Lipid and Phenolic Biomarkers in Marine Ecosystems: Analysis and Applications

Abstract

Biomarkers are compounds or groups of compounds that can be used as signatures of individual organisms or groups of organisms, or of certain environmental processes. Lipid and phenolic biomarkers can be used to assess the health of an ecosystem and the degree to which it has been influenced by terrestrial and anthropogenic inputs. Lipid classes and fatty acids can be used to determine production of marine biogenic material of dietary value to pelagic and benthic organisms. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and 5β-stanols such as coprostanol can be used to determine pollutant loading from oil spillage or sewage and the phenanthrene/methylphenanthrene ratio can be used specifically as an indicator of wood burning. N-alkanes and thermochemolysis products in cores can show the sensitivity of sediments to changes in land use patterns near the land margin. The relationship between marine and terrestrially derived products in sediment cores can be used to indicate the degree to which land use changes have impacted the pattern of marine biogenic productivity in the area. Stable isotope and multivariate analyses are particularly useful for biomarker validation.