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Invariability of the composition of fatty acids and other lipids in the pulmonate land snailCepaea nemoralis (L.) during an annual cycle

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Summary

  1. 1.

    No appreciable seasonal changes were noticed in the composition of lipids and fatty acids ofCepaea nemoralis, nor was any indication obtained for a significant depletion of lipids during hibernation.

  2. 2.

    On account of the composition of lipids in this species of snail, the principal function of the lipids is probably structural rather than storage.

  3. 3.

    Although the fatty acid composition of the herbivorous snail is quite different from that of plants, no dietary influence on the fatty acid composition of the animal was detectable.

  4. 4.

    The fatty acid composition of the lipids appears not to be determined by environmental conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Chemical Animal Physiology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

    D. J. van der Horst & D. I. Zandee

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  1. D. J. van der Horst
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  2. D. I. Zandee
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We thank Dr. R. C. H. M. Oudejans for his helpful advice on the preparation of this paper.

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van der Horst, D.J., Zandee, D.I. Invariability of the composition of fatty acids and other lipids in the pulmonate land snailCepaea nemoralis (L.) during an annual cycle. J. Comp. Physiol. 85, 317–326 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00696388

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00696388

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