Carbon Isotope Discrimination by a Sequence of Eucalyptus Species along a Subcontinental Rainfall Gradient in Australia

1. The 13C/12C discrimination (Δ) by a series of co-occurring and replacement Eucalyptus species was measured across an eightfold decrease in rainfall. As Δ is a measure of the stomatal limitation on photosynthesis, it should provide a subcontinental scale measure of water-limited plant physiological performance. 2. Leaf Δ of five of 13 species decreased with decreasing rainfall, seven exhibited no trend, and one increased. Wood Δ decreased in eight species, showed no trend in four, and increased in one species. 3. Species replacements were marked by a shift in Δ reflecting greater stomatal limitation on carbon assimilation. 4. Wood Δ was less variable than leaf Δ. 5. There was a non-linear response of the multispecies average leaf and wood Δ to decreasing total annual rainfall. This response reflected the spatial pattern of the sensitivities of Δ to decreasing rainfall of the individual species. It was not the result of a proposed emergent behaviour where the trend in the multispecies average differed from that of the individual species. 6. Patterns of Δ across the distributions of species (reflecting increasing stomatal limitation on assimilation) did not provide a simple measure of the physiological limits of the distribution of eucalypts in north-western Australia.