The spawning behavior of different fish species is as diverse as their habitats. A lot of factors influence the (phospho)lipid composition of fish sperm, including the water temperature at which spawning takes place. Therefore, this study aimed on the elucidation of the phospholipid composition of sperm from three fish species from different orders (common carp - Cyprinus carpio, northern pike - Esox lucius and burbot - Lota lota) with different spawning temperatures by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry as well as gas chromatography. Next to the lipid composition that was different for carp, northern pike and burbot, regarding the moieties of the different (phospho)lipid classes (particularly sphingomyelin and acidic phospholipids) and the saturation degree of the fatty acyl residues, there were differences observed depending on the analytical method that was used. The results from TLC and NMR investigations differed regarding the amounts of the different phospholipids. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed in detail.

Department of Molecular Sciences Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences PO Box 7015 75007 Uppsala Sweden

Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters University of South Bohemia South Bohemian Research Centre for Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses Zátiší 728 2 389 25 Vodňany Czech Republic

Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics Medical Faculty University of Leipzig Härtelstr 16 18 04107 Leipzig Germany

Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Institute of Muscle Biology and Growth Lipid Metabolism and Muscular Adaptation Workgroup Wilhelm Stahl Allee 2 18196 Dummerstorf Germany

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