Samenvatting

Early links in the food web are crucial to sustain higher levels in the food web. Molecules of high importance, for example unsaturated fatty acids, play a key role in aquatic ecosystems. Unsaturated fatty acids are produced by primary producers for instance phytoplankton. Almost all organisms need to obtain these molecules from their diet to function properly. However, some organisms are able to bioconvert precursors of these molecules to the unsaturated fatty acids the organism needs. This study looks at the transfer of unsaturated fatty acids in an aquatic food web. The link from phytoplankton to the small freshwater crustacean Pallaseopsis quadrispinosa was studied.