Short-chain n-alkanes in benthic mats and mosses from the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

Variation in leaf colour (green, red and grey) of mosses and lake benthic mats in Antarctica is often linked to water stress and ultraviolet light (UV-B) exposure. Changes in the abundance of organic compounds, such as pectin and phenols, are associated with mechanisms protecting against desiccation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organic Geochemistry
Main Authors: Chatterjee, Subham (author), Das, Supriyo Kumar (author), Behera, Pravat Kumar (author), Ghosh, D. (author), Chakraborty, Arindam (author), Patel, Priyank Pravin (author), Ikehara, Minoru (author)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Antarctica
Benthic mat
Larsemann Hills
Moss
n-alkanes
Ultraviolet radiation
Antarctic
East Antarctica
Antarc*
Online Access:http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:9f8568c0-c53e-40de-9b7a-7167ffcb03ec
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2023.104587
Description
Summary:Variation in leaf colour (green, red and grey) of mosses and lake benthic mats in Antarctica is often linked to water stress and ultraviolet light (UV-B) exposure. Changes in the abundance of organic compounds, such as pectin and phenols, are associated with mechanisms protecting against desiccation and UV radiation. However, the function of n-alkanes, especially against UV radiation, is rarely examined. Here, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses were performed to study the variation in n-alkanes in freshwater lake benthic mats and mosses collected from the Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica. Stable isotopes of organic carbon and nitrogen, environmental DNA characterisation and microscopy-based analyses are used to estimate the presence of cyanobacteria, algae and diatoms in moss and benthic mat consortia. Variation in the short-chain (n-C 17 to n-C 20 ) versus long-chain (n-C 21 to n-C 30 ) n-alkanes in the mosses and benthic mats with their colour were noted. The research links the relative abundance of short-chain n-alkanes to the UV-B exposure and proposes that Antarctic mosses and benthic mats synthesise short-chain n-alkanes for protection against UV-B. Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public. Sanitary Engineering

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