Fatty acids composition of migrated seabirds to the coastline of
Pakistan as top predators to impact ecosystem variability
Abstract
Availability of fat-rich food is the critical factor for the migration
of seabirds. Predator-prey interaction shapes the food web structure and
affects environmental variability. Certain fatty acids are believed to
be the significant determining factors for environmental health and act
as energy reserves for long distant seabird migration. Three different
seabirds species investigated quantitatively for fat content and Fatty
Acid composition from Pakistani sea waters were Larus fuscus, Larus
ridibundus and Hydroprogne caspia, found significantly different for
most of the fatty acid. The average fat contents of L. fuscus, L.
ridibundus and H. caspia were 23.57±1.82%, 19.71±2.75% and
33.58±0.08% respectively. This study suggests that monounsaturated
fatty acids (MUFA) were predominantly higher than saturated (SFA) and
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ranges from (43.49-48.07%),
(32.88-39.89%) and (14.1-16.22%) respectively.. Palmitic acid and
Stearic acid saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids constituted
>75%. The dietary fatty acid Oleic acid (C18:1n9) was most
abundant with 32-34%. The essential ꞷ-3 fatty acids were found to be
lower, whereas ꞷ-6 was found in an appreciable amount with Linoleic acid
(C18:2ώ6) as major fatty acid in L. fuscus (7.44%), H. caspia (9.81%)
and L. ridibundus (8.99%). ꞷ-3/ꞷ-6 ratio was found less than 1
indicating these seabirds as a substantial source of omega 6 fatty
acids. This study is the first report on seabirds’ diet constituents
from Pakistan to the best of our knowledge. Further experimental studies
may reveal the physiological impact of varying fatty acids from this
region.