Biomarker evidence of relatively stable community structure in the northern South China Sea during the last glacial and Holocene

Type Article
Date 2008-08
Language English
Author(s) He Juan1, Zhao Meixun1, Li Li1, Wang Hui1, Wang Pinxian1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Tongji Univ, Sch Ocean & Earth Sci, State Key Lab Marine Geol, Shanghai 200092, Peoples R China.
Source Terrestrial Atmospheric And Oceanic Sciences (1017-0839) (Chinese Geoscience Union), 2008-08 , Vol. 19 , N. 4 , P. 377-387
DOI 10.3319/TAO.2008.19.4.377(IMAGES)
WOS© Times Cited 14
Keyword(s) biomarkers, paleo-productivity, community structure, sea surface temperature, South China Sea
Abstract High-resolution molecular abundance records for several marine biomarkers during the last glacial and Holocene have been generated for core MD05-2904 (19 degrees 27.32'N, 116 degrees 15.15'E, 2066 in water depth) from the northern South China Sea. The U-37(K') SST record indicates a 4.4 degrees C cooling during the Last Glacial Maximum for this site, consistent with previous reconstructions. The contents Of C-37 alkenones, dinosterol, brassicasterol, and C-30 alkyl diols are used as productivity proxies for haptophytes, dinoflagellates, diatoms, and eustigmatophytes, respectively. These records reveal that both individual phytoplankton group and total productivity increased by several factors during the LGM compared with those for the Holocene, in response to increased nutrient supply. However, the community structure based on biomarker percentages remained relatively stable during the last glacial-Holocene transition, although there were short-term oscillations.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
30258.pdf 11 1 MB Open access
Top of the page