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The distribution of chlorophylls, carotenoids and their breakdown products in Lake Kinneret (Israel) sediments
Author(s) -
YACOBI Y.Z.,
MANTOURA R.F.C.,
LLEWELLYN C.A.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1991.tb00503.x
Subject(s) - peridinin , dinoflagellate , fucoxanthin , dinophyceae , water column , chlorophyll a , anoxic waters , neoxanthin , phytoplankton , chlorophyll c , diatom , algae , gymnodinium , botany , oceanography , chlorophyll , environmental chemistry , biology , geology , chemistry , carotenoid , ecology , lutein , zeaxanthin , nutrient , chlorophyll fluorescence
SUMMARY. 1. The sedimentary distribution of chlorophylls, carotenoids and their breakdown products following the winter‐spring bloom of the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense in Lake Kinneret was determined both spatially and vertically within the sediments, using high‐pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). 2. All four stations (epilimnic, oxic St. J (depth = 8m) and D (12m) and hypolimnic, anoxic St. F (21 m) A (41 m) were characterized by the presence of chlorophyll a (chl‐a) chl‐ b , chl‐ c , phaeophytins a (ph'tin‐ a ) and b , phaeophorbide a (ph'bide‐ a ) and lutein, fucoxanthin, diatoxanthin and β‐carotene together with spectrally similar, but HPLC‐resolved, breakdown products in the surface sediments. The central deep station A (41 m), which is seasonally anoxic, trapped and preserved significantly more pigments (e.g. chl‐ a = 16.35 μg g −1 organic matter) than the more erosive, oxic littoral stations (chl‐ a = 1.10 and 0.76μg g −l OM at St. D and J, respectively). 3. Whereas it was possible to ascribe the presence of lutein and chl‐ b to inputs of green algae and higher plants from the catchment, and fucoxanthin and chl‐ c 1 , c 2 to winter diatom blooms (e.g. Melosira granulata ), there was a remarkable absence of peridinin and dinoxanthin from sediments, despite the dominance of dinoflagellates in the phytobiomass. This is consistent with the well‐known oxic lability of this epoxy carotenoid in aquatic systems, and indicates efficient breakdown of this dinoflagellate organic matter in the water column, prior to sedimentation. 4. Although pigment concentrations all decreased with depths within sediments, lutein and β‐carotene were selectively preserved compared to chl‐a and fucoxanthin which, at 40m depth at St. A, decreased to < 1% of their surface concentrations.