Vegetational ecotype of the Gyirong Basin in Tibet, China and its response in stable carbon isotopes of mammal tooth enamel

Abstract

Carbon isotope analysis of modern herbaceous plants in the Gyirong Basin (Tibet, China) indicates that although C3 plants are dominant, C4 plants rarely comprise of the vegetation in the area at 4000 m above sea level. The C4 plants discovered in the Gyirong Basin areSalsola nepalensis of Chenopodiaceae andPennisetum flaccidum of Gramineae, affirming that C4 plants affected by high solar gain can be distributed at high altitude, which supports the opinion that some C4 plants can exist in areas of high elevation. Carbon isotope analysis of herbivore tooth enamel from the Gyirong Basin indicates that carbon isotopes of structural carbonate in biogenic apatite at high altitude still keep a stable enrichment relationship with those of plants in their diet. Carbon isotopes in tooth enamel are therefore an accurate proxy for vegetation ecotypes and should reflect climatic and environmental features.