Lipid biomarkers in Lake Enol (Asturias, Northern Spain): Coupled natural and human induced environmental history

Ortíz, José E.; Sánchez‐Palencia, Yolanda; Torres, Trinidad; Domingo, Laura; Mata, Pilar; Salamanca, Juana Vegas; España, Javier Sánchez; Morellón, Mario; Blanco, Lorena

doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2015.12.005

Cited by 21 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Conversely, coprostanol, a cholesterol derivative, accounts for ∼60% of the total sterols in human feces Bull et al, 2002;Daughton, 2012). Therefore, human fecal input can be distinguished from those of herbivores Ortiz et al, 2016), enabling their use in paleoenvironmental and archeological studies (e.g., Baeten et al, 2012;D'Anjou et al, 2012;Gea et al, 2017;Engels et al, 2018;White et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomolecular Evidence of Early Human Occupation of a High-Altitude Site in Western Central Asia During the Holocene

et al. 2020

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Reconstructions of early human occupation of high-altitude sites in Central Asia and possible migration routes during the Holocene are limited due to restricted archeological sample material. Consequently, there is a growing interest in alternative approaches to investigate past anthropogenic activity in this area. In this study, fecal biomarkers preserved in lake sediments from Lake Chatyr Kol (Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan) were analyzed to reconstruct the local presence of humans and pastoral animals in this lowhuman-impact area in the past. Spanning the last ∼11,700 years, this high-altitude site (∼3,500 m above sea level) provides a continuous record of human occupancy in Western Central Asia. An early increase of human presence in the area during the mid-Holocene is marked by a sharp peak of the human fecal sterol coprostanol and its epimer epicoprostanol in the sediments. An associated increase in 5β-stigmastanol, a fecal biomarker deriving from herbivores indicates a human occupancy that most probably largely depended upon livestock. However, sterol profiles show that grazing animals had already occupied the catchment area of Lake Chatyr Kol before and also after a significant presence of humans. The biomarker evidence in this study demonstrates an early presence of humans in a high-altitude site in Central Asia at ∼5,900-4,000 a BP. Dry environmental conditions during this period likely made high altitude regions more accessible. Moreover, our results help to understand human migration in Western Central Asia during the early and mid-Holocene as part of a prehistoric Silk Road territory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomolecular Evidence of Early Human Occupation of a High-Altitude Site in Western Central Asia During the Holocene

et al. 2020

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“…Quant ifying biomar ker var iat ion through sediment ar y sequences facilit at es r econst ruct ion of past envir onment al var iabilit y over var ious t imescales, fr om cent ur ies (M cCaffr ey et al, 1991;Or t iz et al, 2016) t o millions of year s (Pear son and Obaje, 1999;Tzor t zaki et al, 2013). H owever , t he diagenet ic fat e of biomar ker s must be assessed befor e their dist r ibut ion and abundance can be used as quant it at ive pr oxies.…”

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confidence: 99%

Leaf lipid degradation in soils and surface sediments: A litterbag experiment

Egasse

Anquetil

et al. 2017

Organic Geochemistry

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“…This process is very likely responsible for the high oxygen consumption of hypolimnetic waters. Organic matter measures in sediment cores from Enol Lake emphasized an increase of TOC levels in the sediment during the recent decades (Ortiz et al, 2016), supporting the idea of an increase in organic matter input to the lake due to human land uses in the basin area. The oxygen consumption is enhanced by the relative low volume of water in the hypolimnion and the extended period of the thermocline presence, lasting from early July to early November (García-Criado and Martínez-Sanz, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Chironomid communities as indicators of local and global changes in an oligotrophic high mountain lake (Enol Lake, Northwestern Spain)

et al. 2016

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<p>The benthos of the high mountain Enol Lake (Picos de Europa National Park, Spain) was analyzed in order to understand the spatiotemporal factors and patterns controlling its current Chironomidae community. In total, more than 14,000 chironomid larvae were identified, belonging to 27 taxa. The results have pointed out the presence of 3 main chironomid assemblages in the lake: i) littoral community, which is mainly controlled by temperature and oxygen seasonal changes, ii) <em>Chara</em>-dominant community, which is mainly controlled by the presence and abundance of Characeae in the lake, and iii) profundal community, which is affected by low oxygen levels caused by sediment and organic matter discharge to the lake due to human pressures in the lake basin. We provide valuable insights for the managers to understand the current ecological status of Enol Lake and to evaluate which measures should be implemented to preserve or improve it. Moreover, our results constitute an essential step forward to improve the interpretation of the past changes of the lake by means of the subfossil chironomid community. </p>

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Lipid biomarkers in Lake Enol (Asturias, Northern Spain): Coupled natural and human induced environmental history

Cited by 21 publications

References 99 publications

Biomolecular Evidence of Early Human Occupation of a High-Altitude Site in Western Central Asia During the Holocene

Biomolecular Evidence of Early Human Occupation of a High-Altitude Site in Western Central Asia During the Holocene

Leaf lipid degradation in soils and surface sediments: A litterbag experiment

Chironomid communities as indicators of local and global changes in an oligotrophic high mountain lake (Enol Lake, Northwestern Spain)

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