Abstract
Fatty acids in deep hydrothermal vent bivalves have been analyzed. Their composition is completely different from that of a littoral mussel collected in the Mediterranean sea. The distribution of fatty acids in the littoral mussel is characterized by a predominance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (20:5n-3, 22:6n-3) reflecting the planktonic origin of the food. Vent bivalve fatty acid distribution is dominated by an abundance of the monounsaturated acids (double bond in the n-7 position) 16:1n-7, 18:1n-7, and 20:1n-7 which are clearly of bacterial origin and give an indication of the symbiotic bacterial activity in the bivalves. Differences between the fatty acid composition of the bivalves from two hydrothermal sites (13 degrees N and Galapagos) and differences between the mantle and the gill were observed and are discussed with respect to vent activities at the two sites and species metabolic capacities as a function of ecological conditions.
Highlights
Fatty acids in deep hydrothermal vent bivalves have been analyzed
Supplementary key words bacterial endosymbionts associated with bivalve gills relationships between bacteria and hosts ecological conditions species biochemistry lipids fatty acids biomarkers
Because the fatty acid composition of littoral mussels is well documented in the literature, only one sample was analyzed in order to confirm the general trends in the described composition
Summary
Fatty acids in deep hydrothermal vent bivalves have been analyzed. Their composition is completely different from that of a littoral mussel collected in the Mediterranean sea. Specific fatty acids (or combinations) can be associated with particular phytoplankton classes [8, 9] In this way, fatty acids have been used in the study of transfer through marine food chains and especially in bivalve molluscs (see reviews in 5, 10). General fatty acid composition in marine invertebrates is characterized by a predominance of two polyunsaturated acids: 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 [2, 3, 5, 6] This pattern reflects the fact that these organisms utilize organic material elaborated in the photic zone during photosynthesis where phytoplanktonic primary production constitutes the first step of the marine food chain. Recently discovered luxuriant populations of invertebrates associated with deep hydrothermal vents (see reviews in references 12-16) bear witness to the existence of an alternative food chain based primarily on chemosynthetic bacterial primary production [17,18,19,20]
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