Variations in the natural abundance of oxygen-18 and deuterium in plant carbohydrates

Variations in the natural abundance of ¹⁸O and ²H in plant cellulose are influenced by the isotopic composition of the water directly involved in metabolism—the metabolic water fraction. The isotopic distinction between the metabolic source water and total tissue water must reflect the formation of isotopic gradients within the tissue that are influenced by the rate of water turnover, by properties of the water conducting system and by environmental conditions. It seems that the ¹⁸O abundance in the metabolic water is conserved in cellulose with a relatively constant isotope effect. The relationship of the ²H abundance between metabolic water and cellulose is more complex. Hydrogen incorporated into photosynthetic products during primary reduction steps is highly depleted in ²H. However, a large proportion of these hydrogens are subsequently replaced by exchange with water, leading to ²H enrichment during heterotrophic metabolism. Deciphering the oxygen isotope ratio of cellulose could help in providing insights into the carbon and oxygen fluxes exchanged between plants and the atmosphere. This is because the ¹⁸O abundance in cellulose records the ¹⁸O abundance in the metabolic water, which in turn, controls the oxygen isotopic signatures of the CO₂ and O₂ released by plants into the atmosphere. The hydrogen isotope effects associated with carbohydrate metabolism provide insights into the autotrophic state of a plant tissue. This is because the hydrogen isotope ratio of carbohydrates must reflect the net effects of the two opposing isotope effects associated with photosynthesis and heterotrophic metabolism.