Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1080/20442041.2022.2127609
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Mass spectrometry imaging reveals the spatial distribution of essential lipids in Daphnia magna – potential implications for trophic ecology
Author Pilecky, M.; Fink, P. ORCID logo ; Kämmer, S.K.; Schott, M.; Zehl, M.; Kainz, M.J.
Source Titel Inland Waters
Year 2023
Department ASAM; FLOEK
Volume 13
Issue 1
Page From 111
Page To 120
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.1080/20442041.2022.2127609/suppl_file/tinw_a_2127609_sm5856.docx
Keywords ecophysiology; essential fatty acids; MALDI; mass spectrometry imaging; phospholipids
Abstract Lipids and fatty acids are key dietary components for the nutrition of organisms at all trophic levels. They are required to build cellular structures, such as cell membranes, serve as energy storage and are taking part in signal transduction cascades. For decades, ecological research investigated how dietary fatty acid availability contributes to the fitness of individuals and their populations. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found particular interest, as its dietary availability determines the fitness of many aquatic consumers. Due to the small body size of zooplankton, only bulk tissue fatty acid analysis was so far performed and thus the tissue-specific importance of EPA for zooplankton remained elusive. Here we used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization – mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to reveal the tissue-specific distribution of functional phospholipids in the herbivorous zooplankton Daphnia magna. We demonstrate several lipid species for heart, eggs, gut, gonads, somatic and neurological tissues of D. magna, including the compound eye, as well as the optical and cerebral ganglion. The compound eye revealed a large diversity in EPA-containing lipid species, which were also found in other neurological tissues and the eggs. Such knowledge of tissue-specific fatty acid requirements is essential to investigate how selective allocation of dietary fatty acids within this key grazer on a functional and molecular level affects processes from the individual to food web scales. This methodological advancement will allow investigations on how invertebrates’ physiology and behaviour adjust to changing environmental conditions and potentially affect food web structures including the trophic transfer of dietary fatty acids.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26910
Pilecky, M., Fink, P., Kämmer, S.K., Schott, M., Zehl, M., Kainz, M.J. (2023):
Mass spectrometry imaging reveals the spatial distribution of essential lipids in Daphnia magna – potential implications for trophic ecology
Inland Waters 13 (1), 111 - 120 10.1080/20442041.2022.2127609