Abstract
The discovery of 2 H or deuterium (D) and its abundance relative to H—the D/H ratio or δD—has revolutionized research in physics, the atmospheric sciences, geology, geochemistry, and the biological sciences. This chapter discusses the advances made in using stable hydrogen isotope analyses in the biological sciences. The primary source of hydrogen in plants is derived from water. Water sources for plants are precipitation, soil water, runoff, and groundwater. To determine which sources of water are used by individual plants, it is important to determine the stable isotopic composition of all possible sources in the environment—precipitation, fog, soil water, runoff, and ground-water. Comparison of root-water, stem/caudex-water, or xylem-water isotopic composition with the isotopic composition of the environmental water allows the determination of water source(s) that plants are using. The chapter illustrates how the application of hydrogen isotopic composition of source water, plant water, and the cellulose of tree rings can be used to analyze patterns of plant-water use from both a short-term and long-term perspective and across a broad spectrum of community types and environments.
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