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Papers by Francesca McInerney

Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 2011

We analyzed hydrogen isotope ratios of high-molecular weight n-alkanes ( δD l) and oxygen isotope... more We analyzed hydrogen isotope ratios of high-molecular weight n-alkanes ( δD l) and oxygen isotope ratios of α-cellulose ( δ18O C) for C 3 and C 4 grasses grown in the field and in controlled-environment growth chambers. The relatively firm understanding of 18O-enrichment in leaf water and α-cellulose was used to elucidate fractionation patterns of δD l signatures. In the different relative humidity environments of the growth chambers, we observed clear and predictable effects of leaf-water enrichment on δ18O C values. Using a Craig-Gordon model, we demonstrate that leaf water in the growth chamber grasses should have experienced significant D-enriched due to transpiration. Nonetheless, we found no effect of transpirational D-enrichment on the δD l values. In field samples, we saw clear evidence of enrichment (correlating with relative humidity of the field sites) in both δ18O C and δD l. These seemingly contrasting results could be explained if leaf waxes are synthesized in an environment that is isotopically similar to water entering plant roots due to either temporal or spatial isolation from evaporatively enriched leaf waters. For grasses in the controlled environment, there was no enrichment of source water, whereas enrichment of grass source water via evaporation from soils and/or stems was likely for grass samples grown in the field. Based on these results, evaporation from soils and/or stems appears to affect δD l, but transpiration from leaves does not. Further evidence for this conclusion is found in modeling expected net evapotranspirational enrichment. A Craig-Gordon model applied to each of the field sites yields leaf water oxygen isotope ratios that can be used to accurately predict the observed δ18O C values. In contrast, the calculated leaf water hydrogen isotope ratios are more enriched than what is required to predict observed δD l values. These calculations lend support to the conclusion that while δ18O C reflects both soil evaporation and transpiration, δD l appears to only record evaporation from soils and/or stems. Therefore, the δD of n-alkanes can likely be used to reconstruct the δD of water entering a leaf, supporting the soil-enrichment model of Smith and Freeman (2006). In both the field and controlled studies, we found significant photosynthetic pathway effects on n-alkane δD suggesting that biochemical pathways or plant phylogeny have a greater effect on leaf wax δD than leaf-water enrichment in grasses.

Science (New York, N.Y.), Jan 24, 2012

Body size plays a critical role in mammalian ecology and physiology. Previous research has shown ... more Body size plays a critical role in mammalian ecology and physiology. Previous research has shown that many mammals became smaller during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but the timing and magnitude of that change relative to climate change have been unclear. A high-resolution record of continental climate and equid body size change shows a directional size decrease of ~30% over the first ~130,000 years of the PETM, followed by a ~76% increase in the recovery phase of the PETM. These size changes are negatively correlated with temperature inferred from oxygen isotopes in mammal teeth and were probably driven by shifts in temperature and possibly high atmospheric CO(2) concentrations. These findings could be important for understanding mammalian evolutionary responses to future global warming.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2011

We analyzed hydrogen isotope ratios of high-molecular weight n-alkanes (dD l ) and oxygen isotope... more We analyzed hydrogen isotope ratios of high-molecular weight n-alkanes (dD l ) and oxygen isotope ratios of a-cellulose (d 18 O C ) for C 3 and C 4 grasses grown in the field and in controlled-environment growth chambers. The relatively firm understanding of 18 O-enrichment in leaf water and a-cellulose was used to elucidate fractionation patterns of dD l signatures. In the different relative humidity environments of the growth chambers, we observed clear and predictable effects of leaf-water enrichment on d 18 O C values. Using a Craig-Gordon model, we demonstrate that leaf water in the growth chamber grasses should have experienced significant D-enriched due to transpiration. Nonetheless, we found no effect of transpirational D-enrichment on the dD l values. In field samples, we saw clear evidence of enrichment (correlating with relative humidity of the field sites) in both d 18 O C and dD l . These seemingly contrasting results could be explained if leaf waxes are synthesized in an environment that is isotopically similar to water entering plant roots due to either temporal or spatial isolation from evaporatively enriched leaf waters. For grasses in the controlled environment, there was no enrichment of source water, whereas enrichment of grass source water via evaporation from soils and/or stems was likely for grass samples grown in the field.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2009

Keywords: lipid biomarker deuterium paleoaltimetry tectonics Tibetan Plateau

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2012