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First published online June 29, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 2686-2695 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02299

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Performance-enhancing role of dietary fatty acids in a long-distance migrant shorebird: the semipalmated sandpiper

Dominique Maillet and Jean-Michel Weber^*

Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada

View larger version (11K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Relationship between % body fat and body mass of semipalmated sandpipers refueling in the Bay of Fundy. Each point represents one individual. Line was obtained by linear regression: P<0.0001, R2=0.78, N=40.

View larger version (18K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Fat mass of various tissues (A) and pectoral muscle lean mass (B) in relation to total body fat mass in semipalmated sandpipers refueling in the Bay of Fundy. Each point represents one individual (A: N=40, multiple regression, see results; B: N=39; P<0.001, R2=0.24).

View larger version (13K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Double bond indices (DBI) of pectoral muscle, carcass and total fat depots in neutral lipids (NL) and phospholipids (PL) of lean, medium and fat semipalmated sandpipers. Values are means ± s.e.m. (N=11-14). *Significant differences between bird groups within each lipid fraction (P<0.05).

View larger version (18K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Contribution (%) of individual fatty acids in the tissue phospholipids (PL) of semipalmated sandpipers. Values are means ± s.e.m. (N=11-14). * or a,b,c only: significant differences between lean, medium or fat birds (P<0.05). No statistical comparisons were made between the different fatty acids within each group of birds.

View larger version (19K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Contribution (%) of individual fatty acids in pectoral muscle, carcass and total fat depots in neutral lipids (NL) of semipalmated sandpipers. Values are means ± s.e.m. (N=10-14). * or a,b,c only: significant differences between lean, medium or fat birds (P<0.05). No statistical comparisons were made between the different fatty acids within each group of birds.

View larger version (12K): [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Predator-Prey index in pectoral muscle PL and lipid reserves NL in lean, medium and fat birds. Values are means ± s.e.m. (N=13 in lean and fat birds and 14 in medium birds). * or a,b: significant differences between lean, medium or fat birds (P<0.05). Values sharing the same letter are not different from each other.

View larger version (13K): [in a new window]   Fig. 7. Differences between observed and theoretical fatty acid composition of lipid reserves NL in fat semipalmated sandpipers. Theoretical values were calculated from measured compositions in lean birds and in the Corophium diet, assuming that dietary fatty acids are stored without modifying chain length or number of double bonds. In this comparison, stored fatty acids with a higher observed abundance than expected have a positive value whereas those with a lower abundance have a negative value. Values are means ± s.e.m. (N=13).