Comparison of different chain n-fatty acids in modern plants on the Loess Plateau of China

n-Fatty acids (n-FAs) are widely investigated in lake sediments, yet less attention has been given to soil sedimentary n-FAs primarily derived from terrestrial plants. In this study, we performed an analysis of n-FA distributions in modern plants on the Loess Plateau, China. It showed that n-FAs were generally dominated by n-C₁₆, and that short-chain (C₁₆–C₂₀), medium-chain (C₂₂–C₂₆) and long-chain (C₂₈–C₃₂) n-FAs accounted for 49.7%, 33.7% and 16.6%, respectively. The LTR (long-chain/total ratio), and medium-chain EOP (even/odd predominance) are likely to differentiate between dicots and monocots in modern plants. It is believed that this study will promote the paleo-application of soil sedimentary n-FAs on the Loess Plateau.