Variations in structures and distributions of C25 highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes in cultures of the diatom, Haslea ostrearia (Simonsen)

The highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes of three batch cultures of the diatom Haslea ostrearia have been examined and the occurrence of C25 tri-, tetra- and pentaenes confirmed. Growth of cultures outside at ambient temperature, under natural sunlight, in May (6 days) and June (10 days) 1995 and monitoring of HBI concentrations in samples collected daily and stored frozen, revealed that in May greater concentrations of HBIs (ca 6500 fg cell−1) were produced than in June and at a much earlier stage of growth. Furthermore, in May the HBIs were more unsaturated (predominantly a tetraene rather than a triene). The reasons for these differences are at present unknown and future investigations of the effect of irradiance, temperature, salinity and other environmental variables are required. Such experiments may allow the various HBI distributions in the alga and in sediments to be better understood and, like some other polyunsaturated lipids, HBI alkenes may become useful environmental and palaeoenvironmental indicators. Two previously unreported alkenes, 2,6,10,14-tetramethyl-7-(3-methylpent-4-enyl)pentadec-2,5,9,13-ene (GC retention index, 2201DB-1) and 2,6,10,14-tetramethyl-7-(3-methylene pent-4-enyl)pentadec-2,5,9,13-ene (GC RI, 2248DB-1) from a batch culture of Haslea ostrearia grown in October/November 1993 and stored frozen for over a year, have also been isolated and characterised by 13C and 1H NMR, epoxide derivatisation and mass spectrometry. Such structural characterisation studies of HBI alkenes should also aid our understanding of the geochemical fate of these widely distributed hydrocarbons.