Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-wp2c8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-21T15:48:13.488Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Carbon Uptake in Aquatic Plants Deduced From Their Natural 13C and 14C Content

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Elena Marčenko
Affiliation:
Ruder Bošković Institute, P O Box 1016, 41001 Zagreb, Yugoslavia
Dušan Srdoč
Affiliation:
Ruder Bošković Institute, P O Box 1016, 41001 Zagreb, Yugoslavia
Stjepko Golubić
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Boston University, 2 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Jože Pezdič
Affiliation:
Inštitut Jožef Štefan, Jamova 39, 61000 Ljubljana, Yugoslavia
M J Head
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Dating Research Laboratory, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2061, Australia
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

δ13C and 14C activity measurements were made on terrestrial, marsh and aquatic plants growing in their natural habitat of the Plitvice Lakes in northwest Yugoslavia. δ13C values were ca −47 for aquatic mosses, which indicate that the carbon source was dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from alkaline karst waters, following a C3 pathway, and ca −25 for marsh plants, indicating the carbon source was atmospheric CO2. 14C activity of true aquatic plants and submerged parts of helophytes was close to 14C activity of DIC, whereas that of emergent parts of helophytes and terrestrial plants was similar to atmospheric CO2 activity. Aquatic plants which use DIC in freshwater for their photosynthesis are not suitable for 14C dating, unless the initial activity of incorporated carbon is known. δ13C values of plant material also depend on the carbon source and cannot be used for 14C age correction.

Type
III. Global 14C Variations
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Bender, M M, 1971, Variations in the 13C/12C ratio of plants in relation to the pathway of photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation: Phytochemistry, v 10, p 12391244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benedict, C R, 1978, Nature of obligate photoautotrophy: Ann Rev Plant Physiol, v 29, p 6793.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, S K and Polach, H, 1985, Radiocarbon dating practices at ANU: Lab. monograph, 171 p.Google Scholar
Håkansson, S, 1979, Radiocarbon activity in submerged plants from various south Swedish lakes, in Berger, R and Suess, H E, eds, Radiocarbon dating, Internatl 14C conf, 9th, Proc: Berkeley, Univ California Press, p 433443.Google Scholar
Lloyd, N D H, Canvin, D T and Culver, D A, 1977, Photosynthesis and photorespiration in algae: Plant Physiol, v 59, p 936940.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacDonald, G M, Beukens, R P, Kieser, W E and Vitt, D H, 1987, Comparative radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant macrofossils and aquatic moss from the “ice-free corridor” of western Canada: Geology, v 15, p 837840.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Leary, M, 1981, Carbon isotope fractionation in plants: Biochemistry, v 20, p 553567.Google Scholar
Osmond, C B, Valaane, N, Haslam, S M, Uotila, P and Roksandić, Z, 1981, Comparisons of δ13 C values in leaves of aquatic macrophytes from different habitats in Britain and Finland: some implications for photosynthetic processes in aquatic plants: Oecologia v 50, p 117124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osmond, C B, Winter, K and Ziegler, H, 1982, Functional significance of different pathways of CO2 fixation in photosynthesis, in Lange, O L, Nobel, P S, Osmond, C B and Ziegler, H, eds, Physiological plant ecology II. Water relations and carbon assimilation: Berlin -Heidelberg, Springer, p 480535.Google Scholar
Polach, H, Kaihola, L, Robertson, S and Haas, H, 1988, Small sample 14C dating by liquid scintillation spectrometry: Radiocarbon, v 30, no. 2, p 153155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Press, M C, Shah, N, Tuohy, J M and Stewart, G R, 1987, Carbon isotope ratios demonstrate carbon flux from C3 host to C4 parent parasite: Plant Physiol, v 85, p 11431145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raven, J A, 1985, The CO2 concentrating mechanism, in Lucas, W J and Berry, J A, eds, Inorganic carbon uptake by aquatic photosynthetic organisms: Am Soc Plant Physiologists Rockville, Maryland, p 6782.Google Scholar
Richardson, K, Griffiths, H, Reed, M L, Raven, J A and Griffiths, N M, 1984, Inorganic carbon assimilation in the Isoetids, Isoetes lacustris and Lobelia dortmanna: Oecoloeia, v 61, p 115121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salvucci, M E and Bowes, G, 1983, Two photosynthetic mechanisms mediating the low photo-respiratory state in submerged aquatic angiosperms: Plant Physiol, v 73, p 488496.Google Scholar
Smith, B N and Brown, W V, 1973, The Kranz syndrome in the Gramineae as indicated by carbon isotope ratio: Am Jour Bot, v 60, p 505513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, B N and Epstein, S, 1971, Two categories of 13C/12C ratio for higher plants: Plant physiol, v 47, p 380384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srdoč, D, Horvatinčić, N, Obelić, B, Krajcar, I and Sliepčević, A, 1985, Calcite deposition processes in karst waters with special emphasis on the Plitvice Lakes, Yugoslavia: Carsus Yugoslaviae, 11/4–6, p 101203 (In Serbo-Croatian, with extended abs, fig captions and table headings in English).Google Scholar
Srdoč, D, Krajcar-Bronić, I, Horvatinčić, N and Obelić, B, 1986a, The increase of 14C activity of dissolved inorganic carbon along the river course, in Stuiver, M and Kra, R S, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 12th, Proc: Radiocarbon, v 28, no. 2A, p 436440.Google Scholar
Srdoč, D, Obelić, B, Horvatinčić, N, Krajcar-Bronić, I, Marčenko, E, Merkt, J, Wong, H K and Sliepčević, A, 1986b, Radiocarbon dating of lake sediments from two karstic lakes in Yugoslavia, in Stuiver, M and Kra, R S, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 12th, Proc: Radiocarbon v 28, no. 2A, p 495502.Google Scholar
Whelan, T, Sackett, W M and Benedict, C R, 1973, Enzyme fractionation of carbon isotopes by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from C4 plants: Plant Physiol, v 51, p 10511054.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, W W, Benedict, C R and Kohel, R J, 1979, Enzymic fractionation of the stable carbon isotopes of carbon dioxide by ribulose-1.5-biphosphate carboxylase: Plant Physiol, v 63, p 852856.CrossRefGoogle Scholar