First calibration and application of leaf wax n-alkane biomarkers in loess-paleosol sequences and modern plants and soils in armenia

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Interpreting paleoenvironmental conditions by means of n-alkane biomarker analyses is challenging because results depend on different influencing factors. Thus, regional calibration of n-alkane patterns is needed because of different plant chemo-taxonomic behavior. We investigated for the first-time leaf wax-derived n-alkane biomarkers from modern plants, litter, top soils, and two recently discovered loess-paleosol sequences(LPSs)in Armenia(Lesser Caucasus). Our results on modern samples show a promising discrimination power based on n-alkane chain length nC33(probably nC31))for grasses and herbs versus nC29 for deciduous trees, despite the large interplant variability within vegetation groups. In contrast with other Loess records in Europe, where Late Pleistocene environments are ranging from tundra-like(glacial)to deciduous forest habitats(interglacial), our results from two Armenian LPSs suggest a transition from humid-steppe biome or forest-steppe vegetation dominating during interglacial periods, to semi-desert shrubs species more adapted to the enhanced aridity during glacial periods.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number263
JournalGeosciences (Switzerland)
Volume9
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2019
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-0772-2984/work/142255899

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Armenia, Leaf wax biomarker, Lesser Caucasus, Loess, N-alkane, Paleo-environment, Paleosol