Altitudinal variation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ginkgo</Emphasis> leaf characters: Clues to paleoelevation reconstruction

After detailed studies of leaf area, leaf shape index, petiole length, stomatal density, stomatal index, and carbon isotope discrimination of Ginkgo biloba L., growing in Northwest China, the change trends of these parameters with an altitude gradient and their differences between sun and shade leaves were assessed. The results show that leaf area, petiole length, and stomatal parameters have no obvious linear relationship with altitude, but the carbon isotope discrimination shows a negative correlation with altitude, which has a potential to be an applicable paleo-altimeter. The results also suggest that the differences in stomatal density and stomatal index between sun and shade leaves had more influence on paleoelevation reconstruction than that in other parameters. Based on the linear and nonlinear correlations between carbon isotope discrimination and altitude, the paleoelevation evolution during the Middle Jurassic of the Yaojie Basin, Lanzhou in Gansu Province was estimated. The results show that the paleoelevation of the Yaojie Basin increased at first, and then decreased from the Aalenian to the early Bajocian and then to the late Bajocian in the Middle Jurassic.