The influence of acclimation temperature on the fatty acid composition of an aquatic Crustacean (Carcinus maenas)

Crabs (Carcinus maenas) were acclimated to temperatures of 7, 14 and 27°C and the fatty acid pattern of lipids from muscle, gills and hepatopancreas were determined. There was an overall tendency for the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids to decrease with an increase in acclimation temperatures. The greatest differences was observed in the relative content of C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, C20:5 and C22:6 fatty acids. It is suggested that acclimation involves the ability to control the degree of unsaturation of cellular lipids in order to maintain a specific liquid‐crystalline state of biomembranes and to check the activity of certain enzymes implicated into lipoproteins of the cellular membranes. A significant enhancement of degree of unsaturation of the phosphatidylethanolamine and of the phosphatidylcholine was noted at lower temperatures. No or less pronounced changes occurred in triglycerides, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. It is suggested that the acyltransferases, catalysing the conversion of lysophospholipid into phospholipid have an important regulatory role in the maintenance of a specific fatty‐acid pattern of principal phospholipids.