The use of natural abundance stable isotopic ratios to indicate the presence of oxygen-containing chemical linkages between cellulose and lignin in plant cell walls

Lack of evidence for/against the existence of oxygen-containing chemical linkages between cellulose and lignin hinders the understanding of the cell wall structure and brings uncertainties to the application of natural abundance oxygen isotopes of cellulose for physiological and climate studies. We provide for the first time natural abundance stable oxygen isotopic evidence for the existence of ester and/or ether bonds between cellulose and lignin in Zea mays leaf but inconclusive evidence for the lack of such bonds in Araucaria cunninghamii wood.