Biogeochemistry of the stable isotopes of hydrogen and carbon in salt marsh biota

Deuterium to hydrogen ratios of 14 plant species from a salt marsh and lagoon were 55‰ depleted in deuterium relative to the environmental water. Carbon tetrachloride-extractable material from these plants was another 92‰ depleted in deuterium. This gave a fractionation factor from water to CCl₄ extract of 1.147. This over-all fractionation was remarkably constant for all species analyzed. Plants also discriminate against ¹³C, particularly in the lipid fraction. Data suggest that different mechanisms for carbon fixation result in different fractionations of the carbon isotopes. Herbivore tissues reflected the isotopic ratios of plants ingested. Apparently different metabolic processes are responsible for the different degrees of fractionation observed for hydrogen and carbon isotopes.