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1 April 2012 Lipid and amino acid composition influence incorporation and discrimination of 13C and 15N in mink
Merav Ben-David, Seth D. Newsome, John P. Whiteman
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Abstract

The incorporation of dietary macronutrients and associated isotopic signatures of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) into animal tissues is a result of the interaction between growth, nutritional status, and the composition of the diet. In mammalian carnivores incorporation is further complicated by lack of carbohydrates in the diet and allocation of large quantities of dietary macronutrients to fetuses and milk production. In this study, we explored the effects of diet composition, growth, pregnancy, and milk production on isotopic incorporation of 13C and 15N in captive mink (Neovison vison) fed 3 experimental diets (Beef, Fish, and a Mixture of the 2) that differed in lipid and amino acid composition. In nursing kits, growth was the main factor influencing isotopic incorporation rates into muscle. Similarly, in adults, changes in body mass influenced the dynamics of isotopic incorporation in red blood cells, although the rates differed for δ13C and δ15N, as well as among the 3 experimental groups. Effects of allocation of dietary macronutrients to fetuses and milk did not differ from body mass changes, potentially because those macronutrients were assimilated in tissues other than blood cells. Although incorporation of δ13C followed the expected exponential form, δ15N incorporation lagged in the Beef and Mixture diet treatments, and both δ13C and δ15N incorporation rates differed substantially for the Fish-fed mink. These differences in isotopic incorporation can be attributed to the differential oxidation of dietary amino and fatty acids. Thus, we advocate the development of compound-specific isotopic analyses to estimate dietary contributions through the incorporation of essential dietary fatty and amino acids.

2012 American Society of Mammalogists
Merav Ben-David, Seth D. Newsome, and John P. Whiteman "Lipid and amino acid composition influence incorporation and discrimination of 13C and 15N in mink," Journal of Mammalogy 93(2), 399-412, (1 April 2012). https://doi.org/10.1644/11-MAMM-S-168.1
Published: 1 April 2012
KEYWORDS
growth
kits
milk composition
Neovision vison
pregnancy
routing
tissue turnover rate
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