Paleoaltimetry proxies based on bacterial branched tetraether membrane lipids in soils

Abstract

The MBT/CBT (Methylation Index of Branched Tetraethers/Cyclisation ratio of Branched Tetraether) proxy, a terrestrial paleothermometer based on bacterial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (bGDGTs), was employed to indicate altimetry; however, the mechanistic control on this proxy is still ambiguous. Here, we investigated the bGDGTs’ distribution and associated environmental factors along an altitude transect of Mt. Shennongjia in China in order to determine the applicability of bGDGT-based proxies to altimetry reconstruction. The MBT index exhibits only a weak correlation with estimated mean annual air temperature (MAT_e, estimated according to the meteorological record and lapse rate) or altitude. Likewise, MBT shows weak or no relationship with temperature or altitude at four other mountains (Mts. Meghalaya, Jianfengling, Gongga, and Rungwe). It is notable that mean annual air temperature (MAT) or altitude estimated by the MBT/CBT proxy largely relies on CBT, rather than on MBT, which was generally acknowledged. The poor relationship between MBT and MAT_e for Mt. Shennongjia can be ascribed to the insensitive response of bGDGT-I to temperature. Our data from this mountain imply that care should be taken if the MBT/CBT proxy is employed as an indication of paleoaltimetry. We propose that the fractional abundance of bGDGTs may be a better paleoaltimeter than the MBT/CBT proxy, because specific bGDGT subsets that might show the most sensitive response to temperature can be preferentially selected using a statistical method and used to establish local calibration. This local calibration was applied to Mt. Shennongjia and apparently improves the accuracy of temperature and altimetry reconstruction. The differential response of bGDGTs to temperature among mountains suggests that local calibrations are needed to better constrain the altimetry.

Keywords

branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers / soil pH / paleoaltimetry / temperatures

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