Cuticles have been a key part of palaeobotanical research since the mid-19th Century. Recently, cuticular research has moved beyond morphological traits to incorporate the chemical signature of modern and fossil cuticles, with the aim of using this as a taxonomic and classification tool. For this approach to work, cuticle chemistry would have to maintain a strong taxonomic signal, with a limited input from the ambient environment in which the plant grew. Here, we use attenuated total reflectance Fourier Transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to analyse leaf cuticles from Ginkgo biloba plants grown in experimentally enhanced CO₂ conditions, to test for the impact of changing CO₂ regimes on cuticle chemistry. We find limited evidence for an impact of CO₂ on the chemical signature of Ginkgo cuticles, with more pronounced differences demonstrated between the abaxial (lower leaf surface) and adaxial (upper leaf surface) cuticles. These findings support the use of chemotaxonomy for plant cuticular remains across geological timescales, and the concomitant large-scale variations in CO₂ concentrations.

中文翻译：

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银杏叶片表皮化学变化的p CO 2方案

自19世纪中叶以来，表皮一直是古植物学研究的关键部分。近来，表皮的研究已经超越了形态学的特性，纳入了现代和化石表皮的化学标记，目的是将其用作分类学和分类工具。对于这种方法，表皮化学必须保持强烈的生物分类信号，而植物生长的周围环境的输入却有限。在这里，我们使用衰减的全反射傅立叶变换红外光谱（ATR-FTIR）光谱分析在实验增强的CO ₂条件下生长的银杏植物的叶角质层，以测试变化的CO ₂方案对角质层化学的影响。我们发现有限的证据表明一氧化碳的影响银杏角质层的化学特征如图₂所示，在背面（下部叶表面）和背面（上部叶表面）之间有更明显的差异。这些发现支持化学分类学用于跨越地质时间尺度的植物表皮残留物，以及伴随的CO ₂浓度的大规模变化。