Insights into the fatty acid profile and taxonomy of the extremophilic moss Hedwigia emodica (Bryophyta, Hedwigiales, Hedwigiaceae)

Extremophilic mosses are known to produce a variety of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in response to various abiotic stresses. These fatty acids facilitate in membrane fluidity, enabling their survival in extreme conditions. The present study investigates the fatty acid profile and taxonomy of the extremophilic moss Hedwigia emodica. The species was found in the Northwestern Indian Himalayan region and is characterized by certain identifying features such as straight leaves, 0.6–0.8 mm wide; long hyaline hair-pointed tip ca. 20?40% of leaf length; leaf margins weakly recurved or plane; median leaf cells with simple to minimally branched adaxial papillae, and obscuring cell walls. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis revealed a total of 20 different fatty acids, including saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Notably, ?-linolenic acid is found to be present in the highest amounts,accounting for 35.44% of the total fatty acids, followed by arachidonic acid with 15.05% of the total fatty acids. We also quantified these fatty acids per gram of moss tissue. The content of ?-linolenic acid (?-3 essential fatty acid) was 5059.861±0.66 ?g/g, whereas ?-linoleic acid (?-6 essential fatty acid) was 1785.24±0.00 ?g/g. Furthermore, the amounts of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acid were found to be 1026.37±0.06 and 2137.95±0.05 ?g/g, respectively. Our findings revealed a significant proportion of nutritionally, medicinally, and biologically important fatty acids that can be used for industrial purposes. The present study is the first-ever quantitive estimation of fatty acid content in this taxon, paving the way for further research into the field of moss lipid biochemistry and the environmental influence on moss fatty acids.