The role of neutral lipids in the physiology and ecology of subarctic Dicranum elongatum

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Abstract
Temperature (1–23 °C) had little effect on the percentage composition of fatty acids in the common and acetylenic triglycerides of Dicranum elongatum Schleich., though the triglyceride contents in both green and senescent parts were highly dependent on temperature. Field material collected in October from low temperature and dim light plus dark conditions, when exposed to light (140 μE m−2 s−1) in growth chambers, showed increased amounts of acetylenic triglycerides most prominently at low temperature, and decreased amounts of the common triglycerides most prominently at the highest temperature. An overall increase of triglycerides (common plus acetylenic) was found only at low temperature (1 and 6 °C).In contrast to the triglycerides, the fatty acid content of the combined steryl plus wax esters increased only slightly (9%) at low temperature (1 °C). At elevated temperature (17 and 23 °C) the content in both green and senescent parts decreased in conjunction with growth. Temperature (1–17 °C) had no great effect on the proportions of the alkyl or acyl moieties of the esters. At 23 °C, however, a clear decrease was found in the proportions of 20:4 ω6 and 18:3 ω3, along with an increase in the proportion of saturated fatty acids. This was most pronounced in the green segment, where the proportion of the steryl esters was lowest.