locations in the body, the molecular analysis of the 18S rRNA gene seems insufficient for reliable species identification. Although numerous C. boopis were found, the cause of death was identified as due to the collision with the ship, as suggested by the presence of a large haematoma, and the absence of evidence of renal failure. The young age of this whale and the absence of severe chronic reaction may suggest that the infestation was not yet at an advanced chronic stage.


1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 534-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline M. Pond ◽  
Christine A. Mattacks

The gross mass, mean adipocyte volume, and hexokinase and phosphofructokinase activities of blubber and internal adipose tissue were measured from fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) caught in the North Atlantic west of Iceland. Fin whale adipocytes are smaller but more numerous than predictions from allometric equations relating adipose tissue structure to body mass, but the deviations are no greater than those of some terrestrial mammals, including humans. Significant activity of the glycolytic enzymes was measured from all adipose tissue samples except those around the eyeball; the activities of hexokinase and phosphofructokinase measured at room temperature are only slightly lower in the blubber than in the internal adipose depots. There was little evidence for metabolic correlates of the site-specific differences in the structure and chemistry of blubber. The highest capacity for glucose utilization was measured in adipose tissue from depots in the neck and the thorax, both of which may contain thermogenic tissue in neonates.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Ackman ◽  
C. A. Eaton ◽  
S. N. Hooper

Fatty acid compositions were determined for total lipid (17.5% of the milk and > 95% triglycerides), 2-monoglyceride obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of isolated triglyceride, and isolated phospholipid (~1% of total lipids). The total lipid fatty acids of the milk had a composition similar to fin whale depot fat but were enriched in hexadecanoic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids at the expense of monoethylenic acids; correspondingly the iodine value of 136 (methyl esters) was higher than the normal range (105–120) of North Atlantic fin whale blubber oils. Over 80% of the fatty acids in the 2-position of the triglycerides were accounted for by relatively short chain fatty acids, especially hexadecanoic (54.6%), tetradecanoic (13.7%), and hexadecenoic (11.2%), so that the ester iodine value was only 48. The milk phospholipids had a fatty acid composition basically similar to that of liver phospholipids (methyl ester iodine value 120) with somewhat more polyunsaturated fatty acids and accordingly an iodine value of 144 for methyl esters.


2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 1653-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick I Archer ◽  
Robert L Brownell ◽  
Brittany L Hancock-Hanser ◽  
Phillip A Morin ◽  
Kelly M Robertson ◽  
...  

Abstract Three subspecies of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are currently recognized, including the northern fin whale (B. p. physalus), the southern fin whale (B. p. quoyi), and the pygmy fin whale (B. p. patachonica). The Northern Hemisphere subspecies encompasses fin whales in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. A recent analysis of 154 mitogenome sequences of fin whales from these two ocean basins and the Southern Hemisphere suggested that the North Pacific and North Atlantic populations should be treated as different subspecies. Using these mitogenome sequences, in this study, we conduct analyses on a larger mtDNA control region data set, and on 23 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 144 of the 154 samples in the mitogenome data set. Our results reveal that North Pacific and North Atlantic fin whales can be correctly assigned to their ocean basin with 99% accuracy. Results of the SNP analysis indicate a correct classification rate of 95%, very low rates of gene flow among ocean basins, and that distinct mitogenome matrilines in the North Pacific are interbreeding. These results indicate that North Pacific fin whales should be recognized as a separate subspecies, with the name B. p. velifera Cope in Scammon 1869 as the oldest available name.


1970 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Ackman ◽  
C. A. Eaton ◽  
J. C. Sipos ◽  
S. N. Hooper ◽  
John D. Castell

The fatty acid compositions of phospholipids and triglycerides from two lots of Meganyctiphanes norvegica (M. Sars), and of total lipids of two additional lots of different origin, showed characteristics commonly found in lipids of carnivorous higher animals such as herring. The fatty acids in both phospholipids and triglycerides of one sample of Thysanoëssa inermis (Krøyer), although qualitatively similar to those of the M. norvegica lipids, showed a closer quantitative relationship to phytoplankter fatty acids and suggested that this species is herbivorous. These observations are discussed in terms of biological data on the feeding habits of the animals, and their basic biochemical processes as related to overwintering or other times of food scarcity. The crustacean samples, obtained from the stomachs of fin whales captured off Nova Scotia, had 1.2–2.4% total lipid, with nonsaponifiable materials accounting for 3–5% of the lipids in M. norvegica and 10% in T. inermis. The potential utilization of these species in artificial rearing of trout or salmon is discussed.


1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. H. Lauer ◽  
B. E. Baker

Milk was obtained from a fin whale which was killed in the North Atlantic and from a beluga whale which was killed in Hudson Bay. The gross composition and fatty acid constitution of the milks were determined.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea A. Cabrera ◽  
Jeroen P. A. Hoekendijk ◽  
Alex Aguilar ◽  
Susan G. Barco ◽  
Simon Berrow ◽  
...  

HighlightsMitochondrial monophyly is commonly employed to define evolutionary significant units.Monophyly may be caused by insufficient sampling or a recent common ancestor.Mitogenomic studies are generally based on few samples and prone to sampling issues.Expanded mitogenome sampling negates previous monophyly in fin whales.AbstractThe advent of massive parallel sequencing technologies has resulted in an increase of studies based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences that revisit the taxonomic status within and among species. Spatially distinct monophyly in mitogenomic genealogies, i.e., the sharing of a recent common ancestor among con-specific samples collected in the same region has been viewed as evidence for subspecies. Several recent studies in cetaceans have employed this criterion to suggest subsequent intraspecific taxonomic revisions. We reason that employing intra-specific, spatially distinct monophyly at non-recombining, clonally inherited genomes is an unsatisfactory criterion for defining subspecies based upon theoretical (genetic drift) and practical (sampling effort) arguments. This point is illustrated by a re-analysis of a global mitogenomic assessment of fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus spp., published by Archer et al. (2013) which proposed to further subdivide the Northern Hemisphere fin whale subspecies, B. p. physalus. The proposed revision was based upon the detection of spatially distinct monophyly among North Atlantic and North Pacific fin whales in a genealogy based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences. The extended analysis conducted in this study (1,676 mitochondrial control region, 162 complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences and 20 microsatellite loci genotyped in 358 samples) revealed that the apparent monophyly among North Atlantic fin whales reported by Archer et al. (2013) to be due to low sample sizes. In conclusion, defining sub-species from monophyly (i.e., the absence of para-or polyphyly) can lead to erroneous conclusions due to relatively “trivial” aspects, such as sampling. Basic population genetic processes (i.e., genetic drift and migration) also affect the time to most recent common ancestor and hence the probability that individuals in a sample are monophyletic.


2014 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 2240-2240
Author(s):  
Julien Delarue ◽  
Robert Dziak ◽  
David Mellinger ◽  
Jack Lawson ◽  
Hilary Moors-Murphy ◽  
...  

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 1513-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Ackman ◽  
C. A. Eaton ◽  
P. M. Jangaard

Oils from sectioned blubber, whole blubber oils, and commercial oils from the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) taken in Nova Scotia waters have been examined. The general properties include much lower iodine values (105–117) than those commonly reported for North Atlantic (Arctic) baleen whales. The fatty acid composition pattern has been determined by gas–liquid chromatography and varies systematically with the type of acid across the blubber section, the inner section having the highest iodine value. The roles of the blubber in physiological functions other than as an insulating layer are discussed in terms of fatty acid composition.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document