Seasonal variations in fatty acid composition of Caulerpa taxifolia (M. Vahl.) C. Ag. in the northern Adriatic Sea (Malinska, Croatia)

Abstract

Fatty acid composition was monitored in Caulerpa taxifolia collected from January to December 1998 in the northern Adriatic Sea. Saturated (45.2–73.7%), monounsaturated (10.3–25.9%) and polyunsaturated (16–34.3%) fatty acid proportions varied considerably during the period investigated. The Caulerpa growth cycle proceeded through a) minor changes during the latent and growth recruitment phase in spring, b) a gradual increase in unsaturated fatty acids during maximum growth in the summer/early autumn period and c) an abrupt increase, particularly of polyunsaturated fatty acids, during biomass maintenance and survival as lowering temperatures approached the lethal level. These variations were similar to those found in native algal species of temperate regions. Stimulation of growth and spreading can be partly explained by successful adaptation of C. taxifolia to the seasonality of environmental parameters (primarily temperature).