COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT METABOLOME OF MACROPHYTES IN DIFFERENT WATER BODIES IN THE WATER AREA OF THE KANDALAKSHA BAY OF THE WHITE SEA

The Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea underwent a first-of-its-kind comparative examination of the composition of essential oils of structure-forming macrophytes growing in freshwater and saltwater habitats. The essential oils of the aquatic macrophytes Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., Ruppia maritima L., Zostera marina L., Fucus vesiculosus L., and Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis were obtained by steam hydrodistillation using the Clevenger apparatus from dried plants. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS complex SHIMADZU GCMS-QP2010 Ultra) was used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative composition of LMWOCs (low molecular weight organic compounds). The component composition of the low molecular weight metabolome (LM) of macrophytes was shown to depend on both plant species specificity and plant habitat conditions (hydrological features, trophic state). More LMWOCs are found in plants from freshwater habitats than from marine ones. The investigated plants had only a few major compounds, ranging in number from 4 to 14. They accounted for between 70 and 83% of the overall concentration of all compounds in freshwater N. lutea and between 82 and 95% of the total concentration of LMWOCs in marine macrophytes. The most significant (% of the total essential oil) main components in macrophytes were carboxylic acids, specifically hexadecanoic, tetradecanoic, linoleic, and linolenic. The outcomes gained proved that the presence of carboxylic acids is a sign of a healthy macrophyte environment. The composition of LM of plants from northern habitats (marine and freshwater) contains high total concentrations of LMWOCs (including valuable ones from the perspective of economic use), making it possible to consider them as a valuable natural renewable resource for obtaining raw materials for various economic uses.