Abstract
The sterol constituents of both coral and non-coral-reef animals (mollusks, coelenterates, echinoderms) have been investigated, and determined by gas-liquid chromatography and spectral analyses. All coral-reef animals examined contained larger amounts of C28-sterols, such as 24-methylcholesterol, than non-coral-reef animals. The seastar Acanthaster planci contains the same sterol constituents as some coral-reef coelenterates and mollusks, differing only in the position of the double bond in a steroid ring. This observation suggests the transport of dietary Δ5-sterols to Δ7-sterols through the food-chain in A. planci.
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Communicated by M. Anraku, Nagasaki
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Kanazawa, A., Teshima, S., Ando, T. et al. Sterols in coral-reef animals. Mar. Biol. 34, 53–57 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390787
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390787