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Using Stable Carbon Isotopes to Study C3 and C4 Photosynthesis: Models and Calculations

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Photosynthesis

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1770))

Abstract

Stable carbon isotopes are a powerful tool to study photosynthesis. Initial applications consisted of determining isotope ratios of plant biomass using mass spectrometry. Subsequently, theoretical models relating C-isotope values to gas exchange characteristics were introduced and tested against instantaneous online measurements of 13C photosynthetic discrimination. Beginning in the twenty-first century, tunable diode laser spectroscopes with sufficient precision for determining isotope mixing ratios became commercially available. This has allowed collection of large data sets, at low cost and with unprecedented temporal resolution. With more data and accompanying knowledge, it has become apparent that there is a need for increased complexity in models and calculations. This chapter describes instantaneous online measurements of 13C photosynthetic discrimination, provides recommendations for experimental setup, and presents a thorough compilation of equations needed for different applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

    Nerea Ubierna

  2. Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Meisha-Marika Holloway-Phillips & Graham D. Farquhar

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  1. Nerea Ubierna
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  2. Meisha-Marika Holloway-Phillips
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  3. Graham D. Farquhar
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  1. Niceville, Florida, USA

    Sarah Covshoff

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Ubierna, N., Holloway-Phillips, MM., Farquhar, G.D. (2018). Using Stable Carbon Isotopes to Study C3 and C4 Photosynthesis: Models and Calculations. In: Covshoff, S. (eds) Photosynthesis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1770. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7786-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7786-4_10

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