Stable Hydrogen Isotope Ratios in Plants: A Review of Current Theory and Some Potential Applications

Abstract

Measurements of ratios of tree sap can be used to determine the source water for a tree. Based on these measurements, trees can be separated into three categories: those which rely solely on summertime rainfalls, those which rely solely on groundwaters and those which utilize both water sources. For trees in the last category, ratios of sap can be used to quantify the relative contributions to the tree's source water of summertime rainfalls and groundwaters. These measurements can be used to select trees for tree ring isotope studies. Single source trees, those which rely solely on summertime rain or groundwaters, appear to be the best choices for measuring long records of tree ring ratios.