Age-Dependent Changes of Lipid Composition in Daphnia magna

E. A. Bychek^* and I. A. Gushchina

Institute of Ecology of the Volga Basin, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Komzina 10, Togliatti, 445003 Russia; fax: (8469) 48-9504; E-mail: bychek@tlt.volga.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received April 17, 1998; Revision received September 10, 1998

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Total lipids, phospholipids, neutral lipids, and fatty acids were studied in three developmental stages of Daphnia magna Straus. Higher amounts of free sterols and all major phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin) were detected in neonates. The content of triacylglycerol stores of juveniles decreased during somatic growth. Detectable amounts of wax esters were found only in adults. The fatty acid unsaturation index was lower in female neonates. The relationship between the lipid contents and the age-related resistance of Daphnia to the environmental factors is discussed.

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KEY WORDS: Daphnia, neutral lipids, phospholipids, fatty acids, stages of development, resistance

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