Analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from C3 and C4 plants and modern soils

The analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from modern plants and surface soils in China shows that the values of carbon isotope are consistent with those from C3 and C4 plants, and the processes of photosynthesis of the original plants can be clearly identified by carbon isotope in phytoliths. The value of carbon isotope varied from −23.8‰ to −28‰, with the maximum distributed in the latitude zone from 34°N to 40°N in North China and East China areas, and the minimum in the Northeast China and South China regions. The values of carbon of phytoliths tend to increase from low to high and then reduce to low value again as the latitude increases. In the same latitude zone, the carbon isotope in phytoliths from grassland soil under the trees is obviously lower than that from grassland soil without any trees with the difference of 1%–2‰