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Effects of Relative Humidity on Carbon Isotope Fractionation in Plants
S. Madhavan,
Isabel Treichel,
Marion H. O'Leary,
S. Madhavan
Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Search for more papers by this authorIsabel Treichel
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Marion H. O'Leary
Dept. of Biochemistry University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68583-0718 USASearch for more papers by this authorS. Madhavan,
Isabel Treichel,
Marion H. O'Leary,
S. Madhavan
Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Search for more papers by this authorIsabel Treichel
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Marion H. O'Leary
Dept. of Biochemistry University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68583-0718 USASearch for more papers by this authorAbstract
Four C3 plants and a C4 plant were grown from seeds at four levels (30, 45, 60, and 75 %) of relative humidity. All plants were subjected to a 16 h day, at 500 μE/m2.s−1 photon flux density. Mature leaves were analyzed for their carbon isotopic composition. Isotope fractionation decreased by up to 3 ‰ with decreasing relative humidity in all C3 plants, while the opposite trend was observed in the C4 plant. The observed shifts in both C3 and C4 plants are attributed to decreased stomatal conductance at low relative humidity, resulting in a smaller Pi.
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