Abstract
Acyclic phytanyl diether glycerol and biphytanyl ether lipids have been quantified in two modern swamp sediment cores in concentrations ranging up to 360 μg/ml porewater. Methanogenic bacteria are the only known source organisms which can inhabit the swamp sediments. Variations in relative abundance between these lipids may reflect taxonomic changes in methanogen populations or the stage of growth. Maxima in methanogen lipid concentrations coincide with local maxima of 13C of organic matter, possibly the result of a pool effect on CO2 or acetate. Methane production estimates calculated from lipid concentrations in swamp sediments range from 0.1 to 1.3 mmol cm−2 yr−1, values which are consistent with published methane fluxes.
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