Occurrence of long chain 1,14-diols in Apedinella radians

Long chain 1,14-diols have been reported in diatoms of the genus Proboscia and applied as specific biomarker lipids for such algae. We report here the presence of saturated C28, C30 and C32 1,14-diols in a culture of the marine heterokont alga Apedinella radians (Class Dictyochophyceae, order Pedinellales). Apedinella species occur globally, although predominantly in estuarine waters, so the finding has potential implications for the use of long chain 1,14-diols as biomarkers of Proboscia diatoms and as an indicator of upwelling.