A Neogene Higher Plant N-Alkane Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Record From the Gulf of Mexico

Water availability and a plant's capacity to cope with water stress are expressed in carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of leaf waxes. Therefore, coupled sedimentary n-alkane δ13C and δD isotope records provide unique continental-scale information about the paleo-hydrological cycle and its influence on biology over long time scales. In this study, we assess the relationship between Neogene North American climate and floral change, particularly C4 grass expansion, by establishing δ13C and δD records of higher-plant leaf wax n-alkanes from Gulf of Mexico sediments (DSDP site 94). Changes in the hydrogen isotope composition of leaf water can be driven by changes in evaporation/evapotranspiration or changes in the evaporative source from which precipitation derives. However, for this study changes in moisture source are unlikely because these sediments located in Gulf of Mexico likely received the majority of precipitation from the Gulf of Mexico itself over the time interval studied. In general, δ13C and δD values shift in concert, with the most positive δ13C and δD values occurring near the Epoch boundaries. N-alkane δ13C values reflect factors other than water stress alone, including the isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2, plant community, and atmospheric pCO2. Notably, 13C enrichment occurring near the Oligocene/Miocene boundary potentially reflects the rapid decrease in pCO2 at this time. In addition, between 4.5 and 5.5 Ma, n-alkane δ13C values trend more negative as δD becomes increasingly D-enriched, indicative of increased evaporation. Given that contemporaneous North American terrestrial isotope (Passey et al., 2002) and equatorial Atlantic marine (Wagner, 2002) records show similar trends, it appears that major changes in the hydrological cycle took place at this time.