Pigment extracts from a lake sediment core

Pigments of photosynthetic organisms including:

• chlorophylls
• carotenoids
• photoprotective compounds such as scytonemin

are commonly used as biomarkers of aquatic organisms.  They are produced by algae, phototrophic bacteria and aquatic plants and may also be present in detritus from terrestrial or resuspended material and in some invertebrate animals.  

Because they preserve in the sediments of aquatic environments, pigments can be used to estimate past primary production can provide information about past communities of algae or photosynthetic bacteria. 

Analysis

Analysis of pigments from a sediment sample involves:

(i) extraction in solvents

(ii) separation of the pigment mixture

(iii) identification of the pigments

(iv) quantification. 

This is typically achieved using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and on-line photo-diode array (PDA) spectrophotometry.

Facilities

The pigment analysis laboratory in the School of Geography is equipped with an Agilent HPLC separation system with on-line PDA detector.

The chemical structure of β-carotene

Use of the facilities

If you are interested in using or contracting out these facilities please contact Suzanne McGowan in the School of Geography.

Related publications

• McGowan, S., Juhler, R.K. and Anderson, N.J. (in
• press) Autotrophic response to lake age, conductivity and temperature in two West Greenland lakes. Journal of Paleolimnology.
• McGowan, S. (2007). Pigments in sediments of aquatic environments.  In: Elias, S. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Quaternary Sciences. Elsevier.  
• McGowan, S, A. Patoine, M.D. Graham and P.R. Leavitt. (2005). Intrinsic and extrinsic controls on lake phytoplankton synchrony.  Verhandlungen Internationale Vereinigung für theoretische und angewandte Limnologie 29: 794-798
• McGowan, S., P.R. Leavit R.I. Hall, N.J. Anderson, E. Jeppesen & B.V. Odgaard. (2005).Controls of algal abundance and community composition during ecosystem state change. Ecology 86: 2200-2211.
• McGowan, S., P.R. Leavitt & R.I. Hall. (2005). A whole-lake experiment to determine the effects of winter droughts on shallow lakes. Ecosystems 8: 694-708.
• Rusak, J.A., P.R. Leavitt, S. McGowan, G. Chen, O. Olson, S. Wunsam & B. Cumming (2004). Millenial records of species richness and ecosystem function in two prairie lakes. Limnology and Oceanography 49:1290-1299.

Last updated 13 November, 2008