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Leaf waxes in litter and topsoils along a European transect

Authors :
I. K. Schäfer
V. Lanny
J. Franke
T. I. Eglinton
M. Zech
B. Vysloužilová
R. Zech
Source :
SOIL, Vol 2, Iss 4, Pp 551-564 (2016)
Publication Year :
2016
Publisher :
Copernicus Publications, 2016.

Abstract

Lipid biomarkers are increasingly used to reconstruct past environmental and climate conditions. Leaf-wax-derived long-chain n-alkanes and n-alkanoic acids may have great potential for reconstructing past changes in vegetation, but the factors that affect the leaf wax distribution in fresh plant material, as well as in soils and sediments, are not yet fully understood and need further research. We systematically investigated the influence of vegetation and soil depth on leaf waxes in litter and topsoils along a European transect. The deciduous forest sites are often dominated by the n-C27 alkane and n-C28 alkanoic acid. Conifers produce few n-alkanes but show high abundances of the C24 n-alkanoic acid. Grasslands are characterized by relatively high amounts of C31 and C33 n-alkanes and C32 and C34 n-alkanoic acids. Chain length ratios thus may allow for distinguishing between different vegetation types, but caution must be exercised given the large species-specific variability in chain length patterns. An updated endmember model with the new n-alkane ratio (n-C31 + n-C33) / (n-C27 + n-C31 + n-C33) is provided to illustrate, and tentatively account for, degradation effects on n-alkanes.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
21993971 and 2199398X
Volume :
2
Issue :
4
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
SOIL
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.fc118be2aa984981b5be8a1f94f583f0
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-551-2016