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Long‐chain alkanediols: Biological markers for cyanobacterial contributions to sediments
Author(s) -
Morris R. J.,
Brassell S. C.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02535468
Subject(s) - lipidology , clinical chemistry , long chain , chemistry , biology , computational biology , biochemistry , polymer science
Abstract One significant family of sedimentary lipids of widespread occurrence are series of C 28 –C 32 alkanediols and hydroxyketones. The recognition of the same series of alkanediols as major lipid components of a field population of the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae leads us to propose that these lipids are markers for cyanobacterial inputs to sediments. The frequency of occurrence of the alkanediols in sedimentary environments supports the recent finding that cyanobacteria are major contributors to the aquatic biomass.