Journal of Shanghai University(Natural Science Edition) ›› 2021, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (2): 271-279.doi: 10.12066/j.issn.1007-2861.2280

• Impact of River Impounding on Material Cycling and Its Ecological Significance in Southwest China • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics of lignin in sediment cores from cascade reservoirs downstream of the Wujiang River and[1mm] source analysis of organic carbon

HUANG Jiaqi, LIN Xin, WANG Fushun, MA Jing()   

  1. School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
  • Received:2020-05-11 Online:2021-04-30 Published:2021-04-27
  • Contact: MA Jing E-mail:jingma@shu.edu.cn

Abstract:

The terrestrial organic carbon (OC) in sediment cores from two large deep-water reservoirs (Silin and Pengshui) located in the lower reaches of the Wujiang River in the karst landscape of Southwest China were analysed and quantified using lignin biomarker technology. Qualitative analysis and quantitative calculations of terrestrial-derived organic carbon in sediment cores using the lignin biomarker technique showed that the lignin content index $\Sigma 8$ ranged from 0.55 to 2.97 mg/10 g dw (dry weight) and $\Lambda 8$ ranged from 0.38 to 1.42 mg/100 mg OC. The lignin in the sediment cores was derived mainly from the herbaceous tissues of angiosperms, and had been degraded via demethylation, demethoxylation, and oxidative degradation of the side chains by white rot and brown rot bacteria. The end-member model showed that the contribution of exogenous organic carbon to the sediment cores was slightly greater than that of endogenous organic carbon, with soil organic carbon contributing the most. The influence of river cascade damming on sedimentary organic carbon was manifested in the interception of exogenous organic carbon and the accmulation of endogenous organic carbon, and there was obvious spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of both types of organic carbon.

Key words: cascade reservoir, lignin, terrestrial organic carbon (OC), Wujiang River

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