The role of aquatic ecosystems as a source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for the sand lizard Lacerta agilis (Linnaeus, 1758), inhabiting a shore biotope

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Abstract

The composition and content of fatty acids of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) and its potential food objects in the shore and steppe biotopes were studied. For the first time, it was established that the content of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), significantly increases in the tissues of lizards from a shore biotope during the period of emergence of amphibious insects from the nearby salt Lake Shira. Among all the food sources of lizards, the highest EPA content was found in chironomids imago. The content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the muscles of the lizards was also high, although this acid was not detected in the invertebrates that the lizards consumed. In this regard, it has been suggested that the sand lizard is able to biosynthesize DHA from biochemical precursors contained in food.

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About the authors

O. S. Dimenko

Siberian Federal University

Email: arudchenko@sfu-kras.ru
Russian Federation, Krasnoyarsk

A. E. Rudchenko

Siberian Federal University; Federal Research Center “Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”

Author for correspondence.
Email: arudchenko@sfu-kras.ru

Institute of Biophysics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences

Russian Federation, Krasnoyarsk; Krasnoyarsk

E. V. Borisova

Siberian Federal University

Email: arudchenko@sfu-kras.ru
Russian Federation, Krasnoyarsk

A. D. Tupikova

Siberian Federal University

Email: arudchenko@sfu-kras.ru
Russian Federation, Krasnoyarsk

N. N. Sushchik

Siberian Federal University; Federal Research Center “Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”

Email: arudchenko@sfu-kras.ru

Corresponding Member of the RAS, Institute of Biophysics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences

Russian Federation, Krasnoyarsk; Krasnoyarsk

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2. Fig. 1. EPA and DHA content (in mg/g wet weight) in muscle tissue of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) from near-water and steppe biotopes. Values ​​marked with one letter do not have reliable differences in the post-hoc test according to Tukey's HSD test at p ≤ 0.05.

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3. Fig. 2. Mass fraction (W,%) of food components in the stomachs of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) from the near-water and steppe biotopes in the area of ​​Lake Shira.

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