Fatty Acid Content and Composition of the Yakutian Horses and Their Main Food Source: Living in Extreme Winter Conditions

Abstract

For the first time, seasonal changes in the content of total lipids (TLs) and phospholipids (PLs) were studied in fodder plants growing in Central Yakutia—a perennial cereal, smooth brome (Bromopsis inermis L.), and an annual cereal, common oat (Avena sativa L.). Both species have concentrated TLs and PLs in autumn under cold hardening. In addition, a significant increase in the content of fatty acids (FAs) of B. inermis was observed during the autumn decrease in temperature. The Yakutian horses, which fed on cereals enriched with nutrients preserved by natural cold (green cryo-fodder), accumulated significant amounts of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, the total content of which in cereals was 75% of the total FA content. We found differences in the distribution of these two FAs in different tissues of the horses. Thus, liver was rich in 18:2n-6, while muscle and adipose tissues accumulated mainly 18:3n-3. Such a distribution may indicate different roles of these FAs in the metabolism of the horses. According to FA content, meat of the Yakutian horses is a valuable dietary product.

Seasonal climate variations during Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 2 inferred from high‐resolution oxygen isotope ratios in horse tooth enamel from Lower Austria

“…On the basis of the reconstructed winter temperatures for both periods (Figure 5), it is possible that these rivers were frozen, and the animals had to resort to other water sources. Studies of horses from central Yakutia revealed that green cryo‐fodder was an important nutritional source (Petrov et al, 2020). In permafrost areas, plants are adapted to the extreme conditions insofar as intensive growth takes place mainly in the first half of summer, when plants are submerged and flooded due to snowmelt or thawing of the permafrost.…”

“…In permafrost areas, plants are adapted to the extreme conditions insofar as intensive growth takes place mainly in the first half of summer, when plants are submerged and flooded due to snowmelt or thawing of the permafrost. After a period of regeneration, plants do not have time to go through the full growth cycle, leaving them in a green but frozen state under the snow cover in winter (Petrov et al, 2020). Feeding on these plant types must be considered as a possible source of water alongside occasional feeding on snow or local spring water especially during winter (Scheibe et al, 1998).…”

Influence of Extremely Low Temperatures of the Pole of Cold on the Lipid and Fatty-Acid Composition of Aerial Parts of the Horsetail Family (Equisetaceae)

“…According to the data obtained, increases in the total lipid content and the unsaturation level are also observed in the autumn–winter period. Autumn vegetative plants, called cryofood, enter the body of animals, where PUFAs are formed from sugars [ 4 ]. Upon receiving C18:2 (n-6) linoleic acid and C18:3 (n-3) α-linolenic acid with food, animals are able to synthesize physiologically valuable long-chain arachidonic PUFAs C20:4 (n-6), eicosapentaenoic C20:5 (n-3), and docosahexaenoic C22:6 (n-3) acids [ 42 ].…”

“…At first glance, it seems incredible that herbaceous plants at the Pole of Cold manage to enrich themselves with a large number of the most energy- and material-intensive substances during the growing season. Nevertheless, horsetails accumulate a large amount of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, and they become an adaptive fattening food for both non-hibernating and hibernating herbivores in autumn, winter, and early spring [ 3 , 4 ]. This rapid accumulation of nutrients is supported by a complex of evolutionary adaptations to permafrost conditions.…”

Metabolomic Profile and Functional State of Oat Plants (Avena sativa L.) Sown under Low-Temperature Conditions in the Cryolithozone

“…The site soils were floodplain meadow-black earth soils formed on light loam. Agrotechnics for the cultivation of late summer-sown oats were carried out according to the agrotechnological scheme generally accepted in Central Yakutia [ 44 ]. The seeds were sown on a late date (21 July).…”