Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies

We present elemental, lipid biomarker and, in the supplement, compound-specific isotope (<i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C, <i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H) data for soils and leaf litter collected in the catchment of Lake Ohrid (Albania, Macedonia), as well as macrophyte...

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Main Authors: J. Holtvoeth, D. Rushworth, H. Copsey, A. Imeri, M. Cara, H. Vogel, T. Wagner, G. A. Wolff
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2016-02-01
Series:Biogeosciences
Online Access:http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/795/2016/bg-13-795-2016.pdf
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spelling doaj-8626d5bbc3eb41cda962dca26c4080c62020-11-24T21:10:28ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892016-02-0113379581610.5194/bg-13-795-2016Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxiesJ. Holtvoeth0D. Rushworth1H. Copsey2A. Imeri3M. Cara4H. Vogel5T. Wagner6G. A. Wolff7Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKDepartment of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKSchool of Chemistry, Organic Geochemistry Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UKFaculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, AlbaniaFaculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, AlbaniaInstitute of Geological Sciences & Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandSchool of Civil Engineering & Geosciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UKDepartment of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKWe present elemental, lipid biomarker and, in the supplement, compound-specific isotope (<i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C, <i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H) data for soils and leaf litter collected in the catchment of Lake Ohrid (Albania, Macedonia), as well as macrophytes, particulate organic matter and sediments from the lake itself. Lake Ohrid provides an outstanding archive of continental environmental change of at least 1.2 million years and the purpose of our study is to ground truth organic geochemical proxies that we developed in order to study past changes in the terrestrial biome. We show that soils dominate the lipid signal of the lake sediments rather than the vegetation or aquatic biomass. There is a strong imprint of suberin monomers on the composition of total lipid extracts and chain-length distributions of <i>n</i>-alkanoic acids, <i>n</i>-alcohols, <i>ω</i>-hydroxy acids and <i>α</i>, <i>ω</i>-dicarboxylic acids. Our end-member survey identifies that ratios of mid-chain length suberin-derived to long-chain length cuticular-derived alkyl compounds as well as their average chain length distributions can be used as new molecular proxies of organic matter sources to the lake. We tested these for the 8.2 ka event, a pronounced and widespread Holocene climate fluctuation. In SE Europe climate became drier and cooler in response to the event, as is clearly recognisable in the carbonate and organic carbon records of Lake Ohrid sediments. Our new proxies indicate biome modification in response to hydrological changes, identifying two phases of increased soil organic matter (OM) supply, first from soils with moderately degraded OM and then from more degraded soils. Our study demonstrates that geochemical fingerprinting of terrestrial OM should focus on the main lipid sources, rather than the living biomass. Both can exhibit climate-controlled variability, but are generally not identical.http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/795/2016/bg-13-795-2016.pdf
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author J. Holtvoeth
D. Rushworth
H. Copsey
A. Imeri
M. Cara
H. Vogel
T. Wagner
G. A. Wolff
spellingShingle J. Holtvoeth
D. Rushworth
H. Copsey
A. Imeri
M. Cara
H. Vogel
T. Wagner
G. A. Wolff
Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
Biogeosciences
author_facet J. Holtvoeth
D. Rushworth
H. Copsey
A. Imeri
M. Cara
H. Vogel
T. Wagner
G. A. Wolff
author_sort J. Holtvoeth
title Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
title_short Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
title_full Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
title_fullStr Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
title_full_unstemmed Improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
title_sort improved end-member characterisation of modern organic matter pools in the ohrid basin (albania, macedonia) and evaluation of new palaeoenvironmental proxies
publisher Copernicus Publications
series Biogeosciences
issn 1726-4170
1726-4189
publishDate 2016-02-01
description We present elemental, lipid biomarker and, in the supplement, compound-specific isotope (<i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C, <i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H) data for soils and leaf litter collected in the catchment of Lake Ohrid (Albania, Macedonia), as well as macrophytes, particulate organic matter and sediments from the lake itself. Lake Ohrid provides an outstanding archive of continental environmental change of at least 1.2 million years and the purpose of our study is to ground truth organic geochemical proxies that we developed in order to study past changes in the terrestrial biome. We show that soils dominate the lipid signal of the lake sediments rather than the vegetation or aquatic biomass. There is a strong imprint of suberin monomers on the composition of total lipid extracts and chain-length distributions of <i>n</i>-alkanoic acids, <i>n</i>-alcohols, <i>ω</i>-hydroxy acids and <i>α</i>, <i>ω</i>-dicarboxylic acids. Our end-member survey identifies that ratios of mid-chain length suberin-derived to long-chain length cuticular-derived alkyl compounds as well as their average chain length distributions can be used as new molecular proxies of organic matter sources to the lake. We tested these for the 8.2 ka event, a pronounced and widespread Holocene climate fluctuation. In SE Europe climate became drier and cooler in response to the event, as is clearly recognisable in the carbonate and organic carbon records of Lake Ohrid sediments. Our new proxies indicate biome modification in response to hydrological changes, identifying two phases of increased soil organic matter (OM) supply, first from soils with moderately degraded OM and then from more degraded soils. Our study demonstrates that geochemical fingerprinting of terrestrial OM should focus on the main lipid sources, rather than the living biomass. Both can exhibit climate-controlled variability, but are generally not identical.
url http://www.biogeosciences.net/13/795/2016/bg-13-795-2016.pdf
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