Membrane Fatty Acid Explorer

Membrane Fluidity: Cold-water fish adjust their membrane composition to stay functional in freezing temperatures.

• Double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids create kinks in the carbon chain
• Kinks prevent tight packing, keeping membranes fluid at low temperatures
• Fish increase unsaturated fatty acids in winter through dietary changes

Cholesterol as a Fluidity Buffer: Cholesterol molecules wedge between phospholipids, preventing tight packing at low temps (increasing fluidity) while restricting movement at high temps (decreasing fluidity). This keeps membrane fluidity stable across temperature changes.

Use the temperature slider to observe how membrane fluidity changes!