The pyridazinone B A S 13 -338 (S A N 9785) inhibits the desaturation sequence leading to polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly o f glycolipids. Parallel to the inhibition of fatty acid desatura tion in the presence o f the pyridazinone, changes in energy-distribution parameters have been observed. These data indicate that the amount o f polyunsaturated fatty acids in glycolipids is strongly correlated with excitation, trapping, grouping and dissipation, but not with spillover. Functional changes in energy distribution induced by B A S 13-338 are interpreted as a conse quence of structural changes in the lipid matrix, which may imply a structure-function relationship betw een pigment protein com plexes and the surrounding lipid environm ent in thylakoids.