Fatty acid relationship in an aquatic food chain.

The relationships amongst the fatty acids of the lipids from members of a model aquatic food chain were examined. The basic pattern of the fatty acids in the members, algae-brine shrimp-hydra, originated in the phytoplankton. Fatty acids in the neutral lipids of adult brine shrimp,Artemia salina, closely resembled dietary, or algal, fatty acids, whereas the phospholipid acids differed considerably from those in the algae. Fatty acids from the total lipids ofHydra pseudoligactis fed brine shimp nauplii also resembled the dietary acids, but more C(20) polyunsaturates and fewer C(18) unsaturated acids were present in those raised at 10C than were found at 20C.