Polar lipids and fatty acids of some marine macrophytes from the Yellow Sea

Polar lipid and fatty acid compositions of 26 species of marine macrophytes collected in the Yellow Sea during winter were determined. Each division of seaweeds and seagrasses have distinguishing lipid and fatty acid profiles which have a chemotaxonomic value for marine plants. Algal habitat conditions affect quantitative characteristics of the fatty acids but its influence was not the same for different species. The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in Chinese algae, in comparison with the same or related species from other regions, was found to be noticeably higher for most of the algal species examined. Members of the genera Rhadomela, Gracilaria, Sargassum, Ulva, Enteromorpha (except E. linza) and Zostera had the same ratios of the principal fatty acids as those for related species from other regions. The draining period during low tides affected lipid content and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids in algae but it did not influence the polar lipid and fatty acid profiles.