Fatty acid composition of a new marine picoplankton species of the Chromophyta

A marine yellowish picoplankton, strain PP301, which was newly isolated from the surface seawater of the western Pacific Ocean was an eminent producer of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its fatty acids were mostly shared by the shortest saturated form (14:0, 20-30%) and polyunsaturated forms (20:4, EPA and DHA) which accounted for about 50% of the total fatty acids. The amount of intermediate forms in 16 and 18 carbon chains were very little. This composition was consistently observed irrespective of the growth temperatures (15-35 degrees C).