Resumen de Carotenoids as biomarkers for macrophyte derived detrital material in a shallow coastal water ecosystem
In shallow coastal areas organic carbon from phytoplankton and macrophyte sources accumulates in muddy sediments, leading to enhanced oxygen consumption in off-coast bottom depressions. To assess contribution of macrophyte material to the organic rich sediments of Kiel Bight, carotenoids were tested as markers for different sources of phytodetritus. The concentration of the diatom pigment fucoxanthin was of the same amount in erosive sand sediments and in accumulating mud sediments, as result of vertical phytoplankton input. In contrast the xantophyll lutein was detected only in accumulating organic rich mud sediments of the channel system, reflecting deposition of horizontally transported macrophyte debris in the investigated area.
