Potential applications of cutin-derived CuO reaction products for discriminating vascular plant sources in natural environments

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(90)90123-3· OSTI ID:6161805

Goni, M A; Hedges, J I ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Washington, Seattle (USA)

An extensive suite of C{sub 14}-C{sub 18} hydroxylated fatty acids of cutin origin was identified among the nonlignin CuO reaction products from tissues of 67 different plant species. These mid-chain and {omega}-hydroxylated cutin acids together accounted for 0.5 to 4% of the organic carbon (OC) in these nonwoody vascular plant tissues and were produced in characteristically different yields by the various plant types. Nonvascular plants, including bulk phytoplankton, kelps, mosses, and liverworts, did not yield measurable amounts of cutin acids, except for trace levels of {omega}-hydroxytetradecanoic acid detected in kelps. Most of the lower vascular plants, such as clubmosses and ferns, produced simple cutin acid suites composed mainly of {omega}-hydroxy C{sub 14} and C{sub 16} acids. Gymnosperm needles yielded cutin acid suites dominated by C{sub 16} acids, in which 9,16- and 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acids were characteristically abundant. Relatively high yields of C{sub 18} acids were obtained from angiosperm tissues, among which dicotyledons exhibited a predominance of 9,10,18-trihydroxyoctadecanoic acid over all the other C{sub 18} acids. The chromatographic peak corresponding to dihydroxyhexadecanoic acid was a mixture of the positional isomers 8,16-, 9,16-, and 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acids, whose relative abundances uniquely characterized monocotyledon tissues and distinguished among different types of gymnosperm tissues. Based on the cutin acid yields obtained from the different plant types, several geochemical parameters were developed to distinguish up to six different cutin-bearing plant groups as possible components of sedimentary mixtures.

• OSTI ID: 6161805
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA), Vol. 54:11; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
LIGNIN
SOILS
COPPER OXIDES
GEOCHEMISTRY
PLANT TISSUES
POLYMERS
BODY
CARBOHYDRATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
COPPER COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLYSACCHARIDES
ROCKS
SACCHARIDES
TISSUES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
580000* - Geosciences