Aromatic carotenoids and maleimides as indicators for photic zone euxinia
| Geological carotenoid | Possible biological precursors | Biological sources | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| okenane | okenone | Chromatiaceae | Schaeffer et al., 19971 |
| chlorobactane | chlorobactene, hydroxychlorobactene | green pigmented Chlorobiaceae | Grice et al., 1998c |
| isorenieratane2 | isorenieratene | brown pigmented Chlorobiaceae | Bosch et al., 1998, Grice et al., 1996b, Hartgers et al., 1993, Koopmans et al., 1996a, Pancost et al., 1998, Putschew et al., 1998, Simons and Kenig, 2001, Sinninghe Damst et al., 2001 |
| b-isorenieratane3 | b-isorenieratene, bcarotene4 | brown pigmented Chlorobiaceae | Grice et al., 1998c |
| renieratane | renieratene | sponges or sponge symbionts? Chlorobiaceae? | Hartgers et al., 1993, Schaefle et al., 1977 |
| renierapurpurane5 | renierapurpurin | sponges or sponge symbionts? Chlorobiaceae? | Schaefle et al., 1977 |
| palaerenieratane6 | unknown | Chlorobiaceae? | Hartgers et al., 1993, Koopmans et al., 1996a, Requejo et al., 1992 |
| 2,3,6-TMAs7 | chlorobactene, hydroxychlorobactene, isorenieratene, b-isorenieratene, b-carotene 4 and similar structures | mostly Chlorobiaceae3 | Hartgers et al., 1993, Requejo et al., 1992, Summons and Powell, 1986, Summons and Powell, 1987, Summons and Powell, 1992 |
| 2,3,4-TMAs7 | okenone, renieratene renierapurpurin | Chromatiaceae Chlorobiaceae? | Summons and Powell, 1987 |
| 3,4,5-TMAs7 | precursor of palaerenieratane | Chlorobiaceae? | Hartgers et al., 1993, Requejo et al., 1992, Summons and Powell, 1987 |
| Me i-Bu maleimide | BChl c, d and e | Chlorobiaceae, Chloroflexaceae | Grice et al., 1996a, Grice et al., 1997, Pancost et al., 2002 |
1 Report of okenane as a hydrogenation product of okenone after H2/PtO2 treatment of a polar fraction extracted from a Recent lake sediment
2 Also including a large variety of di- to pentacyclic early diagenetic cyclization and rearrangement products of isorenieratene (Grice et al., 1996b, Koopmans et al., 1996a).
3 Only diagnostic for Chlorobiaceae if the carbon isotopic composition of individual arylisoprenoids shows an enrichment in 13C diagnostic of the reversed tricarboxylic acid cycle
4 According to Koopmans et al. (1996b), b-carotene can undergo aromatization during diagenesis to b-isorenieratane and further degradate to 2,3,6-TMAs
5 New trivial name suggested here (= perhydrorenierapurpurin)
6 New trivial name suggested here
7 TMA = trimethylarylisoprenoids.
