Sedimentary pigments as markers for environmental change in an Antarctic lake
Fossil pigments were identified in a sediment core from Kirisjes Pond, a small lake in the Larsemann Hills, east Antarctica, using reversed-phase HPLC and LC–MS/MS. Chlorophyll a- and b-derived components indicate the presence of oxygenic primary producers; steryl chlorin esters provide evidence of...
| Published in: | Organic Geochemistry |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2002
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/17443/ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0146638002001778 |
| Summary: | Fossil pigments were identified in a sediment core from Kirisjes Pond, a small lake in the Larsemann Hills, east Antarctica, using reversed-phase HPLC and LC–MS/MS. Chlorophyll a- and b-derived components indicate the presence of oxygenic primary producers; steryl chlorin esters provide evidence of grazing, while shifts in their esterifying sterol composition record changes in the primary producer community. Bacteriochlorophyll c- and d-derived components, indicative of photic zone anoxia, were identified with structural variations including extensive alkylation in the macrocycle up to C6. The pigment distribution reveals a change from oxygenated freshwater to a stratified water body with development of photic zone anoxia. This coincides with a marine incursion identified from diatom records and is followed by re-isolation and reversion to oxygenated freshwater conditions |
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