Journal
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
Volume 30, Issue 1, Pages 85-103Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/mms.12018
Keywords
lipid extraction; lipid normalization; marine mammal; stable isotope analysis
Categories
Funding
- Harbor Branch Protect Wild Dolphins Project
- National Marine Fisheries Service
- NOAA Northern Gulf Institute
- Florida State University graduate school via a University Research Fellowship
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We studied the effects of two common chemical extraction techniques on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skin tissues with the intent to develop a mathematical lipid correction for dolphin skin C-13. One method employs a hot solvent mixture (chloroform and methanol) while the other method requires washing the samples with cold solvent followed by water. The water wash method resulted in significant alteration of tissue N-15. We found no correlation between change in sample mass and C/N or between change in sample mass and the change in C-13 (C-13) following lipid extraction. Although C-13 was positive following lipid extraction (mean = 1.6 parts per thousand and 1.2 parts per thousand, for the two methods), there was no correlation between C/N and C-13 for either method. Cumulatively, these results prevented us from applying a mathematical lipid normalization. Based on our findings and consideration of previously reported results, we suggest that applying these extraction techniques to dolphin skin with C/N<4.5 introduces greater uncertainty than is warranted. We recommend against lipid correction for dolphin skins with C/N<4.5, but stress that the resulting uncertainty in C-13 needs to be accounted for when implementing isotope mixing models to assess diet or organic matter sources.
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