The fatty acid composition of some Sphagnum species

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of total lipids was studied in gametophytes of Sphagnum fimbriatum, S. majus, S. magellanicum and S. nemoreum cultivated aseptically at a constant temperature of 25 °C. It was found to be very similar in these four bog mosses, and also fairly similar to that of other bryophytes. The lipid content of these species was about 6% of the weight of the freeze-dried plant material. The fatty acid composition of different lipid fractions (neutral, glyco-, and phospholipids) was studied in S. fimbriatum and S. majus. Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5) is abundant (~ 40%) in the triglycerides, and arachidonic acid (20:4) (30%) in the steryl and methyl ester fraction. Linolenic acid (18:3) formed about 60% of the fatty acids in the mono- and digalactosyl diglycerides. This fatty acid occurs only in low concentrations (~ 10%) in the triglycerides. Palmitic (16:0) and linoleic (18:2) acids are the most important fatty acids of the phospholipids.