Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2022, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (4): 93-102.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2022.1.3

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Exploring biomineralization in the tropical western Pacific sediments based on phospholipid fatty acid analysis

YANG Ziyang1,2,3,4(), REN Denglong5, HE Zhipeng6,*(), LI Xuegang1,2,3,4,*(), SONG Jinming1,2,3,4, YUAN Huamao1,2,3,4, DUAN Liqin1,2,3,4, LI Ning1,2,3,4, ZHANG Qian1,4   

  1. 1. CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Science, Qingdao 266071, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
    3. Marine Ecology and Environmental Science Laboratory, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
    4. Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Science, Qingdao 266071, China
    5. Offshore Oil Production Plant of Sinopec Shengli Oilfield Company, Dongying 257237, China
    6. Shandong Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, Jinan 250013, China
  • Received:2021-09-10 Revised:2021-11-15 Online:2022-07-25 Published:2022-07-28
  • Contact: HE Zhipeng,LI Xuegang

Abstract:

Identification of marine sediment mineralization processes plays an important role in the study of biogeochemical cycling of biogenic elements, although such processes—including aerobic respiration, nitrate reduction, iron and manganese reduction, sulfate reduction, etc. —can be difficult to distinguish one from another. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and their influencing factors in different mineralization processes, and further explore the use of PLFAs as sediment mineralization indicator in the tropical western Pacific. The total PLFA content was found to be highest in aerobic respiration and lowest in nitrate reduction. The obvious decrease of the sum of 14:0, i14:0, i15:0 and i19:0—the main components of microbial PLFA in aerobic respiration—could have certain indication for the occurrence of nitrate reduction; whilst the decrease of the sum of 10:0, 17:0, 20:0 and 22:0 could indicate the occurrence of sulfate reduction. In the sediments of the tropical western Pacific, the total organic carbon (TOC), total organic nitrogen (TON) and NO3-N content in porewater were important factors influencing PLFA. as the total PLFA content decreased with decreasing TOC and TON, whilst the degradation of TOC and TON promoted the degradation of PLFA, which had a more direct impact on the PLFA composition.

Key words: phospholipid fatty acid, mineralization, indicative function, marine sediment, tropical western Pacific

CLC Number: