Positive correlation between salinity and n-alkane δ13C values in the mangrove Avicennia marina

Abstract

Carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) values of lipid biomarkers from plants can be used to assess water use efficiency and to reconstruct environmental conditions in the past. We assessed the effect of salinity on the δ13C values for leaf wax n-C31 and n-C33 alkanes, bulk leaf matter and leaf total lipid extracts from Avicennia marina (gray mangrove) trees growing along the Brisbane River estuary in Queensland, Australia. We observed an increase in 0.19±0.053‰ (R2 0.61, p 0.008) and 0.16±0.052‰ (R2 0.55, p 0.01) per salinity unit for the two n-alkanes, respectively, and of 0.087±0.028‰ (R2 0.41, p 0.009) for whole leaves per salinity unit, indicating that water use efficiency of A. marina increased with the salt content of water. There was no correlation between δ13C values of total lipid extracts and salinity, perhaps because of a decrease in lipid concentration at higher salinity or because of varying contributions of different lipid classes to the extract. The robust relationship between salinity and δ13C values of leaf wax lipids provides a means of quantitatively reconstructing past salinity from carbon isotope ratios of mangrove lipid biomarkers in sediments. When paired with measurements of the hydrogen isotope ratio values of the same compounds, the approach should facilitate quantitative reconstruction of the hydrogen isotope composition of environmental water. In order for the method to successfully reconstruct past salinity and water isotopes, a mangrove source for leaf wax would need to be confirmed by palynological or other evidence, or the isotopic composition of a more source specific biomarker, such as taraxerol, would need to be measured.