Fowl play and the price of petrel: long-living Procellariiformes have peroxidation-resistant membrane composition compared with short-living Galliformes

• Published in: Biology letters (2005) Vol. 4; no. 4; pp. 351 - 354
• Main Authors: Buttemer, William A, Battam, Harry, Hulbert, A.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London The Royal Society 23.08.2008
• Subjects: Animals; Birds - anatomy & histology; Birds - metabolism; Birds - physiology; Cell Membrane - chemistry; Evolutionary Biology; Fatty Acids - analysis; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Fowl; Galliformes; Galliformes - anatomy & histology; Galliformes - metabolism; Galliformes - physiology; Lipid Peroxidation; Longevity; Marine; Myocardium - cytology; Myocardium - metabolism; Petrels; Phospholipids - analysis; Phospholipids - chemistry; Phospholipids - metabolism; Polyunsaturates; Procellariiformes
• ISSN: 1744-9561; 1744-957X
• DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0145

The membrane pacemaker hypothesis predicts that long-living species will have more peroxidation-resistant membrane lipids than shorter living species. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the fatty acid composition of heart phospholipids from long-living Procellariiformes (petrels and albatrosses) to those of shorter living Galliformes (fowl). The seabirds were obtained from by-catch of commercial fishing operations and the fowl values from published data. The 3.8-fold greater predicted longevity of the seabirds was associated with elevated content of peroxidation-resistant monounsaturates and reduced content of peroxidation-prone polyunsaturates and, consequently, a significantly reduced peroxidation index in heart membrane lipids, compared with fowl. Peroxidation-resistant membrane composition may be an important physiological trait for longevous species.