Lipids in Evolution

1 · Introduction.- 2 · The Nature of Lipids.- 3 · Dating and Chronology.- A. Orienting Remarks.- B. The Age of the Universe.- C. The Age of the Earth.- D. Continental Posiltion and Age.- E. Dating of Biological Events.- 4 · The Paleontological Record.- A. Extraterrestrial Lipids and Other Molecules.- 1. Cosmic Atoms and Molecules.- 2. Molecules on the Moon.- 3. Molecules in Meteorites.- B. Terrestrial Fossils.- 1. Molecular Fossils.- 2. Organismic Fossils.- C. Evolutionary Lines.- 5 · The Origin of Oxygen.- A. Geological and Astrophysical Evidence.- B. The Lipid Testimony.- 1. Anaerobic Biosynthesis.- 2. Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Desaturation of Fatty Acids.- 3. Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Growth of Yeast.- 4. Anaerobic Biosynthesis in Aerobes.- 5. Sterol Biosynthesis and Phyla Evolution.- 6. Sterol Biosynthesis in Prokaryotes.- 7. The Possibility of Recapitulation.- 8. Additions of Aerobic Steps.- C. Summary.- 6 · The Temperature and pH Problem.- A. Maximum Limits for Organisms.- B. Lipids of Thermophiles.- 1. Cyanidium caldarium.- 2. The Genus Mastigocladus.- 3. The Genus Synechococcus.- 4. The Genus Thermus.- 5. The Genus Bacillus.- 6. The Genus Sulfolobus.- 7. Thermoplasma acidophilum.- C. Summary.- 7 · Phylogenetics and Occurrence.- A. Orienting Remarks.- B. Affinities among Individuals and Species.- 1. General Remarks.- 2. Individual Differences.- 3. Interspecific Relations among Bacteria.- 4. Sterols as a Genus Marker.- 5. Interspecific Significance of Fatty Acids, Fatty Alcohols, and Hydrocarbons.- 6. Interspecific Sesqui-, Di-, and Triterpenoids.- 7. Cyanolipids as Genus Markers.- 8. Summary.- C. Affinities among Genera and Families.- 1. Halogenated Lipids.- 2. Cyanolipids.- 3. Sulfolipids.- 4. Fatty Alcohols.- 5. The Terpenes of Photosynthetic Plants and Insects.- 6. Bacterial Lipids.- 7. Lipids of Photosynthetic Prokaryotes.- 8. Lipids of Fungi.- 9. Lipids of Invertebrate Animals.- 10. Sterols of Eukaryotes.- 8 · Phylogenetics and Biosynthesis.- A. Sterol Biosynthesis.- 1. Photosynthetic vs. Nonphotosynthetic Routes.- 2. Plant vs. Animal Routes.- 3. Primitive Routes.- 4. Sequence.- B. Fatty Acid Biosynthesis.- 1. Orienting Remarks.- 2. Nonphotosynthetic Eukaryotes.- 3. Photosynthetic Eukaryotes.- 4. Prokaryotes.- 5. Unusual Fatty Acids.- C. Hydrocarbon Biosynthesis.- 9 · Conclusions.- References.- Author Index.... Mehr