Abstract
ABSTRACTIn this study we tested the hypothesis that the decrease in habitat quality at wastewater treatment works (WWTW), such as limited prey diversity and exposure to the toxic cocktail of pollutants, affect fatty acid profiles of interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBrAT) in bats. Further, the antioxidant capacity of oxidative tissues such as pectoral and cardiac muscle may not be adequate to protect those tissues against reactive molecules resulting from polyunsaturated fatty acid auto-oxidation in the WWTW bats. Bats were sampled at two urban WWTW, and two unpolluted reference sites in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Brown adipose tissue (BrAT) mass was lower in WWTW bats than in reference site bats. We found lower levels of saturated phospholipid fatty acids and higher levels of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids in WWTW bats than in reference site bats, while C18 desaturation and n-6 to n-3 ratios were higher in the WWTW bats. This was not associated with high lipid peroxidation levels in pectoral and cardiac muscle. Combined, these results indicate that WWTW bats rely on iBrAT as an energy source, and opportunistic foraging on abundant, pollutant-tolerant prey may change fatty acid profiles in their tissue, with possible effects on mitochondrial functioning, torpor and energy usage.
Highlights
Bats (Order Chiroptera) have exceptional lifespans for their size (Barclay and Harder, 2003), which challenges both the widely accepted positive association between size and lifespan (Seim et al, 2013), and the oxidative theory of ageing (Munshi-South and Wilkinson, 2010)
Body mass of bats was greater at Umbilo wastewater treatment works (WWTW) than at the reference sites (P
Fatty acid classes identified from iBrAT phospholipids differed among classes (P0.05,F2,132=1.55), and the interaction between class and site was significant (P
Summary
Bats (Order Chiroptera) have exceptional lifespans for their size (Barclay and Harder, 2003), which challenges both the widely accepted positive association between size and lifespan (Seim et al, 2013), and the oxidative theory of ageing (Munshi-South and Wilkinson, 2010) This has been attributed to a combination of factors including high levels of tissue antioxidants (Wilhelm Filho et al, 2007), low levels of pro-oxidants (Brunet-Rossinni, 2004), slow reproduction output (Wilkinson and South, 2002), low predation rate and their ability to enter hibernation (Turbill et al, 2012; Wilkinson and South, 2002) or torpor (Turbill et al, 2012). Studies on the impact of some these environmental stressors on bat physiology are scarce
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