Seasonality of the altitude effect on leaf wax n-alkane distributions, hydrogen and carbon isotopes along an arid transect in the Qinling Mountains

Reconstructing paleoelevation allows the temporal evolution of biogeochemical processes and hydroclimate regimes to be understood and quantified. A dual-isotope biomarker of clumped hydrogen and carbon isotopes of leaf wax n-alkanes was recently proposed in humid tropical forests, and it was proven to be superior to a single-isotope proxy that was previously reported. However, it remains unknown whether the dual-isotope biomarker is suitable in arid conditions. The present study investigated leaf wax n-alkane distribution, hydrogen (delta H-2(wax)) and carbon (delta C-13(wax)) isotopes in terrestrial plants along an arid mountainous transect. We found that the effects of seasonality on n-alkane distribution, delta H-2(wax) and delta C-13(wax) were minimal for all species (p > 0.05), and that species-specific delta H-2(wax) values remained almost unchanged for most species, in contrast to delta C-13(wax) values. Significant correlations between altitude and delta H-2(wax) values (R-2 = 0.54, 0.58, and 0.75 for spring, summer, and autumn, respectively), instead of delta C-13(wax) values (R-2 = 0.08, 0.43, and 0.12 with p = 0.24, 0.01, and 0.19 for spring, summer, and autumn, respectively), were observed, suggesting that delta H-2(wax) values, but not delta C-13(wax) values, can be reliably used as a proxy for reconstructing paleoelevation in arid conditions. Therefore, it will be necessary to identify other proxies to supplement delta H-2(wax) values under a dual-isotope approach in future research. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study showed that δ H-2(wax) values can be reliably used as a proxy for reconstructing paleoelevation in arid conditions. However, it will be necessary to identify other proxies to supplement δ H-2(wax) values under a dual-isotope approach in future research.