Plant hydrogen and oxygen isoscapes have been utilized to address important and somewhat disparate research goals. The isotopic composition of leaf water affects the isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2 and O2 and is a logical starting point for understanding the isotopic composition of plant organic compounds since photosynthesis occurs in the leaf water environment. Leaf water isoscapes have been produced largely as part of efforts to understand atmospheric gas isotopic composition. The isotopic composition of plant organic matter has also been targeted for its potential to serve as a proxy for past environmental conditions. Spatially distributed sampling and modeling of modern plant H & O isoscapes can improve our understanding of the controls of the isotope ratios of compounds such as cellulose or n-alkanes from plants and therefore their utility for paleoreconstructions. Spatially varying plant hydrogen and oxygen isotopes have promise for yielding geographic origin information for a variety of plant products, including objects of criminal forensic interest or food products. The future has rich opportunities for the continued development of mechanistic models, methodologies for the generation of hydrogen and oxygen isoscapes, and cross-disciplinary interactions as these tools for understanding are developed, shared, and utilized to answer large-scale questions.
Revised: August 6, 2010 |
Published: December 1, 2009
Citation
West J.B., J.B. West, H.W. Kreuzer-Martin, and J. Ehleringer. 2009.Approaches to Plant Hydrogen and Oxygen Isoscapes Generation. In Isoscapes: Understanding Movement, Pattern, and Process on Earth through Isotope Mapping. New York, New York:Springer.PNNL-SA-64024.