IDENTIFICATION OF 24-ETHYLCHOLESTANES AS MOLECULAR INDICATORS OF VASCULAR PLANTS SOURCE INPUTS IN COASTAL SEDIMENTS FROM NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The identification of ααα-24-ethylcholestane, 2α-methyl-24-ethylcholestane and 3β-Methyl-5α-stigmastane in extracts of sediments from the coastal areas of the Niger Delta of Nigeria was achieved by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The concentrations of the 24-ethylcholestanes varied between 0.05 and 1.40 mgkg-1 in the entire study area. The distributions of the 24-ethylcholestanes, which are known to be diagenetic products of plant sterols (phytosterols) in our samples, suggest possible source inputs from vascular plants around the coastal vegetation of the Niger Delta environment