Comparison of different chain n-fatty acids in modern plants on the Loess Plateau of China

Abstract

n-Fatty acids (n-FAs) are widely investigated in lake sediments, yet less attention has been given to soil sedimentary n-FAs primarily derived from terrestrial plants. In this study, we performed an analysis of n-FA distributions in modern plants on the Loess Plateau, China. It showed that n-FAs were generally dominated by n-C₁₆, and that short-chain (C₁₆–C₂₀), medium-chain (C₂₂–C₂₆) and long-chain (C₂₈–C₃₂) n-FAs accounted for 49.7%, 33.7% and 16.6%, respectively. The LTR (long-chain/total ratio), and medium-chain EOP (even/odd predominance) are likely to differentiate between dicots and monocots in modern plants. It is believed that this study will promote the paleo-application of soil sedimentary n-FAs on the Loess Plateau.

Keywords

n-fatty acids / terrestrial higher plants / Chinese Loess Plateau

References

[1] Aichner B, Feakins S J, Lee J E, Herzschuh U, Liu X (2015). High-resolution leaf wax carbon and hydrogen isotopic record of the late Holocene paleoclimate in arid Central Asia. Clim Past, 11(4): 619–633

[2] An Z S, Kukla G J, Porter S C, Xiao J (1991). Magnetic susceptibility evidence of monsoon variation on the Loess Plateau of central China during the last 130000 years. Quat Res, 36(1): 29–36

[3] Ardenghi N, Mulch A, Pross J, Niedermeyer E M (2017). Leaf wax n-alkane extraction: an optimized procedure. Org Geochem, 113: 283–292

[4] Badewien T, Vogts A, Rullkötter J (2015). n-Alkane distribution and carbon stable isotope composition in leaf waxes of C₃ and C₄ plant from Angola. Org Geochem, 89–90: 71–79

[5] Buggle B, Wiesenberg G L B, Glaser B (2010). Is there a possibility to correct fossil n-alkane data for postsedimentary alteration effects? Appl Geochem, 25(7): 947–957

[6] Bush R T, McInerney F A (2013). Leaf wax n-alkane distributions in and across modern plants: implications for paleoecology and chemotaxonomy. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 117: 161–179

[7] Chikaraishi Y, Naraoka H (2007). d¹³C and δD relationships among three n-alkyl compound classes (n-alkanoic acid, n-alkane and n-alkanol) of terrestrial higher plants. Org Geochem, 38(2): 198–215

[8] Cranwell P A, Eglinton G, Robinson N (1987). Lipids of aquatic organisms as potential contributors to lacustrine sediments–II. Org Geochem, 11(6): 513–527

[9] Diefendorf A F, Freeman K H, Wing S L, Graham H V (2011). Production of n-alkyl lipids in living plants and implications for the geologic past. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 75(23): 7472–7485

[10] Diefendorf A F, Freimuth E J (2017). Extracting the most from terrestrial plant-derived n-alkyl lipids and their carbon isotopes from the sedimentary record: a review. Org Geochem, 103: 1–21

[11] Douglas P M J, Pagani M, Brenner M, Hodell D A, Curtis J H (2012). Aridity and vegetation composition are important determinants of leaf-wax δD values in southeastern Mexico and Central America. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 97: 24–45

[12] Eglinton T I, Eglinton G (2008). Molecular proxies for paleoclimatology. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 275(1-2): 1–16

[13] Fang J, Wu F, Xiong Y, Li F, Du X, An D, Wang L (2014). Source characterization of sedimentary organic matter using molecular and stable carbon isotopic composition of n-alkanes and fatty acids in sediment core from Lake Dianchi, China. Sci Total Environ, 473–474: 410–421

[14] Feakins S J, Bentley L P, Salinas N, Shenkin A, Blonder B, Goldsmith G R, Ponton C, Arvin L J, Wu M S, Peters T, West A J, Martin R E, Enquist B J, Asner G P, Malhi Y (2016). Plant leaf wax biomarkers capture gradients in hydrogen isotopes of precipitation from the Andes and Amazon. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 182: 155–172

[15] Ficken K J, Li B, Swain D L, Eglinton G (2000). An n-alkane proxy for the sedimentary input of submerged/floating freshwater aquatic macrophytes. Org Geochem, 31(7-8): 745–749

[16] Ficken K J, Street-Perrot F A, Perrot R A, Swain D O, Olago G, Eglinton G (1998). Glacial/interglacial variations in carbon cycling revealed by molecular and isotope stratigraphy of Lake Nkunga, Mt Kenya, East Africa. Org Geochem, 29(5-7): 1701–1719

[17] Freimuth E J, Diefendorf A F, Lowell T V (2017). Hydrogen isotopes of n-alkanes and n-alkanoic acids as tracers of precipitation in a temperate forest and implications for paleorecords. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 206: 166–183

[18] Gao L, Edwards E J, Zeng Y, Huang Y (2014). Major evolutionary trends in hydrogen isotope fractionation of vascular plant leaf waxes. PLoS One, 9(11)

[19] Gao L, Hou J, Toney J, MacDonald D, Huang Y (2011). Mathematical modeling of the aquatic macrophyte inputs of mid-chain n-alkyl lipids to lake sediments: implications for interpreting compound specific hydrogen isotopic records. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 75(13): 3781–3791

[20] Gong C R, Hollander D J (1997). Differential contribution of bacteria to sedimentary organic matter in oxic and anoxic environments, Santa Monica Basin, California. Org Geochem, 26(9-10): 545–563

[21] He Y, Zhao C, Liu Z, Wang H, Liu W, Yu Z, Zhao Y, Ito E (2016). Holocene climate controls on water isotopic variations on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chem Geol, 440: 239–247

[22] Helliker B R, Ehleringer J R (2000). Establishing a grassland signature in veins: ¹⁸O in the leaf water of C₃ and C₄ grasses. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 97(14): 7894–7898

[23] Horton T W, Defliese W F, Tripati A K, Oze C (2016). Evaporation induced ¹⁸O and ¹³C enrichment in lake systems: a global perspective on hydrologic balance effects. Quat Sci Rev, 131: 365–379

[24] Hou J, D’ Andrea W J, Wang M, He Y, Liang J (2017). Influence of the Indian monsoon and the subtropical jet on climate change on the Tibetan Plateau since the late Pleistocene. Quat Sci Rev, 163: 84–94

[25] Hou J, D’Andrea W J, Huang Y (2008). Can sedimentary leaf waxes record D/H ratios of continental precipitation? Field, model, and experimental assessments. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 72(14): 3503–3517

[26] Hou J, D’Andrea W J, MacDonald D, Huang Y (2007). Hydrogen isotopic variability in leaf waxes among terrestrial and aquatic plants around Blood Pond, Massachusetts (USA). Org Geochem, 38(6): 977–984

[27] Huang X, Meyers P A, Xue J, Zhang Y, Wang X (2016). Paleoclimate significance of n-alkane molecular distributions and δ²H values in surface peats across the monsoon region of China. Palaeogeogr Palaeocl, 461: 77–86

[28] Ishiwatari R, Yamamoto S, Shinoyama S (2006). Lignin and fatty acid records in Lake Baikal sediments over the last 130 kyr: a comparison with pollen records. Org Geochem, 37(12): 1787–1802

[29] Ishiwatari R, Yamamoto S, Uemura H (2005). Lipid and lignin/cutin compounds in Lake Baikal sediments over the last 37 kyr: implications for glacial-interglacial palaeoenvironmental change. Org Geochem, 36(3): 327–347

[30] Kunst L, Samuels A L (2003). Biosynthesis and secretion of plant cuticular wax. Prog Lipid Res, 42(1): 51–80

[31] Liu J Z, Liu W G, An Z S, Yang H (2016). Different hydrogen isotope fractionations during lipid formation driving n-alkane D/H ratios in higher plants: implications for paleohydrology reconstruction at a global scale. Sci Rep, 6: 19711

[32] Liu J Z, An Z, Wang Z, Wu H (2017). Using δD_n-alkane as a proxy for paleo-environmental reconstruction: a good choice to sample at the site dominated by woods. Sci Total Environ, 599-600: 554–559

[33] Liu J Z, An Z S, Liu H (2018a). Leaf wax n-alkane distributions across plant types in the central Chinese Loess Plateau. Org Geochem, 125: 260–269

[34] Liu J Z, An Z S (2018). A hierarchical framework for disentangling different controls on leaf wax δD_n-alkane values in terrestrial higher plants. Quat Sci Rev, 201: 409–417

[35] Liu J Z, An Z S, Wu H, Yu Y (2019). Comparison of n-alkane concentrations and δD values between leaves and roots in modern plants on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Org Geochem, 138: 103913

[36] Liu H, Yang H, Cao Y, Leng Q, Liu W G (2018b). Inter-molecular variations of fatty acid δD in algae and submerged plants from the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Org Geochem, 122: 17–28

[37] Naraoka H, Ishiwatari R (1999). Carbon isotopic compositions of individual long-chain n-fatty acids and n-alkanes in sediment from river open to ocean: multiple origins for their occurrence. Geochem J, 33(4): 215–235

[38] Naraoka H, Ishiwatari R (2000). Molecular and isotopic abundances of long-chain n-fatty acids in open marine sediments of the western North Pacific. Chem Geol, 165(1–2): 23–36

[39] Ouyang X, Guo F, Bu H (2015). Lipid biomarkers and pertinent indices from aquatic environment record paleoclimate and paleoenvironment changes. Quat Sci Rev, 123: 180–192

[40] Pearson E J, Farrimond P, Juggins S (2007). Lipid geochemistry of lake sediments from semi-arid Spain: relationships with source inputs and environmental factors. Org Geochem, 38(7): 1169–1195

[41] Sachse D, Billault I, Bowen G J, Chikaraishi Y, Dawson T E, Feakins S J, Freeman K H, Magill C R, McInerney F A, van der Meer M T J, Polissar P, Robins R J, Sachs J P, Schmidt H L, Sessions A L, White J W C, West J B, Kahmen A (2012). Molecular paleohydrology: interpreting the hydrogen-isotopic composition of lipid biomarkers from photosynthesizing organisms. Annu Rev Earth Planet Sci, 40(1): 221–249

[42] Samuels L, Kunst L, Jetter R (2008). Sealing plant surfaces: cuticular wax formation by epidermal cells. Annu Rev Plant Biol, 59(1): 683–707

[43] Seki O, Kawamura K, Ishiwatari R (2012). Assessment of hydrogen isotopic compositions of n-fatty acids as paleoclimate proxies in Lake Biwa sediments. J Quaternary Sci, 27(9): 884–890

[44] Wang H, Liu W G, Zhang C (2014). Dependence of the cyclization of branched tetraethers on soil moisture in alkane soil from arid-subhumid China: implications for paleorainfall reconstructions on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Biogeosciences, 11(23): 6755–6768

[45] Wang Z, Liu H, Cao Y N (2018). Choosing a suitable ε_w-p by distinguishing the dominant plant sources in sediment records using a new Pta index and estimating the paleo-δD_p spatial distribution in China. Org Geochem, 121: 161–168

[46] Wang Z, Liu W G (2012). Carbon chain length distribution in n-alkyl lipids: a process for evaluating source inputs to Lake Qinghai. Org Geochem, 50: 36–43

[47] Zech M, Krause T, Meszner S, Faust D (2013). Incorrect when uncorrected: reconstructing vegetation history using n-alkane biomarkers in loess-paleosol sequences–a case study from the Saxonian loess region, Germany. Quat Int, 296: 108–116

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press