title: Different hydrogen isotope fractionations during lipid formation in higher plants: Implications for paleohydrology reconstruction at a global scale.
abstract: Leaf wax δDn-alkane values have shown to differ significantly among plant life forms (e.g., among grasses, shrubs, and trees) in higher plants. However, the underlying causes for the differences in leaf wax δDn-alkane values among different plant life forms remain poorly understood. In this study, we observed that leaf wax δDn-alkane values between major high plant lineages (eudicots versus monocots) differed significantly under the same environmental conditions. Such a difference primarily inherited from different hydrogen biosynthetic fractionations (εwax-lw). Based upon a reanalysis of the available leaf wax δDn-alkane dataset from modern plants in the Northern Hemisphere, we discovered that the apparent hydrogen fractionation factor (εwax-p) between leaf wax δDn-alkane values of major angiosperm lineages and precipitation δD values exhibited distinguishable distribution patterns at a global scale, with an average of -140‰ for monocotyledonous species, -107‰ for dicotyledonous species. Additionally, variations of leaf wax δDn-alkane values and the εwax-p values in gymnosperms are similar to those of dicotyledonous species. Therefore, the data let us believe that biological factors inherited from plant taxonomies have a significant effect on controlling leaf wax δDn-alkane values in higher plants.
authors.affiliation: School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.|State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, IEE, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China.
authors.forename: Jinzhao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.|State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, IEE, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China.
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, IEE, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China.
authors.forename: Zhisheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Terrestrial Environments, College of Arts and Sciences, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI 02917, USA.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D006859:Hydrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D007554:Isotopes; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014885:Waxes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D008055:Lipids; D014885:Waxes; D006859:Hydrogen