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Estimating past leaf‐to‐air vapour pressure deficit from terrestrial plant δ 13 C
Author(s) -
Turney Chris S. M.,
Barringer James,
Hunt John E.,
McGlone Matt S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1417(199908)14:5<437::aid-jqs458>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - vapour pressure deficit , δ13c , lignin , cladodes , relative humidity , environmental science , humidity , botany , carbon dioxide , moisture , atmospheric sciences , chemistry , geology , biology , ecology , photosynthesis , transpiration , stable isotope ratio , geography , meteorology , physics , organic chemistry , pear , quantum mechanics
δ 13 C was determined in lignin extracted from present‐day cladodes of Phyllocladus alpinus (a small coniferous tree) from seven well‐lit sites across New Zealand. The δ 13 C values ranged from −30.9‰ to −23.6‰ and were compared with monthly means of temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and vapour pressure deficit from the nearest recording stations. Of these parameters, the leaf‐to‐air vapour pressure deficit of the first month of cladode growth and expansion proved to be the most significantly correlated with lignin δ 13 C, over a range of 0.3 to 0.8 kPa, confirming the importance of atmospheric moisture content on stomatal conductance. The carbon isotopic signature of lignin from fossilised cladodes preserved under the Kawakawa Tephra (22.6 k 14 C yr BP) on the North Island is identical to that of the whole tissue, suggesting that for this species at least, fossil material can be used to approximate the lignin δ 13 C. The δ 13 C of species‐ and organ‐specific fossil terrestrial plant material therefore provides an excellent method to quantify past changes in leaf‐to‐air vapour pressure deficit. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.