Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Compositions and sources of extractable organic matter in Mesopotamian marshland surface sediments of Iraq: II. Polar compounds

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

The concentrations of polar organic compounds including n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols, steroids and triterpenoids were determined in extracts of shallow sediments from the Mesopotamian marshlands of Iraq. The sediments were collected by a stainless steel sediment corer, extracted with a dichloromethane and methanol mixture (3:1 v:v) by ultrasonic agitation and then analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometric (GC–MS). The analysis results showed that the n-alkanoic acids ranged from C8 to C20 with concentrations of 7.8 ± 1.2 μg/g sample, whereas the concentrations of n-alkanols, which ranged from C12 to C39 were from 28.6 ± 4.3 to 121.7 ± 18.3 μg/g sample. The steroids and triterpenoids included stenols, stanols, stenones, stanones, tetrahymanol, tetrahymanone and extended ββ-hopanes. The total concentrations of steroids and triterpenoids ranged from 26.8 ± 4.1 to 174.6 ± 26.2 μg/g and from 0.74 ± 0.11 to 11.2 ± 1.7 μg/g sample, respectively. The major sources of these lipids were from natural vegetation, microbial (plankton) residues and bacteria in the sediments, with some contribution from anthropogenic sources (livestock, sewage and petroleum). Further studies of these wetlands are needed to characterize the input rate, transformation and diagenesis of the organic matter and to assess its various sources.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baraja-Aceves M, Hassan M, Tinoco R, Vazques-Duhalt R (2002) Effects of pollutants on the ergosterol content as indicator of fungal biomass. J Microbiol Methods 50:227–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbier M, Tusseau D, Marty JC, Saliot A (1981) Sterols in aerosols, surface microlayer and subsurface water in the North-Eastern tropical Atlantic. Oceanol Acta 4:77–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Barenholz Y (2002) Cholesterol and other membrane active sterols: from membrane evolution to “rafts”. Prog Lipid Res 41:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bode HB, Zeggel B, Silakowski B, Wenzel SC, Hans R, Müller R (2003) Steroid biosynthesis in prokaryotes: identification of myxobacterial steroids and cloning of the first bacteria 2,3(S)-oxidosqualene cyclase from the myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca. Mol Microbiol 47:471–481

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brasington J (2002) The Iraqi marshlands: a human and environmental study. In: Nicholson E, Clark P (eds) Politics Publishing, London

  • Brassell SC, Eglinton G, Maxwell JR (1983) The geochemistry of terpenoids and steroids. Biochem Soc Trans 11:575–586

    Google Scholar 

  • Charcosset JY, Chauvet E (2001) Effect of culture conditions on ergosterol as an indicator of biomass in the aquatic hyphomycetes. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:2051–2055

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chris M, Coakley J, Mayer T, Brown M, Thiessen L (2001) Application of fecal sterol ratios in sediments and effluents as source tracers. Water Qual Res J Can 36:781–792

    Google Scholar 

  • Didyk BM, Simoneit BRT, Brassell SC, Eglinton G (1978) Organic geochemical indicators of palaeoenvironmental conditions of sedimentation. Nature 272:216–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DouAbul A, Al-Saad H, Al-Timari A, Al-Rakabi H (1988) Tigris–Euphrates Delta: a major source of pesticides to the Shatt al-Arab River (Iraq). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 17:405–418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes MB, Sicre M-A, Cardoso JN, Macedo SJ (1999) Sedimentary 4-desmethyl sterols and n-alkanols in an eutrophic urban estuary, Capibaribe River, Brazil. Sci Total Environ 231:1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giner J-L, Boyer GL (1998) Sterols of the brown tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens. Phytochemistry 48:475–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giner J-L, Li X (2001) Stereospecific synthesis of 24-propylcholesterol isolated from the Texas brown tide. Tetrahedron 56:9575–9580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gülz P-G (1994) Epicuticular leaf waxes in the evolution of the plant kingdom. J Plant Physiol 143:453–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Holz GG, Conner RL (1973) The composition, metabolism and role of lipids in Tetrahymena. In: Elliot AM (ed) Biology of Tetrahymena. Dowden, Hutchinson, Stroudsburg, pp 99–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp P, Lander DJ, Orpin CG (1984) The lipids of the rumen fungus Piromonas communis. J Gen Microbiol 130:27–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawler A (2005) Reviving Iraq’s wetlands. Science 307:1186–1189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Leeuw JW, Cox HC, Bass M, Peakman TM, van de Graaf, Bass JMA (1993) Relative stability of sedimentary rearranged sterenes as calculated by molecular mechanics: a key to unravel further steroid diagenesis. Org Geochem 20:1297–1302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehninger AL (1970) Biochemistry. The molecular basis of cell structure and functions. Worth Publishers Inc., New York, 833 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallory FB, Gorton JT, Conner RL (1963) The isolation of pentacyclic triterpenoid alcohol from a protozoan. J Am Chem Soc 85:1362–1363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreau RA, Whitaker BD, Kicks KB (2002) Phytosterols, phytostanols and their conjugates in foods: structural diversity, quantitative analysis, and health-promoting uses. Prog Lipid Res 41:457–500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oros DR, Mazurek MA, Baham JE, Simoneit BRT (2002) Organic tracers from wild fire residues in soils and rain/river wash-out. Water Air Soil Pollut 137:203–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ourisson G, Albrecht P, Rohmer M (1979) The hopanoids: palaeochemistry and biochemistry of a group of natural products. Pure Appl Chem 51:709–729

    Google Scholar 

  • Partow H (2001) Demise of an ecosystem: the disappearance of the Mesopotamian marshlands. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Publication UNEP/DEWA/TR. 01–3, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Philp RP (1985) Fossil fuel biomarkers: applications and spectra. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 296 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson CJ, Reiss P, Hussain NA, Alwash AJ, Pool DJ (2005) The restoration of potential of the Mesopotamian marshes of Iraq. Science 307:1307–1311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson N, Eglinton G, Brassell SC, Cranwell PA (1984) Dinoflagellate origin for sedimentary 4α-methylsteroids and 5α(H)-stanols. Nature 308:439–442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogge WF, Medeiros PM, Simoneit BRT (2006) Organic marker compounds for soil and fugitive dust from open lot dairies and cattle feedlots. Atmos Environ 40:27–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rushdi AI, Al-Mutlaq K, Simoneit BRT (2005) Sources of organic compounds in soil and sand particles during winter in the metropolitan area of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 49:457–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rushdi AI, DouAboul AA, Mohamed SS, Simoneit BRT (2006a) Distribution and sources of extractable organic matter in the Mesopotamian wetland marsh sediments of Iraq: I. Aliphatic lipids. Environ Geol (in press)

  • Rushdi AI, Al-Zarban S, Simoneit BRT (2006b) Chemical compositions and sources of organic matter in fine particles of soils and sands from the vicinity of Kuwait city. Environ Monit Assess (in press)

  • Salim SM (1962) Marsh dwellers of the Euphrates delta. University of London Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Simoneit BRT (1977) Organic matter in eolian dusts over the Atlantic Ocean. Mar Chem 5:443–464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simoneit BRT (1989) Organic matter of troposphere—V: application of molecular marker analysis to biogenic emissions into the troposphere for source reconciliations. J Atmos Chem 8:251–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simoneit BRT, Mazurek MA, Reed WE (1983) Characterization of organic matter in aerosols over rural sites: phytosterols. In: Bjorøy M et al (eds) Advances in organic geochemistry 1981. Wiley, Chichester, pp 355–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Talling JF (1980) Water characteristics. In: Rzoska J (ed) Euphrates and Tigris, the Mesopotamian ecology and density. W. Jank, The Hague, 122 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Thesiger W (1985) The Marsh Arabs. Collins, London, 233 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Tulloch AP (1976) Chemistry of waxes of higher plants. In: Kolattukudy PE (ed) Chemistry and biochemistry of natural waxes. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 235–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Venkatesan MI (1989) Tetrahymanol: its widespread occurrence and geochemical significance. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 53:3095–3101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young G (1983) Return to the Marshes: life with the Marsh Arabs of Iraq. Hutchinson, London, 176 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Zander JM, Caspi E, Pandey GN, Mitra CR (1969) Presence of tetrahymanol in Oleandra wallichii. Phytochemistry 8:2265–2267

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We extend our gratitude to Dr. Azzam Al-wash, Project Director, Eden, again for his support and encouragement. We thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their constructive comments, which improved the paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Petroleum Geochemistry Group, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Ahmed I. Rushdi & Bernd R. T. Simoneit

  2. Iraq Foundation, House 45, Street 3, Area 609, Mansour, Baghdad, Iraq

    Ali A. DouAbul & Sama Samir Mohammed

  3. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Bernd R. T. Simoneit

Authors
  1. Ahmed I. Rushdi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ali A. DouAbul
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sama Samir Mohammed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bernd R. T. Simoneit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed I. Rushdi.

Appendix: Chemical structures cited

Appendix: Chemical structures cited

figure r1

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rushdi, A.I., DouAbul, A.A., Mohammed, S.S. et al. Compositions and sources of extractable organic matter in Mesopotamian marshland surface sediments of Iraq: II. Polar compounds. Environ Geol 50, 1171–1181 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0289-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0289-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation