绿河油页岩中的开链醇化合物

研究了美国绿河盆地的23个未成熟的露头油页岩样品,其中 13个样品取自Laney组,为半温湿半干燥气候下沉积于较浅的封闭水体的盐湖中心,含有丰富的有机质;另外 10个样品取自LumanTongue组,为潮湿气候下沉积于近岸的水体开放的淡水环境,其有机质含量较低。所有样品均富含从C₁₁至C₂₀ 的同分异构体丰富的饱和类异戊二烯醇类化合物。此外还检出了一整套直链一元仲醇同系物,其碳数从 10至 33,而羟基可在任何理论上可能的碳位上。伯醇含量较低。研究结果表明,绿河油页岩中的有机质分别在沉积过程中和被抬升之后遭受了两次微生物降解。除伯醇的分布有生物来源特征外,其余的开链醇化合物是在绿河层系抬升至地表后微生物对其中烃类化合物降解的产物。文中将绿河油页岩有机质中异常高的氧指数归因于微生物降解,并探讨了其开链醇化合物的分布与物源、沉积环境及微生物降解程度的相关性。盐湖相Laney组的直链醇以低碳数组分为主,反映其有机质以菌藻为主的物源,与干燥的古气候相一致;淡水相LumanTongue组则以高碳数组分为主,有着明显优势的高等植物来源,与其潮湿的古气候相吻合。在沉积过程中,淡水相的LumanTongue组中的有机质遭受了比盐湖相的Laney组中的有机质更强的微生物降解,这意味着盐湖环境。     

Distribution of microbial fatty acids and fatty alcohols in soils from an altitude transect of Mt. Jianfengling in Hainan,China: Implication for paleoaltimetry and paleotemperature reconstruction

The temperature gradient along the altitude transect of Mt.Jianfengling provides a good opportunity to establish and evaluate the microbial lipid-based environmental proxies.The soils collected from 14 different altitudes of Mt.Jianfengling contain abundant microbial fatty acids and fatty alcohols,including iso/anteiso fatty acids(i/aC12:0–i/aC19:0),10-Me-C16:0 fatty acid,iso/anteiso fatty alcohols(i/aC13–iC26),10-Me-C16:0 fatty alcohol and unsaturated fatty alcohols,which can indicate a strong microbial activity in the Jianfengling soils.The branched and unsaturated fatty alcohols can be only detected when saponification is performed,implying that these lipids are present as the constituents of bacterial wax esters in the soils.The ratio of aC15/iC15 fatty acids is positively correlated with altitude,suggesting that the decrease in temperature can induce the increase in the relative abundance of anteiso C15 fatty acid.In contrast,the ratio of aC15/iC15 fatty alcohols and of aC15/nC15 fatty alcohols both decrease with increased altitude or decreased temperature.Similarly,the ratio of nC18:1/nC18:0 fatty alcohols also decreases with decreased temperature,which is opposite to the previous observation that unsaturation of fatty acids in microorganism increases in response to decreased temperature.Besides,the average chain length(ACL)of long chain fatty alcohols(C22–C30)from leaf waxes and carbon preference index(CPI)of all n-fatty alcohols are also significantly correlated with altitude or mean annual temperature,demonstrating their potential for paleoclimate reconstruction.The correlation of microbial fatty acids and alcohols as well as ACL and CPI of plant wax-derived fatty alcohols with altitude may provide novel ways to reconstruct paleotemperature and paleoaltimetry.