Table 1 Relative abundance of fatty acids (FA) as percent of total FA (means and standard error of the mean) in E1 humpback whales from 2008 to 2018 (n = 348). Fatty acids listed under “Other FA” are present in less than trace amounts (≥ 0.5%). SFA: saturated FA; MUFA: monounsaturated FA; PUFA: polyunsaturated FA; SC: shorter chain; LC: long-chain; N: number of whales sampled during north migration; S: number of whales sampled during south migration.

From: Interannual variability in the lipid and fatty acid profiles of east Australia-migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) across a 10-year timeline

Fatty Acids (FAs)

2008 (N = 13) (S = 9)

2009 (N = 11) (S=14)

2011 (N = 0) (S =26)

2013 (N=0) (S=31)

2014 (N = 33) (S = 0)

2015 (N = 0) (S = 64)

2016 (N = 49) (S=14)

2017 (N = 33) (S = 16)

2018 (N = 12) (S =23)

Saturated

14:0

8.55 ± 1.22

6.21 ± 0.34

6.94 ± 0.38

7.13 ± 0.34

8.01 ± 0.33

8.45 ± 0.14

9.81 ± 0.27

8.34 ± 0.18

8.55 ± 0.2

16:0

15.44 ± 1.4

11.37 ± 0.41

11.63 ± 0.41

11.29 ± 0 43

12.99 ± 0.44

11.57 ± 0.18

15.33 ± 0.54

12.54 ± 0.31

12.7 ± 0.24

18:0

3.25 ± 0.54

2.32 ± 0.15

2.09 ± 0 1

1.98 ± 0 1

2.91 ± 0.44

1.86 ± 0.04

2.66 ± 0.13

2.03 ± 0.06

2.01 ± 0.05

% Total SFA

22.18 ± 3.47

24.76 ± 6.08

21.99 ± 3.62

21.48 ± 4.45

25.73 ± 4.36

22.9 ± 2.68

29.76 ± 7.79

24.27 ± 3.78

26.0 ± 2.82

Monounsaturated

14:1

0

0

0

1.74 ± 0.07

1.42 ± 0.09

1.81 ± 0.05

1.41 ± 0.06

1.49 ± 0.08

0.65 ± 0.05

16:1ω7c

22.06 ± 2.51

12.41 ± 0.69

16 02 ± 0.87

17.55 ± 0.53

15.71 ± 0.47

15.15 ± 0.27

14.19 ± 05

14.92 ± 0.43

14.16 ± 0.46

18:1ω9c

32.82 ± 2.89

22 ± 0.49

26.67 ± 1.11

25.9 ± 0.57

24.89 ± 0.42

25 ± 0.22

23.63 ± 0.66

21 22 ± 0 59

24.87 ± 0.37

18:1ω7c

12.27 ± 1.13

6.4 ± 0.15

9.8 ± 0.5

8 63 ± 0.33

8.75 ± 0.11

8.36 ± 0.09

9.58 ± 0.43

9.04 ± 0.41

8.46 ± 0.18

20:1ω9

2.51 ± 0.51

2.01 ± 0.17

1.93 ± 0.11

1.49 ± 0.07

1.36 ± 0.08

1.63 ± 0.07

1.67 ± 0.07

1.37 ± 0.05

1.86 ± 0.09

% Total SC MUFA

55.26 ± 6.43

45.59 ± 5.73

57.47 ± 4.78

56.64 ± 5.64

53.35 ± 5.01

53.15 ± 3.55

53.27 ± 4.47

49.81 ± 4.18

51.65 ± 3.22

% Total LC MUFA

3.25 ± 1.84

4.48 ± 2.19

2.82 ± 0.66

2.28 ± 0.57

2.31 ± 0.63

2.79 ± 0.71

2.26 ± 1.52

1.85 ± 0.43

2.05 ± 0.59

Polyunsaturated

18:4ω3

1 ± 0.16

0.8 ± 0.06

0.69 ± 0.05

0.71 ± 0.04

0.68 ± 0.06

0.87 ± 0.03

0.68 ± 0.06

1.05 ± 0.05

0.97 ± 0.03

18:3ω3

0.72 ± 0.08

0.45 ± 0.03

0.51 ± 0.03

0.54 ± 0.02

0.65 ± 0.05

0.53 ± 0.01

0.4 ± 0.03

0 58 ± 0.02

0.55 ± 0.02

18:2ω6

3.66 ± 0.5

2.39 ± 0.05

2.57 ± 0.11

2.54 ± 0.05

2.32 ± 0.08

2.55 ± 0.01

1.97 ± 0.11

2.56 ± 0.05

2.54 ± 0.03

20:4ω6

0.66 ± 0.1

0.54 ± 0.03

0.42 ± 0.02

0.52 ± 0.02

0.5 ± 0.07

0.49 ± 0.01

0.32 ± 0.04

0.51 ± 0.02

1.47 ± 0.38

20:5ω3

8.36 ± 1.29

7.28 ± 0.44

5.25 ± 0.33

5.65 ± 0.24

5.18 ± 0.36

6.16 ± 0.11

4.28 ± 0.36

7.37 ± 0.23

5.66 ± 0.45

20:4ω3

1.16 ± 0.22

1 12 ± 0.05

0.87 ± 0.05

0.97 ± 0.05

0.89 ± 0.06

0.93 ± 0.02

0.68 ± 0.04

1.09 ± 0.04

0.96 ± 0.05

21:5ω3

0.34 ± 0.05

0.28 ± 0.02

0

0.2 ± 0.01

0

0

0.18 ± 0.02

4.12 ± 0.11

0

22:6ω3

5.57 ± 0.84

5.53 ± 0.24

3.55 ± 0.22

3.94 ± 0.2

3.57 ± 0.28

4 86 ± 0.11

3.24 ± 0.29

5 65 ± 0.19

5.34 ± 0.18

22:5ω3

4.98 ± 0.77

4.53 ± 0.24

3.27 ± 0.19

3.52 ± 0.16

3.31 ± 0.24

3.63 ± 0.1

2.41 ± 0.21

4.11 ± 0.13

3.73 ± 0.15

% Total SC PUFA

3.91 ± 1.46

3.76 ± 0.63

3.90 ± 0.87

4.01 ± 0.61

4.38 ± 1.13

4.13 ± 0.29

3.21 ± 1.52

4.40 ± 0.70

1.65 ± 0.26

% Total LC PUFA

15.41 ± 6.34

21.4 ± 14.05

13.8 ± 13.78

15.59 ± 3.49

14.23 ± 5.39

17.03 ± 2.21

11.51 ± 7.57

19.66 ± 3.93

18.66 ± 2.52

% Total Omega 3

15.48 ± 6.39

20.32 ± 4.5

14.62 ± 4.02

15.96 ± 3.6

14.74 ± 5.59

17.96 ± 2.31

12.29 ± 8.0

20.85 ± 4.19

18.7 ± 14.03

% Total Omega 6

3.71 ± 1.58

4.17 ± 0.63

3.09 ± 0.67

3.51 ± 0.41

3.25 ± 0.94

3.17 ± 0.13

2.42 ± 1.13

3.22 ± 0.5

1.59 ± 2.46

Other FA1

         

FA ratios

16:1ω7c/16:0

1.41 ± 0.09

1.19 ± 0.12

1.45 ± 0.11

1.68 ± 0.13

12.6 ± 0.07

1.35 ± 0.05

1 .00 ± 0.05

1.24 ± 0.06

1.15 ± 0.06

18:1ω7c/18:1ω9c

0.36 ± 0.01

0.38 ± 0.01

0.55 ± 0.2

0.34 ± 0.005

0.35 ± 0.004

0.34 ± 0.02

0.36 ± 0.02

0.55 ± 0.12

0.56 ± 0.03

20:5ω3/22:6ω3

1.51 ± 0.06

1.31 ± 0.05

1.46 ± 0.05

1.51 ± 0.06

1.77 ± 0.23

1.29 ± 0.03

16 ± 0.07

1.32 ± 0.02

1.07 ± 0.09

Carnivory Index

Carn./∑ herb. ± carn.

0.49 ± 0.01

0.51 ± 0.01

0.49 ± 0.02

0.49 ± 0.01

0.5 ± 0.005

051 ± 0.004

0.49 ± 0.01

0.46 ± 0.01

051 ± 0.01

  1. Bold values indicate the total percentage of FAs in each FA class.
  2. 1 i14:0, i15:0, 15:0, i17:0, 17:0, i18:0, 20:0, 22:0,14:1ω5c, 16:1ω9c, 16:1ω7t, 16:1ω5c, 18:1ω7t, 18:1ω5c, 18:1, 19:1b,20:1ω7c, 20:1ω7c, 22:1ω11c, 22:1ω9c, 22:1ω7c, 24:1ω9c, 16:3, 20:3ω6, 20:2ω6, 22:4ω6,24:6ω3 .
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