Higher plant vegetation changes during Pliocene sapropel formation

The δ¹³C values of higher plant wax C_27–33 n-alkanes were determined in three, time-equivalent Pliocene (2.943 Ma) sapropels and homogeneous calcareous ooze from three different sites forming an east-west transect in the eastern Mediterranean Basin in order to study the composition of the vegetation on the continents surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. A two-end member mixing model transformed the measured δ¹³C values into the contribution of C₄ plants to the terrestrial vegetation. These calculations indicated a high C₄ plant contribution (i.e. 40–50%) in the periods just before and just after sapropel formation. During sapropel deposition the C₄ plant contribution increased by up to 20% at all sites. This is interpreted to record the increased overall plant coverage of the Mediterranean borderlands resulting from the change in formerly barren desert areas into C₄ grass-dominated savannahs as a response to the wetter climate during sapropel deposition. Enhanced accumulation rates (ARs) of long-chain n-alkanes (C_27–33) and n-alkan-1-ols (C_26–30) towards the middle of the sapropel in concert with a decrease in the Ti/Al ratio confirm an increased delivery of terrigenous organic matter at all sites. These biomarkers were probably predominantly fluvially transported to the Mediterranean Sea, not only by the Nile but by fossil wadi river systems on the northern African continent.