Downloaded from orbit.dtu.dk on: Oct 06, 2021 Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland Trophic Relations and health implications Møller, Per Publication date: 2006 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link back to DTU Orbit Citation (APA): Møller, P. (2006). Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland: Trophic Relations and health implications. Technical University of Denmark. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. National Environmental Research Institute Ministry of the Environment . Denmark Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland Trophic relations and health implications PhD thesis Per Møller [Blank page] National Environmental Research Institute Ministry of the Environment . Denmark Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland Trophic relations and health implications PhD thesis 2006 Per Møller PhD project carried out in collaboration between: National Environmental Research Institute Technical University of Denmark Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. Data sheet Title: Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland Subtitle: Trophic relations and health implications. PhD thesis Author: Per Møller Department: Department of Arctic Environment University: Technical University of Denmark Publisher: National Environmental Research Institute © Ministry of the Environment URL: http://www.dmu.dk Date of publication: August 2006 Editing complete: August 2006 Accepted for public defense: August 2006 by Hanne Frøkiær (Chairman), M.Sc., Ph.D., Associate Professor, BioCentrum-DTU and The Centre for Advanced Food Studies, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Bldg. 224, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. Michael John Walton, M.Sc., Ph.D., Senior Scientific Officer, Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 8LB, Scotland. Haakon Hop, M.Sc., Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway. Supervisors: Lars I. Hellgren, M. Sc., Ph.D., Associate Professor, BioCentrum-DTU and The Centre for Advanced Food Studies, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark. Rune Dietz, M.Sc., Senior Research Scientist, Department of Arctic Environment, National Environ- mental Research Institute, Denmark. Poul Johansen, M. Sc., Senior Research Scientist, Department of Arctic Environment, National Envi- ronmental Research Institute, Denmark. Erik W. Born, M. Sc., D.Sc., Senior Research Scientist, Department of Birds and Mammals, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Greenland. Financial support: Danish Co-operation for Environment in the Arctic (DANCEA) National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark Greenland Institute of Natural Resources Please cite as: Møller, P. (2006). Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland. Trophic relations and health implications. Phd thesis. National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark. 212 pp. Reproduction is permitted, provided the source is explicitly acknowledged. Abstract: The potential use of lipids and stable isotopes as a source of information related to the West Green- land marine ecosystem (62˚N to 72˚N) including man, was investigated. Analysis were performed on marine tissues representing invertebrates, fish, seabirds and marine mammals as well as traditional meals from a local community. One part of the study also included minke whale samples from other part of the North Atlantic. Our results suggest a great potential in lipids and stable isotopes as a source of information in research issues related to a sustainable exploitation and management of the West Greenland marine ecosystem and to public health issues in Greenland. The results fill out an existing gap in our knowledge about the marine food web structure and trophic relations and add a potential new tool to improved management of large whales. In addition, data will be important when giving dietary recommendations, balancing the risk from the contaminants and the health- promoting fatty acids in the traditional diet of Greenlanders. Keywords: Marine food webs, Arctic, West Greenland, food web structure, lipids, fatty acids, stable isotopes, trophic relations, biomarkers, lipid quality, human nutrition, immune response. Layout: NERI Graphics group Photo (frontpage): Maja Kirkegaard, NERI Paper quality: Cyclus Offset Printed by: Schultz Grafisk Environmentally certified (ISO 14001) and Quality certified (ISO 9002) ISBN: 978-87-7772-941-6 Number of pages: 212 Circulation: 50 Internet-version: The report is also available as a PDF-file from NERI’s homepage http://www2.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Publikationer/3_Ovrige/rapporter/phd_PEM.pdf Contents 1 Preface 4 2 Acknowledgements 5 3 Summary 7 4 Dansk resumé 9 5 Structure of the thesis 11 6 Focus and aims 13 7 Definitions and initial considerations 15 8 Synopsis 19 8.1 Introduction 19 8.2 The West Greenland marine ecosystem 24 8.3 Fatty acid signatures – a biomarker approach 27 8.4 Lipid quality of marine resources in Greenland 29 8.5 Fatty acids and the Greenland diet 30 8.6 Marine foods and immune response 32 8.7 Conclusions and future research 34 8.8 References 37 9 Scientific papers 49 Paper 1 An isotopic food web model for the West Greenland marine ecosystem. 51 Paper 2 Regional differences in fatty acid composition in common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the North Atlantic. 89 Paper 3 A multi-elemental approach to identification of sub-populations of North Atlantic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). 101 Paper 4 Nutritional lipid quality of West Greenland marine species. 131 Paper 5 Dietary composition and health indicators in North Greenland, in the 1970's and today. 157 Paper 6 Dietary composition and contaminants in North Greenland in the 1970's and 2004. 179 Paper 7 Impairment of cellular immunity in West Greenland sledge dogs (Canis familiaris) dietary exposed to polluted minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) blubber. 203 National Environmental Research Institute 1 Preface The present thesis entitled “Lipids and stable isotopes in marine food webs in West Greenland – trophic relations and health implications” is part of the requirements for obtaining a PhD degree at the Techni- cal University of Denmark (DTU). The PhD programme was funded by the National Environmental Research Institute (NERI) and Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR), and has been based on a number of research projects related to Greenland and the Arctic. The project has been supported by the Danish Environmental Protec- tion Agency as part of the environmental support program DANCEA - Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic. The authors are solely responsible for all results and conclusions presented in the re- port, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Danish Envi- ronmental Protection Agency. The study was performed at BioCentrum-DTU and The Centre for Advanced Food Studies, under the supervision of associate professor Lars Hellgren (main supervisor) and at NERI, Department of Arctic Environment, under the co-supervision of senior research scientists Rune Dietz and Poul Johansen. Additional co-supervision was re- ceived from senior research scientist Erik W. Born, GINR, Depart- ment of seabirds and mammals. Field collections were planned and performed in close collaboration with GINR. Other institutes and scientists who contributed signifi- cantly to the study are: Senior research scientist Kai Wieland, Departments of fish and shrimp, GINR (Food web study: Paper 1 and field collections). Senior research scientist Keith Hobson, Canadian Wildlife Services, Envi- ronment Canada (Food web study: Paper 1 and stable isotope analy- sis). Associate professor Bente Deutch and associate professor Jens C. Hansen, Center for Arctic Environmental Medicine, Aarhus Univer- sity (Dietary studies: Papers 5 & 6). Research scientist Christian Sonne, Department of Arctic Environment, NERI (Immune response study: Paper 7). Lyngby, 31 Maj 2006 __________________________ M.Sc. Per Møller 4 2 Acknowledgements Through my work as a research assistant at NERI the opportunity for me to start on a PhD programme was realised through the support of my research director Jesper Madsen and director Klaus Nygaard at GINR. I am grateful for having been trusted this assignment and for their support through out the entire study. I am most grateful to my supervisor Lars Hellgren for his support, inspiration and guidance. I know keeping me on track has not been an easy task. I appreciate the laboratory facilities that I have been trusted and the skilled assistance and supervision by the technical staff at BNG. It has been a tremendously learning experience. In par- ticular I would like to thank Jesper Gøttsche, Grete