New paper by Marc-Andre Cormier explaining metabolic effects in plants on hydrogen isotopes in lipids and cellulose appeared on the cover of Oecologia
In this paper, Marc-Andre compares the hydrogen isotope composition of lipids and cellulose in heterotrophic plants and compares these to their autotrophic hosts or reference plants. In general he finds that both compounds are deuterium-enriched in heterotrophic plants compared to autotrophic plants. He then provides a comprehensive biochemical model that explains how metabolic effects determine the observed differences in the hydrogen isotope composition between autotrophic and heterotrophic plants. His study has implications for the interpretation of hydrogen isotope signals in plant ecology, biogeochemistry and paleohydrology.
Oecologia (2019) 189:365–373