Stable Isotope Composition of Stem and Leaf Water: Applications to the Study of Plant Water Use

• DOI: 10.2307/2389264
• Publication Date: 2006-06-17T06:44:16Z
• Authors: L. B. Flanagan; J. R. Ehleringer
• Keywords: 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Much of the past research in plant physiological ecology has focused on gas-exchange responses individual leaves (Pearcy et al., 1987). There been great progress developing models that link leaf biochemical properties with characteristics (Farquhar & von Caemmerer, 1982). Success also come understanding basis for ecological differentiation plants C3, C4 and CAM photosynthetic pathways (Osmond, Winter Ziegler, It recognized, however, further linking leaf-level, instantaneous to longer-term whole-plant growth would require new approaches extend temporal spatial scale measurements (Ehleringer, Pearcy Mooney, 1986). suggested more emphasis should be placed studies below-ground resource acquisition (Ehleringer Stable-isotope techniques offer methods address some these long-standing problems (Rundel, Ehleringer Nagy, 1988). In this paper we describe how isotopic composition stem water can applied use. The first application discuss takes advantage different compositions summer rain ground trace relative uptake two sources by species. This technique used, a relatively non-destructive manner, study aspects root function under field conditions. second outline involves use known fractionation events occur during transpiration leaf-air vapour pressure gradient, an important parameter influencing gas exchange. could potentially used canopy level interactions exchange over longer time-scales than are possible using conventional 1988; Sternberg, Mulkey Wright, 1989).