Introduction
Michael T. Arts and Bruce C. Wainman
This book has two major objectives to fulfill. One is to provide a general reference
on research into lipids in aquatic ecosystems. The second is to provide a comprehensive and authoritative summary for scientists engaged in lipid research and,
especially, those whom the complexity of lipid research has intimidated.
The study of lipids in aquatic ecosystems has matured to the point where it
is necessary to establish a general reference and review book for those interested
in aquatic lipids. The literature on lipids in freshwater aquatic organisms has
expanded greatly over the past 10 years. For many aquatic species, there are now
accurate descriptions of seasonal changes in lipid content, lipid class, and even
fatty acid composition. There are also excellent review articles and even an entire volume of Freshwater Biology (vol. 38) dedicated to lipids. However,
a current and readable critical summary is required for the busy researcher.
This book should also allow researchers to become familiar with work outside their direct field and thus increase the number of aquatic biologists who
can accurately analyze lipids and interpret the ecological significance of their
work.
The second objective relates to the need to demystify lipid research. The main
appeal, and the chief difficulty, of working with lipids is their structural and
functional diversity. This diversity makes lipid research a continual challenge
even for the experienced and somewhat daunting for researchers wanting to
integrate lipid analysis into their work. The analytical difficulties may explain the
abundance of research concerned with methodological problems overcome during
a study. This is not a criticism of the work that is being done. Rather, it is a
recognition of the fact that the analysis and interpretation of lipid are particularly
difficult undertakings. It is the hope of the editors and contributors of this book
that there is enough material within these covers to encourage and simplify the
work of both new and newly interested researchers.
Although other groups of biomolecules are linked by structural and functional
similarity, lipids are linked by one purely physical feature-their solubility in
nonpolar solvents. This makes lipid extraction a relatively simple task but complicates lipid analysis because biomolecules must be separated on their physical
properties.
Michael T. Arts and Bruce C. Wainman
This book has two major objectives to fulfill. One is to provide a general reference
on research into lipids in aquatic ecosystems. The second is to provide a comprehensive and authoritative summary for scientists engaged in lipid research and,
especially, those whom the complexity of lipid research has intimidated.
The study of lipids in aquatic ecosystems has matured to the point where it
is necessary to establish a general reference and review book for those interested
in aquatic lipids. The literature on lipids in freshwater aquatic organisms has
expanded greatly over the past 10 years. For many aquatic species, there are now
accurate descriptions of seasonal changes in lipid content, lipid class, and even
fatty acid composition. There are also excellent review articles and even an entire volume of Freshwater Biology (vol. 38) dedicated to lipids. However,
a current and readable critical summary is required for the busy researcher.
This book should also allow researchers to become familiar with work outside their direct field and thus increase the number of aquatic biologists who
can accurately analyze lipids and interpret the ecological significance of their
work.
The second objective relates to the need to demystify lipid research. The main
appeal, and the chief difficulty, of working with lipids is their structural and
functional diversity. This diversity makes lipid research a continual challenge
even for the experienced and somewhat daunting for researchers wanting to
integrate lipid analysis into their work. The analytical difficulties may explain the
abundance of research concerned with methodological problems overcome during
a study. This is not a criticism of the work that is being done. Rather, it is a
recognition of the fact that the analysis and interpretation of lipid are particularly
difficult undertakings. It is the hope of the editors and contributors of this book
that there is enough material within these covers to encourage and simplify the
work of both new and newly interested researchers.
Although other groups of biomolecules are linked by structural and functional
similarity, lipids are linked by one purely physical feature-their solubility in
nonpolar solvents. This makes lipid extraction a relatively simple task but complicates lipid analysis because biomolecules must be separated on their physical
properties.