Carbon isotope ratios (δ 13C) of 89 C4 plant samples were determined from the loess area in North China. δ 13C values vary between –10.5‰ and –14.6‰ with a mean of –12.6‰. Along a pre-cipitation gradient from the semi-moist area to the semiarid area, then to the arid area, the δ 13C val-ues of C4 plants show a slight decreasing trend. The δ 13C values of C4 plants in the dry season are found lower than those in the wet season. These trends are opposite to those observed for C3 spe-cies.
WANG Guoan1,2,3, HAN Jiamao 2, ZHOU Liping3, XIONG Xiaogang4, TAN Ming2, WU Zhenhai5 & PENG Jun6 1. Department of Plant Nutrition, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China
