No abstract

Total fatty acid content increased with age in batch cultures of Phaeodactylum tr'cornutum. Chromatographic analysis revealed changes in the fatty acid composition of the diatom grown in natural enriched medium. Particularly noticeable was the storage of palmitic and palmitoleic acids by the end of the growth period, to the detriment of eicosapentaenoic acid. This study also gives evidence of the importance of oleic acid as a precursor in the biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in thls diatom. Phosphorus limitation also led to a significant increase in the total fatty acid cell content of P. tricornutum and Dunaliella tertiolecta. When P. tricornutum was cultured in phosphorusdeficient medium, the fatty acid composition was similar to that of a senescent batch culture. When division rate was reduced, oleic acid content of D. tertiolecta increased, confirming this fatty acid as an intermediate component in the lipid metabolism of this chlorophyte during the division processes.

Anticipating the effects of climate change on biodiversity is now critical for managing wild species and ecosystems. Climate change is a global driver and thus affects biodiversity globally. However, land-use planners and natural resource managers need regional or even local predictions. This provides scientists with formidable challenges given the poor documentation of biodiversity and its complex relationships with climate. We are approaching this problem in Quebec, Canada, through the CC-Bio Project (http://cc‑bio.uqar.ca/), using a boundary organization as a catalyst for team work involving climate modelers, biologists, naturalists, and biodiversity managers. In this paper we present the CC-Bio Project and its general approach, some preliminary results, the emerging hypothesis of the northern biodiversity paradox (a potential increase of biodiversity in northern ecosystems due to climate change), and an early assessment of the conservation implications generated by our team work

No abstract

No abstract