Measuring change in sterol input to estuarine sediments

Reeves, Andrew; Patton, Douglas

doi:10.1016/s1464-1909(01)00081-8

Cited by 21 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Sterols are natural, unsaturated steroid alcohols that represent an important group of compounds for the functioning and structure of biological membranes (Bretscher, 1973). Stanols are the reduction products of sterols by the process of hydrogenation, which is typically mediated by microbes in animal gastrointestinal tracts or in the environment (Reeves and Patton, 2001;Bull et al, 2002). Sterols and stanols are discharged in varying concentrations and combinations in the feces of animals (Leeming et al, 1996;Harrault et al, 2019) and are emerging as important proxies to directly track animal inputs to lake sediments over decadal-and century-scale periods (D'Anjou et al, 2012;Hargan et al, 2019;Schroeter et al, 2020;Cheng et al, 2021).…”

Section: Lipid Biomoleculesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing Long-Term Changes in Avian Populations Using Lake Sediments: Opening a Window Onto the Past

et al. 2021

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The lack of long-term monitoring data for many wildlife populations is a limiting factor in establishing meaningful and achievable conservation goals. Even for well-monitored species, time series are often very short relative to the timescales required to understand a population’s baseline conditions before the contemporary period of increased human impacts. To fill in this critical information gap, techniques have been developed to use sedimentary archives to provide insights into long-term population dynamics over timescales of decades to millennia. Lake and pond sediments receiving animal inputs (e.g., feces, feathers) typically preserve a record of ecological and environmental information that reflects past changes in population size and dynamics. With a focus on bird-related studies, we review the development and use of several paleolimnological proxies to reconstruct past colony sizes, including trace metals, isotopes, lipid biomolecules, diatoms, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs, invertebrate sub-fossils, pigments, and others. We summarize how animal-influenced sediments, cored from around the world, have been successfully used in addressing some of the most challenging questions in conservation biology, namely: How dynamic are populations on long-term timescales? How may populations respond to climate change? How have populations responded to human intrusion? Finally, we conclude with an assessment of the current state of the field, challenges to overcome, and future potential for research.

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Section: Lipid Biomoleculesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing Long-Term Changes in Avian Populations Using Lake Sediments: Opening a Window Onto the Past

et al. 2021

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“…Sterols are natural, unsaturated steroid alcohols that represent an important group of compounds for the functioning and structure of biological membranes [15]. Stanols are reduction products of sterols by hydrogenation, usually by microbes either in animal gastrointestinal tracts or in the environment [16,17]. As they are both hydrophobic compounds with a high affinity for sorption onto organic matter and suspended particles, they typically become rapidly incorporated into sediments of aquatic ecosystems [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sterols and stanols as novel tracers of waterbird population dynamics in freshwater ponds

et al. 2018

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With the expansion of urban centres in the mid-twentieth century and the post-1970 decrease in pesticides, populations of double-crested cormorants () and ring-billed gulls () around Lake Ontario (Canada and USA) have rapidly rebounded, possibly to unprecedented numbers. Along with the use of traditional palaeolimnological methods (e.g. stable isotopes, biological proxies), we now have the capacity to develop specific markers for directly tracking the presence of waterbirds on nesting islands. Here, we apply the use of lipophilic sterols and stanols from both plant and animal-faecal origins as a reliable technique, independent of traditional isotopic methods, for pinpointing waterbird arrival and population growth over decadal timescales. Sterol and stanol concentrations measured in the guano samples of waterbird species were highly variable within a species and between the three species of waterbirds examined. However, cholesterol was the dominant sterol in guano, and phytosterols were also high in ring-billed gull guano. This variability highlights a specialist piscivorous diet for cormorants compared to a generalist, omnivorous diet for gulls, which may now often include grain and invertebrates from agricultural fields. A ratio that includes cholesterol and sitosterol plus their aerobically reduced products (cholestanol, stigmastanol) best explained the present range of bird abundance across the islands and was significantly correlated to sedimentary δN. Overall, we demonstrate the use of sterols and stanols as a direct means for tracking the spatial and temporal presence of waterbirds on islands across Lake Ontario, and probably elsewhere.

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“…Sterols are natural, unsaturated steroid alcohols that represent an important group of compounds for biological functions and structures of biological membranes . Stanols are reduction products of sterols by hydrogenation, usually by microbes either in animal gastrointestinal tracts or in the environment . Sterols and stanols in animal faeces or other biological materials are readily preserved in lacustrine sediments, providing an archive of source information for nutrient and contaminant inputs to lakes .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment

Cheng

Sun

Kimpe

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Seabirds are major vertebrates in the coastal ecosystems of the Canadian High Arctic, where they transport substantial amounts of marine-derived nutrients and pollutants from oceans to land by depositing guano and stomach oils to their nesting area, which often includes nearby freshwater ponds. Here we present novel indicators for evaluating the impact of seabirds on freshwater ecosystems. The ratio of cholesterol/(cholesterol + sitosterol) in pond sediments showed significant enrichment near a nesting colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and was significantly correlated with ornithogenic enrichment of sediment as determined by sedimentary δ(15)N. The sterol ratio was also correlated with several bioaccumulative persistent organic pollutants (POPs), suggesting its usefulness in tracking biovector enrichment of contaminants. Human-derived epicoprostanol was also analyzed in the sediments, and its relationship with an abandoned, prehistoric camp was recorded, suggesting its potential as a tracer of prehistoric human activities in the Arctic. Sterols and stanols preserved in sediments appear to be useful geochemical tools that will inform our understanding of migratory species and the presence of prehistoric human populations in the Arctic, and possibly other animal populations.

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Measuring change in sterol input to estuarine sediments

Cited by 21 publications

References 21 publications

Reconstructing Long-Term Changes in Avian Populations Using Lake Sediments: Opening a Window Onto the Past

Reconstructing Long-Term Changes in Avian Populations Using Lake Sediments: Opening a Window Onto the Past

Sterols and stanols as novel tracers of waterbird population dynamics in freshwater ponds

Sterols and Stanols Preserved in Pond Sediments Track Seabird Biovectors in a High Arctic Environment

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