Linoleic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid that is found in some triglycerides and some phospholipids.
Phospholipids are components of cell membranes.
Fig. 1 shows a molecule of linoleic acid.
Fig. 1
The composition of cell membranes of plants changes in response to changes in temperature.
At the start of the cold season, there is an increase in the proportion of phospholipids with unsaturated fatty acids in the chickpea, Cicer arietinum. Chickpea plants that do not make this change do not survive.
Suggest how the increase in the proportion of phospholipids with unsaturated fatty acids helps plants, such as chickpea, survive decreases in temperature.