Abstract
We have recently found many light hydrocarbons, both alkanes and alkenes, in trace amounts (ng compound per g sediment) in Recent marine sediments1–4. These hydrocarbons are believed to originate from both biological and low-temperature reactions in the sediments. Understanding their mechanism of formation may allow use of these compounds to decipher the past biological and thermal history of the sediments4. To investigate biological origins, we have cultivated mixed populations of bacteria on natural terpenoids and found, as degradation products, both alkanes and alkenes in the C1–C7 range; this is the first report of C4–C7 hydrocarbons being formed from microbial activities. Aerobic followed by anaerobic degradation yielded mainly small amounts of straight-chain alkenes. No such products resulted from blanks or controls. The results are consistent with products observed in natural environments.
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Hunt, J., Miller, R. & Whelan, J. Formation of C4–C7 hydrocarbons from bacterial degradation of naturally occurring terpenoids. Nature 288, 577–578 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/288577a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/288577a0
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