A Model Experiment of Aquatic Food Chain With Special Significance in Fatty Acid Conversion

To demonstrate more concretely the biogenesis of fish highly unsaturated acids (higher polyunsaturated acids), the following model experiment of an aquatic food chain with special reference to fatty acid conversion was performed. The system employed for this food chain experiment was Chaetoceros simplex → Artemia sarina → Lebistes reticulatus. The highly unsaturated acids were not detected in Chaetoceros oil, but in Artemia oil, arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids were found and in guppy oil in addition to these, docosatetraenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were also characterized. Comparing the two groups of guppies which were raised at 17±1°C and 24±1.5°C water temperatures with Artemia cultured in Chaetoceros medium, the lower temperature group contained a larger amount of docosahexaenoic acid.