Figure 1.

Algal blooms in eutrophic aquatic systems use up nutrients and compete for light. If nutrients become limiting first, microalgae may accumulate large amounts of lipids and/or carbohydrates as a survival strategy. The decay of organic matter by bacteria uses up oxygen causing localized anaerobiosis zones. These zones (here shown as grey areas) are present in all aquatic systems but occur at much deeper levels under mesotrophic or oligotrophic conditions. Photosynthetic microalgae require polar polyunsaturated lipids in particular for membrane where fluidity is critical, while most storage lipid occurs in the form of lipid bodies containing triacylglycerides. These typically vary in their composition and typically contain a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids for storage.