Unusual predominance of even‐carbon hydrocarbons in an antarctic food chain

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Abstract
A comparative study of lipids was conducted inEuphausia crystallorophias, Pleuragramma antarcticum andDissostichus mawsoni, representing three trophic levels of an Antarctic food chain. Very large concentrations of triglycerides were found inP. antarcticum andD. mawsoni, but the nature of the free fatty acids and triglyceride fatty acid distributions of all three species was unremarkable. The larger amounts of free fatty acids obtained inEuphausia crystallorophias, when compared to a previous analysis, may have been due to enzymatic hydrolyses of lipid esters during cold storage. In contrast, the hydrocarbon distributions in the three organisms were found to contain an unusual predominance of even‐carbonn‐alkane constituents. A different biochemical pathway to hydrocarbons may be operating in members of this food chain that is so well adapted to the low temperatures of Antarctic waters.

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