Abstract
During the past few decades, the Yangtze River basin has undergone massive anthropogenic change. In order to evaluate the impacts of human interventions on sediment n-alkanes of lakes across this region, the aliphatic hydrocarbon fractions of 19 surface sediment samples collected from lakes along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MYR) were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The n-alkanes extracted from the sediments contained a homologous series from C15 to C34, with a notable predominance of odd carbon compounds except for sediments from the more intensively industrialized Lake Daye, in which > C21 n-alkanes showed no odd/even predominance, and carbon preference index (CPI) approached unity. Abundance values of middle-chain (C21, C23, and C25) and long-chain (C27, C29, C31, and C33) n-alkanes in Lake Daye were approximately 4 to 3 times greater than the average for other lakes, reaching 272.4 and 486.3 μg/g TOC, respectively, in the study. Short-chain n-alkanes (C15, C17, and C19) in the sediments varied in abundance from 10.0 to 76.2 μg/g TOC across the study and showed a moderate correlation with total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the overlying water. The results indicated anthropogenic eutrophication enhanced the accumulation of short-chain n-alkanes in sediments because the primary producers in which they are synthesized are highly susceptible to nutrient forcing. Middle-chain n-alkane abundances were less affected by eutrophication and generally enriched in macrophyte lakes, while long-chain n-alkanes tend to be low in sediments from more eutrophic water. In the case of Lake Daye, direct discharges of petroleum products from heavy industry have introduced quantities of petroleum n-alkanes (> C21), far exceeding the amounts of biogenic input, and the sediment > C21 n-alkanes detected in this study showed typical characteristics of petroleum source. In other lakes, inputs of petroleum products from surface runoff of vehicle/traffic emissions associated with urbanization and economic growth contributed comparatively few n-alkanes to sediments, resulting in declines in CPI for > C21 n-alkanes, most obviously in Lakes Huanggai, Donghu, and Futou. Calculated CPI values suggest that a major proportion of the n-alkanes present in these lakes are derived from biogenic input. The results of this study provided evidences that n-alkane profiles of lake sediments respond sensitively to human-induced eutrophication and different sources of petroleum pollution.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ankit Y, Mishra PK, Kumar P, Jha DK, Kumar VV, Ambili V, Anoop A (2017) Molecular distribution and carbon isotope of n-alkanes from Ashtamudi Estuary, South India: assessment of organic matter sources and paleoclimatic implications. Mar Chem 196:62–70
Bechtel A, Schubert CJ (2009) A biogeochemical study of sediments from the eutrophic Lake Lugano and the oligotrophic Lake Brienz, Switzerland. Org Geochem 40:1100–1114
Bianchi TS, Canuel EA (2011) Chemical biomarkers in aquatic ecosystems. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp 1–396
Blumer M, Guiliard RRL, Chase T (1971) Hydrocarbons of marine phytoplankton. Mar Biol 8:183–189
Bourbonniere RA, Meyers PA (1996) Sedimentary geolipid records of historical changes in the watersheds and productivities of Lake Ontario and Erie. Limnol Oceanogr 41:352–359
Bourbonniere BA, Telford SL, Ziolkowski LA, Lee J, Evans MS, Meyers PA (1997) Biogeochemical marker profiles in cores of dated sediments from large north American lakes. In: Eganhouse R, Symposium Series ACS (eds) Molecular markers in environmental geochemistry. American Chemical Society, Washington DC
Bragée P, Choundhary P, Routh J, Boyle JF, Hammarlund D (2013) Lake ecosystem responses to catchment disturbance and airborne pollution: an 800-year perspective in southern Sweden. J Paleolimnol 50:545–560
Chevalier N, Savoye N, Dubois S, Lama ML, David V, Lecroart P, Ménach K, Budzinski H (2015) Precise indices based on n-alkane distribution for quantifying sources of sedimentary organic matter in coastal systems. Org Geochem 88:69–77
Choudhary P, Routh J, Chakrapani GJ (2009) An environmental record of changes in sedimentary organic matter from Lake Sattal in Kumaun Himalayas, India. Sci Total Environ 407:2783–2795
Cranwell PA (1982) Lipids of aquatic sediments and sedimenting particulates. Process Lipid Res 21:271–308
Cranwell PA (1984) Lipid geochemistry of sediments from Upton Broad, a small productive lake. Org Geochem 7:25–37
Cranwell PA, Eglinton G, Robinson N (1987) Lipids of aquatic organisms as potential contributors to lacustrine sediments. Org Geochem 11:513–527
Daskalou V, Vreća P, Muri G, Stalikas C (2009) Recent environmental changes in the shallow Lake Pamvotis (NW Greece): evidence from sedimentary organic matter, hydrocarbons, and stable isotopes. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 57:21–31
Derrien M, Yang L, Hur J (2017) Lipid biomarker and spectroscopic indices for identifying organic matter source in aquatic environments: a review. Water Res 112:58–71
Dong XH, Anderson NJ, Yang XD, Chen X, Shen J (2012) Carbon burial by shallow lakes on the Yangtze floodplain and its relevance to regional carbon sequestration. Glob Chang Biol 18:2205–2217
Doskey PV (2001) Spatial variations and chronologies of aliphatic hydrocarbons in Lake Michigan sediments. Environ Sci Technol 35:247–254
Eglinton G, Hamilton RJ (1967) Leaf epicuticular waxes. Science 156:1322–1335
Elias VO, Cardoso JN, Simoneit BRT (2000) Acyclic lipids in Amazon shelf waters. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 50:231–243
Fang J, Wu F, Xiong Y, Li F, Du X, An D, Wang L (2014) Source characterization of sedimentary organic matter using molecular and stable carbon isotopic composition of n-alkanes and fatty acids in sediment core from Lake Dianchi, China. Sci Total Environ 473-474:410–421
Fang J, Wu F, Xiong Y, Wang S, Yang H (2017) A comparison of the distribution and sources of organic matter in surface sediments collected from northwestern and southwestern plateau lakes in China. J Limnol 76:571–580
Ficken KJ, Li B, Swain DL, Eglinton G (2000) An n-alkane proxy for the sedimentary input of submerged/floating freshwater aquatic macrophytes. Org Geochem 31:745–749
Gan Y, Guo Y (2004) Evaluation analysis and remedy strategy for eutrophication in Lake Donghu, Wuhan. Resources and environment in the Yangtze Basin, vol 13, pp 277–281 In Chinese
Gao X, Chen S (2008) Petroleum pollution in surface sediments of Daya Bay, South China, revealed by chemical fingerprinting of aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 80:95–102
Gao X, Chen S, Xie X, Long A, Ma F (2007) Non-aromatic hydrocarbon in surface sediments near the Pearl River estuary in the South China Sea. Environ Pollut 148:40–47
Han J, Calvin M (1969) Hydrocarbon distribution of algae and bacteria and microbiological activity in sediments. PNAS 64:436–443
Harji RR, Yvenat A, Bhosle NB (2008) Sources of hydrocarbons in sediments of the Mandovi estuary and the Marmugoa harbour, west coast of India. Environ Int 34:959–965
He Y, Sun D, Wu J, Sun Y (2015) Factors controlling the past ~ 150-year ecological dynamics of Lake Wuliangsu in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, China. The Holocene 25:1394–1401
Hostettler FD, Pereira WE, Kvenvolden KA, van Green A, Luoma SN, Fuller CC, Anima R (1999) A record of hydrocarbon input to San Francisco Bay as traced by biomarker profiles in surface sediment and sediment core. Mar Chem 64:115–127
Hu J, Zhang G, Li K, Peng P, Chivas AR (2008) Increased eutrophication offshore Hong Kong, China during the past 75 years: evidence from high-resolution sedimentary records. Mar Chem 110:7–17
Hu J, Peng P, Chivas AR (2009) Molecular biomarker evidence of origins and transport of organic matter in sediments of the Pearl River estuary and adjacent South China Sea. Appl Geochem 24:1666–1676
Jaffé R, Rushdi AI, Medeiros PM, Simoneit BRT (2006) Natural product biomarkers as indicators of sources and transport of sedimentary organic matter in a subtropical river. Chemosphere 64:1870–1884
Kennicutt MC II, Barker C, Brooks JM, DeFreitas DA, Zhu GH (1987) Selected organic matter source indicators in the Orinoco, Nile and Changjiang deltas. Org Geochem 11:41–51
Kim JH, Lee DH, Yoon SH, Jeong KS, Choi B (2017) Contribution of petroleum-derived organic carbon to sedimentary organic carbon pool in the eastern Yellow Sea (the northwestern Pacific). Chemosphere 168:1389–1399
Kim D, Kim JH, Kim MS, Ra K, Shin KH (2018) Assessing environmental changes in Lake Shihwa, South Korea, based on distribution and stable carbon isotopic compositions of n-alkanes. Environ Pollut 240:105–115
Li Z, Xu X, Ji M, Wang G, Han R, Ma J, Yan X, Liu J (2018) Estimating sedimentary organic matter sources by multi-combined proxies for spatial heterogeneity in a large and shallow eutrophic lake. J Environ Manag 224:147–155
Liu L, Wei G, Wang J, Guan Y, Wong CS, Wu F, Zeng EY (2013) Anthropogenic activities have contributed moderately to increased inputs of organic materials in marginal seas off China. Environ Sci Technol 47:11414–11422
Lu Y, Meyers PA (2009) Sediment lipid biomarkers as recorders of the contamination and cultural eutrophication of Lake Erie, 1909–2003. Org Geochem 40:912–921
Lytle JS, Lytle TF, Gearing JN, Gearing PJ (1979) Hydrocarbons on benthic algae from the eastern Gulf of Mexio. Mar Biol 51:279–288
Medeiros PM, Bícego MC, Castelao RM, Rosso CD, Fillmann G, Zamboni AJ (2005) Natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbon inputs to sediments of Patos lagoon estuary, Brazil. Environ Int 31:77–87
Meyers PA (1997) Organic geochemical proxies of paleoceanographic, paleolimnologic, and paleoclimatic processes. Org Geochem 27:213–250
Meyers PA (2003) Applications of organic geochemistry to paleolimnological reconstruction: a summary of examples from the Laurentian Great Lakes. Org Geochem 34:261–289
Paerl HW (1998) Nuisance phytoplankton blooms in coastal, estuarine, and inland waters. Limnol Oceanogr 33:823–847
Peters KE, Walters CC, Moldowan JM (2005) The biomarker guide. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1–1155
Pisani O, Oros DR, Oyo-Ita OE, Ekpo BO, Jaffé R, Simoneit BRT (2013) Biomarkers in surface sediments from the Cross River and estuary system, SE Nigeria: assessment of organic matter sources of natural and anthropogenic origins. Appl Geochem 31:239–250
Routh J, Meyers PA, Hjorth T, Baskaran M, Hallberg R (2007) Sedimentary geochemical record of recent environmental changes around Lake Middle Marviken, Sweden. J Paleolimnol 37:529–545
Routh J, Choudhary P, Meyers PA, Kumar B (2009) A sediment record of recent nutrient loading and trophic state change in Lake Norrviken, Sweden. J Paleolimnol 42:325–341
Rushdi AI, Al-Mutlaq KF, El-Mubarak AH, Al-Saleh MA, El-Otaibi MT, Ibrahim SMM, Simoneit BRT (2016) Occurrence and sources of natural and anthropogenic lipid tracers in surface soils from arid urban areas of Saudi Arabia. Environ Pollut 208:696–703
Scheffer M, Hosper SH, Meijer ML, Moss B, Jeppesen E (1993) Alternative equilibria in shallow lakes. Trends Ecol Evol 8:275–279
Silva LSV, Piovano EL, Azevedo DA, Aquino Neto FR (2008) Quantitative evaluation of sedimentary organic matter from Laguna mar Chiquita, Argentina. Org Geochem 39:450–464
Silva TR, Lopes SRP, Spörl G, Knoppers BA, Azevedo DA (2013) Evaluation of anthropogenic inputs of hydrocarbons in sediment cores from a tropical Brazilian estuarine system. Microchem J 109:178–188
Smith VH, Tilman GD, Nekola JC (1999) Eutrophication: impacts of excess nutrient inputs on freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Environ Pollut 100:179–196
Sojinu SO, Sonibare OO, Ekundayo O, Zeng EY (2012) Assessing anthropogenic contamination in surface sediments of Niger Delta, Nigeria with fecal sterols and n-alkanes as indicators. Sci Total Environ 441:89–96
Tolosa I, Fiorini S, Gasser B, Martín J, Miquel JC (2013) Carbon sources in suspended particles and surface sediments from Beaufort Sea revealed by molecular lipid biomarkers and compound-specific isotope analysis. Biogeosciences 10:2061–2087
Wang S, Dou H (1998) Memoirs of lakes in China. Science Press, Beijing (In Chinese, pp 1–580
Wang Y, Yang H, Zhang J, Gao W, Huang C, Xie B (2015) Characterization of n-alkanes and their carbon isotopic composition in sediments from a small catchment of the Dianchi watershed. Chemosphere 119:1346–1352
Wang S, Liu G, Yuan Z, Da C (2018) n-Alkanes in sediments from the Yellow River Estuary, China: occurrence, sources and historical sedimentary record. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 150:199–206
Wetzel RG (2001) Limnology: lake and river ecosystems, 3rd edn. Academic Press, California, pp 1–1006
Wu J, Zeng H, Yu H, Ma L, Xu L, Qin B (2012) Water and sediment quality in lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Water Resour Manag 26:3601–3618
Xiong Y, Wu F, Fang J, Wang L, Li Y, Liao H (2010) Organic geochemical record of environmental changes in Lake Dianchi, China. J Paleolimnol 44:217–231
Xu H, Paerl HW, Qin B, Zhu G, Gao G (2010) Nitrogen and phosphorus inputs control phytoplankton growth in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China. Limnol Oceanogr 55:420–432
Yan Z, Yang H, Dong H, Ma B, Sun H, Pan T, Jiang R, Zhou R, Shen J, Liu J, Lu G (2018) Occurrence and ecological risk assessment of organic micropollutants in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China: a case study of water diversion. Environ Pollut 239:223–232
Youngblood WW, Blumer M, Guiliard RL, Fiore F (1971) Saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons in marine benthic algae. Mar Biol 8:190–201
Zaghden H, Kallel M, Elleuch B, Oudot J, Saliot A (2007) Sources and distribution of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Sfax, Tunisia, Mediterranean Sea. Mar Chem 105:70–89
Zech M, Krause T, Meszner S, Faust D (2013) Incorrect when uncorrected: reconstructing vegetation history using n-alkane biomarkers in loess-paleosol sequences – a case study from the Saxonian loess region, Germany. Quat Int 296:108–116
Zhang J, Li Z, Chen J, Wang M, Tao R, Liu D (2014) Assessment of heavy metal contamination status in sediments and identification of pollution source in Daye Lake, Central China. Environ Earth Sci 72:1279–1288
Zhang Y, Su Y, Liu Z, Chen X, Yu J, Jin M (2016) A sediment record of environmental change in and around Lake Lugu, SW China, during the past two centuries. J Paleolimnol 55:259–271
Zhang Y, Su Y, Liu Z, Yu J, Jin M (2017) Lipid biomarker evidence for determining the origin and distribution of organic matter in surface sediments of Lake Taihu, Eastern China. Ecol Indic 77:397–408
Zhang Y, Su Y, Liu Z, Sun K, Kong L, Yu J, Jin M (2018a) Sedimentary lipid biomarker record of human-induced environmental change during the past century in Lake Changdang, Lake Taihu basin, Eastern China. Sci Total Environ 613-614:907–918
Zhang Y, Su Y, Liu Z, Kong L, Yu J, Jin M (2018b) Aliphatic hydrocarbon biomarkers as indicators of organic matter source and composition in surface sediments from shallow lakes along the lower Yangtze River, Eastern China. Org Geochem 122:29–40
Zhao Z, Zhang L, Wu J (2016) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in sediments from lakes along the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River of China. Limnol Oceanogr 61:47–60
Acknowledgments
Special thanks go to Prof. Yang Xiangdong for discussion of this manuscript. We are grateful to Philip Meyers and a anoymous reviewer for constructive comments which greatly improved the manuscript.
Funding
The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41530753, 41673046, and 41303036), “135” Strategic Planning of Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS (Grant No. NIGLAS2017GH01), and the National Key Basic Research Program (Grant No. 2017YFA0605201).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Responsible editor: Ester Heath
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, Y., Su, Y., Yu, J. et al. Anthropogenically driven differences in n-alkane distributions of surface sediments from 19 lakes along the middle Yangtze River, Eastern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 22472–22484 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05536-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05536-w