Skip to main content
Log in

Analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from C3 and C4 plants and modern soils

  • Notes
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

The analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from modern plants and surface soils in China shows that the values of carbon isotope are consistent with those from C3 and C4 plants, and the processes of photosynthesis of the original plants can be clearly identified by carbon isotope in phytoliths. The value of carbon isotope varied from −23.8‰ to −28‰, with the maximum distributed in the latitude zone from 34°N to 40°N in North China and East China areas, and the minimum in the Northeast China and South China regions. The values of carbon of phytoliths tend to increase from low to high and then reduce to low value again as the latitude increases. In the same latitude zone, the carbon isotope in phytoliths from grassland soil under the trees is obviously lower than that from grassland soil without any trees with the difference of 1%–2‰

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lin, B. H., An, Z. S., Liu, R. M., Stable isotopic evidence of monsoon variation on Chinese Loess Plateau during the last 600 ka, Loess, Quaternary Geology and Global Change, Part III (in Chinese), Beijing: Science Press, 1992, 51–54.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Nordt, L. C., Boutton, T. W., Hallmark, C. T. et al., Late Quaternary vegetation and climate change in central Texas based on the isotopic composition of organic carbon, Quaternary Research, 1994, 41: 109.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Humphrey, J. D., Ferring, C. R., Stable isotopic evidence for latest Pleistocene and Holocene climate change in north central Texas, Quaternary Research, 1994, 41: 200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Han, J. M., Jiang, W. Y., Liu, D. S. et al., Carbonate isotopic records of paleoclimate changes in Chinese loess (in Chinese), Science in China, Ser. D, 1996, 39(5): 460.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Boutton, T. W., Archer, S. R., Nordt, L. C., Climate, CO2 and plant abundance, Nature, 1994, 372: 625.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Deines, P., The isotopic composition of reduced organic carbon, Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry (eds. Fritz, P., Fontes, J. C. H.), Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, 1980, 329–406.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chen, T. M., Progress loess problems in Quaternary dating, Quaternary Sciences (in Chinese with English abstract), 1995(2): 182.

  8. Kelly, E. F., Amundson, R. G., Marino, B. D. et al., Stable isotope rations of carbon in phytoliths as a quantitative method of monitoring vegetation and climate change, Quaternary Research, 1991, 35: 222.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fredlund, G. G., Tieszen, L. L., Phytolith and carbon isotope evidence for late Quaternary vegetation and climate change in the Southern Black Hills, South Dakota, Quaternary Research, 1997, 47: 206.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wang, Y. J., Lü, H. Y., AMS14C dating and isotope analysis in phytoliths, Marine Science Bulletin (in Chinese), 1997, 16 (3): 49.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wang, Y. J., Lü, H. Y., The Study of Phytolith and Its Application (in Chinese), Beijing: China Ocean Press, 1993, 1–228.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mulholland, S. C., Prior, C., Processing of phytoliths for radiocarbon dating by AMS, The Phytolitharien News Letter, 1992, 7(2): 7.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Yin, L. J., Li, M. R., A study on the geographic distribution and ecology of C4 plant in China, Acta Ecologica Sinica (in Chinese with English abstract), 1997, 17: 350.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Yin, L. J., Wang, P., Distribution of C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways of plants on the steppe of Northeastern China, Acta Ecologica Sinica (in Chinese with English abstract), 1997, 17: 113.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Wu, N. Q., Lü, H. Y., Nie, G. Z. et al., The study of phytoliths in C3 and C4 grasses and its paleoecological significance, Quaternary Sciences (in Chinese with English abstract), 1992, 240–251.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yongji Wang.

About this article

Cite this article

Lü, H., Wang, Y., Wang, G. et al. Analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from C3 and C4 plants and modern soils. Chin.Sci.Bull. 45, 1804–1808 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886272

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886272

Keywords

Navigation