Most primary producers synthesize fatty acids, which are essential in the diet of many animals. Interest in the vital nutritional role of essential fatty acids has drawn the attention of diverse fields such as agriculture, aquaculture, and medical science. The human health benefits of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids ('fish oils') have made headlines in the popular press. Still, the potential influence of fatty acids on community and ecosystem ecology is relatively understudied. This project will conduct experiments utilizing a model aquatic food web to investigate two potential ways that fatty acids can contribute to our understanding of food web processes. First, food rich in essential fatty acids should promote higher growth and physiological condition of consumers and thus support a higher trophic transfer efficiency than a system dominated by primary producers low in these essential compounds. Second, this project will rigorously test the potential for using fatty acids as food web tracers. The proposed experiments will simultaneously quantify both the effects of essential fatty acids on trophic transfer efficiency and the potential utility of specific fatty acids as trophic markers across three trophic levels: from algal primary producers, to herbivores, and to predators. This project will also train two graduate students at the interface of ecology and chemistry. At least one undergraduate student from an underrepresented group will participate in this project each year.
