Evaluating the isotopic composition of leaf organic compounds in fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii across the coastal Atacama Desert: Implications for hydroclimate reconstructions at the dry limit

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Title:Main Title: Evaluating the isotopic composition of leaf organic compounds in fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii across the coastal Atacama Desert: Implications for hydroclimate reconstructions at the dry limit
Description:Abstract: Fog is an important component of the coastal climate of northern Chile and southern Peru. Moisture and nutrients from fog maintain highly endemic vegetation (lomas) as well as unique Tillandsia landbeckii ecosystems that thrive at elevations of ca. 900-1200 m asl. Although this epiphytic CAM bromeliad is well adapted to the extreme climate, declining Tillandsia stocks observed over the past decades question the long-term survival with ongoing climate change. Here, we aim at better understanding the hydroclimatic signal encoded in the leaf organic compounds of Tillandsia landbeckii across the Atacama Desert’s coastal mountain range (ca. 18-21°S). First, we investigate spatiotemporal patterns of fog occurrence and related moisture sources available for the plants applying a new satellite-based fog-detection approach. We then use stable carbon, oxygen and hydrogen (δ13C, δ18O, δD) isotope analysis of leaf wax n-alkanes and cellulose to identify photosynthetic pathway as well as environmental and physiological processes that shape the isotopic composition in Tillandsia landbeckii. We find that leaf wax n-alkanes and cellulose reflect the balance of climatic and physiological drivers differently. While n-alkane δD values more closely follow changes in precipitation δD, evaporative enrichment seems to have a dominant influence on cellulose δ18O values. Cellulose δD values are highly enriched compared to n-alkane δD values, likely reflecting a predominant metabolic imprint on δD. δ13C signatures in the organic compounds are valid proxies for CAM activity. Our results prove the general applicability of the isotopic biomarkers for reconstructing environmental change in the coastal Atacama Desert. This approach can be extended globally to west-coast deserts that share fog as a major source of moisture.
Citation Advice:A. Jaeschke, C. Böhm, J.H. Schween, et al., Evaluating the isotopic composition of leaf organic compounds in fog-dependent Tillandsia landbeckii across the coastal Atacama Desert: Implications for hydroclimate reconstructions at the dry limit, Global and Planetary Change (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.gloplacha.2024.104393
Responsible Party
Creator:Andrea Jaeschke (Author)
Funding Reference:Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): CRC 1211: Earth - Evolution at the Dry Limit
Publisher:Elsevier
Publication Year:2024
Topic
CRC1211 Topic:Climate
Related Subprojects:D4, A1, B1
Subjects:Keywords: Organic Geochemistry, Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Ecology of Plants, Fog Water
Geogr. Information Topic:Biota
File Details
Filename:Jaeschke2024b.pdf
Data Type:Data Paper - Publication
File Size:1.8 MB
Date:Accepted: 24.02.2024
Mime Type:application/pdf
Data Format:PDF
Language:English
Status:Completed
Constraints
Download Permission:Free
General Access and Use Conditions:According to the CRC1211DB data policy agreement.
Access Limitations:According to the CRC1211DB data policy agreement.
Licence:[Creative Commons] Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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Specific Information - Publication
Publication Status:In Print
Review Status:Peer reviewed
Publication Type:Article
Article Type:Journal
Source:Global and Planetary Change
Source Website:https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/global-and-planetary-change
Number of Pages:43 (1 - 43)
Metadata Details
Metadata Creator:Andrea Jaeschke
Metadata Created:01.03.2024
Metadata Last Updated:01.03.2024
Subproject:D4
Funding Phase:2
Metadata Language:English
Metadata Version:V50
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