"Production, transport, fate and effects of lipids in the marine environment"

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This study is all about taking it to the next level in marine food web research, both in terms of what we are studying and how we are doing it. Aquatic ecosystems occupy the largest part of the biosphere, and lipids in those systems provide the densest form of energy. Lipid dynamics can also strongly influence pollutant accumulation in marine food webs. Among the lipids, certain essential fatty acids and sterols are considered to be drivers of ecosystem health and stability. This study is a continuation of our ongoing program to investigate the importance of lipids in marine organisms and the cycling of these carbon-rich compounds in coastal ecosystems. The study of lipid production and transport through coastal food web levels is timely given continuing problems with fisheries, interest in new fishery species, habitat destruction, untreated waste water discharges, and increasing levels of aquaculture in this region.