Abstract
Opaline mineralized bodies are produced by many terrestrial plants and accumulate in certain soils and archaeological sites. Analyses of the oxygen isotopic compositions of these so-called phytoliths from stems and leaves of wheat plants grown in a greenhouse showed a linear relationship with stem and leaf water isotopic compositions and hence, indirectly, rain water isotopic composition. Analyses of wheat plants grown in fields showed that stem phytoliths isotopic composition directly reflects the seasonal air temperature change, whereas leaf phytoliths isotopic composition reflects both temperature and relative humidity. Temperature and the oxygen isotopic composition of stem phytoliths were related by an equation similar to that proposed for marine opal. Oxygen isotopic compositions of fossil phytoliths, and in particular those from stems, could be valuable for reconstructing past terrestrial climate change.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3949-3953 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue number | 20 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgments--We thank Gilat Experimental Farm, Minhor Farm of Hazera Co., and the Israel Meteorological Service for materials and information. The technical assistance of E. Negreano, Y. Bolakia-Cohen, and R. Silenikov, and the helpful advice of A. Miller-Rosen, are gratefully acknowledged. This study was supported by the Minerva Foundation, Munich, Germany.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geochemistry and Petrology