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Non-lethal sampling for the stable isotope analysis of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla: how fin and mucus compare to dorsal muscle.

ABSTRACT: Ecological studies on the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla often incorporate stable isotope analysis that typically uses dorsal muscle sampled from euthanised eels. To minimise the lethal sampling of imperilled populations, fin tissue and/or epidermal mucus can provide non-lethal alternatives to muscle. The results here indicate that δ¹³ C and δ¹⁵ N values of both eel fin and mucus are not significantly different from those of muscle and can be applied directly in comparative SI studies.

SUBMITTER: Boardman RM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9303185 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Non-lethal sampling for the stable isotope analysis of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla: how fin and mucus compare to dorsal muscle.

Boardman Rose M RM Pinder Adrian C AC Piper Adam T AT Roberts Catherine Gutmann CG Wright Rosalind M RM Britton J Robert JR

Journal of fish biology 20220209 3

Ecological studies on the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla often incorporate stable isotope analysis that typically uses dorsal muscle sampled from euthanised eels. To minimise the lethal sampling of imperilled populations, fin tissue and/or epidermal mucus can provide non-lethal alternatives to muscle. The results here indicate that δ<sup>13</sup> C and δ<sup>15</sup> N values of both eel fin and mucus are not significantly different from those of muscle and can be applied d ...[more]

PMID: 35025118

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Project description:The analysis of transcriptomes is well-established and increasingly affordable in studies at the interface of ecology and evolution. Expression analysis of thousands of genes in parallel reveals functions and pathways involved in relevant phenotypic differentiation. The application of such methods typically involves the sacrifice of the analysed organisms, which is potentially subject to ethical and legal constraints. As an alternative to lethal sampling, transcriptome analyses can be performed using small biopsies of dispensable tissues. It has to be verified, however, to what extent such results are representative of the whole organism. Here, we use a custom microarray to compare transcriptomes of tail-clip samples with those of the remaining whole-body of fire salamander larvae (Salamandra salamandra). The microarray was calibrated using target RNA to validate the performance of each probe. We varied water temperature to test whether the thermal response in gene expression can be characterized in both types of sample. A large fraction (51 %) of the differentially expressed genes showed parallel changes for both tail clips and whole bodies in response to temperature. While sets of differentially expressed were not identical, they largely belonged to the same functional categories. The gene functions thus revealed a common thermal response of larvae irrespective of the sampled tissue. This included an overexpression of mitochondrial transcripts, an expected thermal acclimatization response of ectotherms. Hence, ecological transcriptomics based on small biopsies represent an alternative to the analysis of lethally sampled tissues in situations where the sacrifice of individuals is not an option. Larvae of European Fire salamander were exposed to two different temperatures (9°C & 17°C; n(cold) = 6, n(warm) = 6, n(total) = 12). The transcriptome response to temperature was assessed based on RNA extracted from tail tips, which can be sampled without sacrificing the individual, and based on RNA extracted from the remaining whole body. Results from the analysis of both tissues were compared.

Dataset Information

Non-lethal sampling for the stable isotope analysis of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla: how fin and mucus compare to dorsal muscle.

Publications

Non-lethal sampling for the stable isotope analysis of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla: how fin and mucus compare to dorsal muscle.

Similar Datasets

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