Fats in Plants

[MrMistery]

Plants acumulate energy under the form of starch. Only a small number of plants acumulate fats and that is only in their seeds(example: sun-flower). Something like 99% of the fat from a plant is in the membranes of cells.
Animals accumulate energy under the form of glycogen. If they eat too much or eat too many lipids however, and the glycogen capacity is exceded, the body "stockpiles" energy under the form of tryglicerides in adipose tissue. Some animals have learned too use this function-ex:bears eat much more than they consume during summer in order to get fat and to able to hibernate all winter.
Or something like that....

[mothorc]

Why do you say "Something like 99% of the fat from a plant is in the membranes of cells". Please give the references if you don't know exactly

[har0bed1813]

do you mean that animals have fat as storage, and plants have got starchy parts (like potatoplants have potatoes) to do the same job?
(just a summary for the less educated among us... )

[MrMistery]

@har0bed1813
No, animals have glycogen. only if the glycogen capacity is exceded, the energy is stored into lipids
@mothroc
No, i don't have the reference. I have read about 20 botany books in my life, and looked around another 20-25...

[protozoan]

Mothorc wrote:

Now we return the topic "fatty acids in plant tissue"
Why they accumulate most in seed?

For the same reason as in animals, plant embryo of spermatophytes (seed plants) doesnt do photosynthesis and doesnt make own organic compounds for chemical energy thus to germinate it draws chemical energy and material for own from organic compounds like lipids or proteins which are in the reserve tissues. In other words tissues in seeds have evolved (endosperm, perisperm or own embryo tissue too in matter of fact) in order to nourish plant embryo during its germination before the plants start to make organic compounds from anorganic by the photosynthesis.