Abstract
Isotope ratios of chemical components are powerful tools in the interpretation of palaeoenvironments, particularly carbonates from foraminiferans1,2, desert caliche3, and desert pavements4. Isotope ratios of plant cellulose are also indicators of environmental variables such as temperature and relative humidity5–7. Several workers have reported climatic fluctuations based on hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of cellulose from tree trunks8–10 and peats11,12. Here I present measurements that demonstrate that for submerged aquatic plants δD values of lipids record D/H ratios of environmental water, whereas cellulose does not. I further demonstrate that δD values of lipids in conjunction with δ18O values of cellulose provide significant information on isotope ratios of environmental water.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boyle, E. A. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 215–276 (1986).
Emiliani, C. Science 154, 851–856 (1966).
Cerling, T. E. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 71, 229–240 (1984).
Dorn, R. I. & DeNiro, M. J. Science 227, 1472–1474 (1985).
Epstein, S., Thompson, P. & Yapp, C. J. Science 198, 1209–1215 (1977).
Epstein, S., Yapp, C. J. & Hall, J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 30, 241–251 (1976).
Yapp, C. & Epstein, S. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 46, 955–965 (1982).
Burk, R. L. & Stuiver, M. Science 211, 1417–1419 (1981).
Krishnamurthy, R. V. S. & Epstein, S. Nature 317, 160–162 (1985).
Stuiver, M. & Braziunas, T. F. Nature 328, 58–60 (1987).
Schiegl, W. E. Science 175, 512–513 (1972).
Brenninkmeijer, C. A. M., Geel, B. van & Mook, W. G. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 61, 283–290 (1982).
Craig, H. Science 133, 1702–1703 (1961).
Dongman, G., Nurnberg, H., Forstel, H. & Wagener, K. Radiat. Envir. Biophys. 11, 41–52 (1974).
Sternberg, L. & DeNiro, M. J. Science 220, 947–948 (1983).
Sternberg, L., DeNiro, M. J. & Johnson, H. B. Pl. Physiol. 74, 557 (1984).
Sternberg, L., DeNiro, M. J. & Keeley, J. E. Pl. Physiol. 76, 69–70 (1984).
Keeley, J. E., Sternberg, L. O. & DeNiro, M. J. Aquat. Bot. 26, 213–223 (1986).
DeNiro, M. J. & Epstein, S. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 45, 1885–1894 (1981).
Estep, M. & Hoering, T. C. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 44, 1197–1206 (1980).
Sternberg, L. da S. L., DeNiro, M. J. & Ajie, H. O. Planta 169, 320–324 (1986).
Sternberg, L., DeNiro, M. J. & Ajie, H. Phytochem. 23, 2475–2477 (1984).
Sternberg, L. da S. L., DeNiro, M. J. & Savidge, R. A. Pl. Physiol. 82, 428–431 (1986).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
da Silveira Lobo Sternberg, L. D/H ratios of environmental water recorded by D/H ratios of plant lipids. Nature 333, 59–61 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/333059a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/333059a0
This article is cited by
-
Stable Southern Hemisphere westerly winds throughout the Holocene until intensification in the last two millennia
Communications Earth & Environment (2022)
-
Field testing cellulose-water oxygen isotope relations in periphyton for paleohydrological reconstructions
Journal of Paleolimnology (2021)
-
Compound-specific δD and its hydrological and environmental implication in the lakes on the Tibetan Plateau
Science China Earth Sciences (2018)
-
Different hydrogen isotope fractionations during lipid formation in higher plants: Implications for paleohydrology reconstruction at a global scale
Scientific Reports (2016)
-
Effect of petroleum on carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of long-chain n-alkanes in plants from the Yellow River Delta, China
Environmental Earth Sciences (2015)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.