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Phytate as a novel phosphorus-specific paleo-indicator in aquatic sediments

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Abstract

A reliable geochemical paleo-indicator for phosphorus remains elusive, despite the importance of understanding historical changes in the nutrient status of aquatic ecosystems. We assessed the potential of phytate (salts of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) as a novel phosphorus-specific paleo-indicator by measuring its concentrations in dated sediments from an embayment in Helsinki, Finland, with a known 200-year history of trophic changes. Phytate was extracted in a solution containing sodium hydroxide and EDTA and detected by solution 31P NMR spectroscopy with spectral deconvolution. Concentrations varied markedly with sediment depth and paralleled previously determined changes in diatom assemblages and geochemical indicators linked to trophic status. In contrast, total sediment phosphorus did not reflect phosphorus inputs to the embayment, presumably due to the mobilization of inorganic phosphate under anoxic conditions during periods of high pollutant loading. Importantly, phytate appeared to be stable in these brackish sediments, in contrast to other organic and inorganic phosphates which declined abruptly with depth. We therefore conclude that phytate represents a potentially important indicator of historical changes in phosphorus inputs to water bodies, although additional studies are required to confirm its stability under conditions likely to be encountered in lakes and coastal ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Alex Blumenfeld (University of Idaho) and Paul Leeson (University of Helsinki) for analytical support, and S. Vaalgamaa and A. Korhola (University of Helsinki) for assistance in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama

    Benjamin L. Turner

  2. Department of Quaternary Geology, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Ø. Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kaarina Weckström

  3. Institute for Limnology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Mondseestrasse 9, 5310, Mondsee, Austria

    Kaarina Weckström

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  1. Benjamin L. Turner
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Correspondence to Benjamin L. Turner.

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Turner, B.L., Weckström, K. Phytate as a novel phosphorus-specific paleo-indicator in aquatic sediments. J Paleolimnol 42, 391–400 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-008-9283-6

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