Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2503-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2503-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 15 Apr 2026
| 15 Apr 2026
Ecological and environmental controls on plant wax production and stable isotope fractionation in modern terrestrial Arctic vegetation
Department of Earth Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
Elizabeth K. Thomas
Department of Earth Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
Martha K. Raynolds
Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
Helga Bültmann
Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
Jonathan H. Raberg
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82072, USA
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Short summary
Plant waxes are an important tool for inferring past changes in vegetation and the water cycle. However, the mechanisms governing plant wax production and stable isotope values are not well understood in the Arctic. We found that terrestrial Arctic plant waxes are not significantly influenced by environmental parameters including latitude, temperature, precipitation amount, humidity, and elevation. These findings agree with our understanding of plant waxes in other regions of the world.
Plant waxes are an important tool for inferring past changes in vegetation and the water cycle....
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