Hyperspectral imaging sediment core scanning tracks high-resolution Holocene variations in (an)oxygenic phototrophic communities at Lake Cadagno, Swiss Alps

Pigments produced by anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria are valuable proxies of past anoxia in lacustrine and marine environments. Pigment measurement typically requires time-consuming and costly chemical extractions and chromatographic analyses, which limits the temporal resolution of paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on sedimentary pigments. Here, we evaluate the potential of in situ hyperspectral imaging (HSI) core scanning as a rapid, non-destructive method to document high-resolution changes in oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophic communities at meromictic Lake Cadagno, Switzerland. Three distinct groups of pigments can be detected with the HSI method in the sediments of Lake Cadagno; each pigment group represents a different phototrophic community. Oxygenic phototrophs are indicated by total chloropigments (TChl; chlorophyll a, b, and derivatives). Two types of anoxygenic phototrophs were distinguished - purple sulfur bacteria (PSB), represented by bacteriochlorophyll a, and green sulfur bacteria (GSB), represented by bacteriochlorophyll c, d, and e. HSI pigment indices were validated by pigment measurements performed on extracted samples using spectrophotometer and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Bacteriochlorophylls were present throughout the past 10 kyr, confirming geochemical evidence of nearly continuous stratification and sulfidic conditions at Lake Cadagno. Major shifts in the anoxygenic phototropic communities are recorded at decadal to millennial scales. GSB and PSB communities coexisted from 10.2-8.8 kyr BP. Dominance of PSB over GSB from 8.8-3.4 kyr BP indicates strongly stratified conditions in the lake and strong light radiation at the chemocline. From 3.4-1.3 kyr BP, PSB were mostly absent, and GSB became dominant, implying lower light intensity at the chemocline due to a combination of factors including deforestation in the lake surroundings, increased flood frequency, cooler climatic conditions, and changes in groundwater solute concentrations. The high-resolution HSI data show that frequent flood events and mass movements disturbed the chemocline and the anoxygenic bacterial communities and that the PSB were particularly sensitive and slow to recover following these disturbance events. This study demonstrates for the first time that HSI can detect GSB-related pigments, making the method uniquely valuable as a rapid tool to study samples containing pigments of both oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs.

Automated summary

Pigments produced by anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria are valuable proxies for past anoxia in lacustrine and marine environments. In this study, in situ hyperspectral imaging (HSI) core scanning was used to rapidly and non-destructively document high-resolution changes in oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophic communities in Lake Cadagno, Switzerland. The HSI method successfully detected three distinct groups of pigments in the lake sediments, representing different phototrophic communities: oxygenic phototrophs, purple sulfur bacteria (PSB), and green sulfur bacteria (GSB). The results were validated by pigment measurements using spectrophotometer and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This study demonstrates the potential of HSI as a rapid tool to study samples containing pigments of both oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs.