Carbon stable isotopes as a palaeoclimate proxy in vascular plant dominated peatlands
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Citation
Export citationAmesbury, M. J., Charman, D. J., Newnham, R. M., Loader, N. J., Goodrich, J. P., Royles, J., … Gallego-Sala, A. (2015). Carbon stable isotopes as a palaeoclimate proxy in vascular plant dominated peatlands. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 164, 161–174. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2015.05.011
Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/9465
Abstract
Carbon stable isotope (δ¹³C) records from vascular plant dominated peatlands have been used as a palaeoclimate proxy, but a better empirical understanding of fractionation processes in these ecosystems is required. Here, we test the potential of δ¹³C analysis of ombrotrophic restiad peatlands in New Zealand, dominated by the wire rush (Empodisma spp.), to provide a methodology for developing palaeoclimatic records. We took surface plant samples alongside measurements of water table depth and (micro)climate over spatial (six sites spanning > 10 latitude) and temporal (monthly measurements over 1 year) gradients and analysed the relationships between cellulose δ¹³C values and environmental parameters. We found strong, significant negative correlations between δ¹³C and temperature, photosynthetically active radiation and growing degree days above 0 C. No significant relationships were observed between δ¹³C and precipitation, relative humidity, soil moisture or water table depth, suggesting no growing season water limitation and a decoupling of the expected link between δ¹³C in vascular plants and hydrological variables. δ¹³C of Empodisma spp. roots may therefore provide a valuable temperature proxy in a climatically sensitive region, but further physiological and sub-fossil calibration studies are required to fully understand the observed signal.
Date
2015-09Type
Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
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© 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license