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Primary production in Lake La Cruz (Spain) over the last four centuries: reconstruction based on sedimentary signal of photosynthetic pigments

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Abstract

We analysed photosynthetic pigments in annually laminated sediment of meromictic Lake La Cruz, Spain, to cope with the timing and characterisation of primary productivity changes over the last four centuries. The photosynthetic pigments identified included chlorophyll a and b (and its derivatives) and specific carotenoids of different algal groups, such as zeaxanthin, lutein, alloxanthin, diadinoxanthin and diatoxanthin among others. Marker pigments of phototrophic sulfur bacteria were also observed, including bacteriochlorophyll a derivatives, homologue series of bacteriophaeophytins d and bacterial carotenoids okenone and chlorobactene. We investigated the diagenetic processes of pigment alteration in anoxic sediments and the possible implications for paleoproductivity reconstruction and interpretation. The lack of systematic down-core changes in diagenetic indicators suggests that variability of sedimentary pigment concentrations is the result of changes in lake productivity. The lower concentration of algal photosynthetic pigments in the bottom of sediment sequence corresponds to the onset of meromictic conditions. Before that, sediment was not continuously anoxic and the preservation of pigments was reduced. Regarding photosynthetic bacteria, green sulfur bacteria derivatives indicate that population growth was limited until the settled organic matter was sufficient to provide enough sulphide. Moreover, the presence of bacterioviridine, an oxidised derivative of bacteriochlorophyll a, suggest the competitive relation among photosynthetic bacteria. The high relative abundance of zeaxanthin indicates the dominance of picocyanobacteria in the primary productivity over the last centuries. Fluctuations of the pigment signal observed in the sediment sequence during the meromictic period were well correlated with fluctuations of solar activity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank A. Squier, M. A. Wilson and D. H Mawson (Department of Chemistry, University of York, UK), for help with laboratory work. We are grateful to Dr. Jordi Garcia-Orellana for providing the radionuclide data. L. R.-V. was supported by a scholarship from Generalitat Valenciana. This work was financed by CICyT grant REN2002-03272 CLI and CGL2005-04040 from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science to M. R. Miracle and E. Vicente, respectively.

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  1. Lidia Romero-Viana

    Present address: Institut für Geowissenchanften, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebnecht-Strasse 24, Haus 27, 14476, Potsdam, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Ecology, Institute Cavanilles of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain

    Lidia Romero-Viana, Antonio Camacho, Eduardo Vicente & M. Rosa Miracle

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, Y010 5DD, UK

    Brendan J. Keely

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  1. Lidia Romero-Viana
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Correspondence to Lidia Romero-Viana.

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Romero-Viana, L., Keely, B.J., Camacho, A. et al. Primary production in Lake La Cruz (Spain) over the last four centuries: reconstruction based on sedimentary signal of photosynthetic pigments. J Paleolimnol 43, 771–786 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9367-y

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