Phytoplankton isoprenoids

Hypersaline C21 to C25 regular isoprenoids 6 enriched in relative to biomarkers of phytoplanktonic origin. Grice et al. (1998b)... 

Isoprenoids from phytoplankton The isoprenoid hydrocarbon pristane was found to be present in trace concentrations in different species of marine phytoplankton (Blumer et al., 1971). 

Different assemblages of organisms in the depositional environment could contribute to the acyclic isoprenoids e.g. pristane and phytane) and w-alkanes in the source rocks for these two oil families, including marine algae, archaebacteria, and land plants. For example, Schoell et al. (1992) showed that pristane (—26.7%o) and phytane (—26.1%c) in Miocene Monterey oil are isotopically enriched in compared to the C16-C22 n-alkanes (—27.6 0.2%o), apparently due to differences in source-rock organic matter input. They contend that pristane and phytane in the Monterey oil originated mainly from the phytol side chain of chlorophyll in marine phytoplankton and/or lipids in archaebacteria, while the n-alkanes originated from marine plankton lipids and land plant waxes. 

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