Fig. 1: Membrane Lipids of Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya

The Bacteria and the Eukarya have membranes composed of unbranched fatty acid chains attached to glycerol by ester linkages. The Archaea have membranes composed of branched hydrocarbon chains attached to glycerol by ether linkages.

Illustration of Membrane Lipids of Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.jpg by Gary E. Kaiser, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology, The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://cwoer.ccbcmd.edu/science/microbiology/index_gos.html.

Creative Commons License

Last updated: Feb., 2021
Please send comments and inquiries to Dr. Gary Kaiser