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Evaluating Aspects of Water Economy and Photosynthetic Performance with Stable Isotopes from Water and Organic Matter

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Tropical Forest Plant Ecophysiology

Abstract

This chapter focuses on stable isotopes as a tool for investigating aspects of water economy and photosynthetic performance of tropical forest plants. We discuss stable isotope ratios in water as an index of spatial and temporal patterns of soil water utilization, and stable carbon isotope ratios as an integrated measure of internal conditions influencing carbon assimilation. These methods may help bridge the gap between instantaneous observations of plant responses and information obtained at extended temporal and spatial scales, and help us understand the contribution of different patterns of physiological regulation to processes evident at the whole organism, community, or ecosystem level.

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Authors
  1. Guillermo Goldstein
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  2. Frederick C. Meinzer
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  3. Leonel da Silveira Lobo Sternberg
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  4. Paula Jackson
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  5. Jaime Cavelier
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  6. N. Michele Holbrook
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Stephen S. Mulkey

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Robin L. Chazdon

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© 1996 Chapman & Hall

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Goldstein, G., Meinzer, F.C., da Silveira Lobo Sternberg, L., Jackson, P., Cavelier, J., Holbrook, N.M. (1996). Evaluating Aspects of Water Economy and Photosynthetic Performance with Stable Isotopes from Water and Organic Matter. In: Mulkey, S.S., Chazdon, R.L., Smith, A.P. (eds) Tropical Forest Plant Ecophysiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1163-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1163-8_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8493-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-1163-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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