5-n-Alkylresorcinols as biomarkers of sedges in an ombrotrophic peat section

5-n-Alkylresorcinols with alkyl chain lengths varying from C19 to C25 were identified solely in bog-forming plant species classified as sedges (Eriophorum vaginatum, E. angustifolium, Trichophorum cespitosum and Rhynchospora alba). These compounds were then identified throughout the peat deposit on which these plants grow. Total abundances of 5-n-alkylresorcinols were found to reflect macrofossil abundances of sedges in a 40 cm peat profile from Bolton Fell Moss, Cumbria, UK, thereby complementing macrofossil data in palaeoclimate studies.