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Lipids and buoyancy in Southern Ocean pteropods

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Lipids

Abstract

The lipids of Clione limacina, a Southern Ocean pteropod (order Gymnosomata), contain 28% diacylglyceryl ether (DAGE) (as percentage of total lipid) whereas the pteropod Limacina helicina (order Thecosomata) lacks DAGE. The alkyl glyceryl ether diols (1-O-alkyl glycerols, GE) of Clione DAGE are dominated by 16∶0 (60%) and 15∶0 (21%), in contrast with deep-sea shark liver DAGE, which is dominated by 18∶1 GE. The fatty acid profiles of Clione and Limacina are similar (28–32% polyunsaturated, 26–34% monounsaturated) as are the sterols, which include 24-methylenecholesterol, transdehydrocholesterol, cholesterol, and desmosterol. This finding probably reflects the fact that Limacina is the major food source for Clione. Spongiobranchaea australis, another Southern Ocean pteropod (order Gymnosomata), has 0.9–1.7% DAGE, but has less lipid (3.3–4.8 mg/g lipid, wet weight) than Clione (50.8 mg/g lipid, wet weight). We propose a buoyancy role for DAGE in Clione since Limacina has bubbles for flotation which Clione lack; DAGE provides 23% more uplift than triacylglycerol at a concentration of 1.025 g/mL seawater.

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Abbreviations

DAGE:

diacylglyceryl ether

FFA:

free fatty acids

FID:

flame-ionization detector

GC:

gas chromatography

GE:

1-O-alkyl glycerols

MS:

mass spectrometric

PL:

phospholipid

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

ST:

sterols

TAG:

triacylglycerols

TLC:

thin-layer chromatography

TMS:

trimethylsilyl

WE:

wax esters

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 92182, San Diego, California

    Charles F. Phleger

  2. CSIRO Division of Marine Research and Antarctic Co-operative Research Centre, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    Peter D. Nichols & Patti Virtue

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  1. Charles F. Phleger
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  2. Peter D. Nichols
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  3. Patti Virtue
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Correspondence to Charles F. Phleger.

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Phleger, C.F., Nichols, P.D. & Virtue, P. Lipids and buoyancy in Southern Ocean pteropods. Lipids 32, 1093–1100 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-997-0141-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-997-0141-x

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