Journal
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
Volume 34, Issue 2, Pages 277-293Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/mms.12454
Keywords
stable isotope analysis; dimethyl sulfoxide; chloroform:methanol; marine mammals; historical ecology; delphinids
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Stable isotope analysis (SIA) has rapidly become a useful tool to study the ecology of wild animal populations, especially for elusive, wide-ranging predators like marine mammals. The development of projectile biopsy techniques resulted in the collection of thousands of cetacean tissue samples that were archived in a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution for long-term, multidecadal preservation. Here we examine the influence of DMSO preservation on carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) values by comparing a set of paired delphinid skin samples stored frozen without preservative and in DMSO for up to 22 yr. Treatment of paired frozen and DMSO-preserved skin in a 2:1 chloroform:methanol solution yielded similar delta C-13 and delta N-15 values, revealing that DMSO and lipid contamination have similar isotopic effects on skin, and that these effects can be removed using routine lipid-extraction methods. Further, amino acid concentrations in DMSO-preserved and frozen skin tissue were similar, providing independent evidence of minimal protein alteration due to preservation. Access to a rich archive of skin samples preserved in DMSO will expand our ability to examine temporal and spatial variability in the isotope values of cetaceans, which will aid our understanding of how their ecology has been influenced by historical changes in environmental conditions.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available