2 Forschungsstelle fuer Palaeobotanik, Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet, Hindenburgplatz 57, 48143 Muenster, Germany

Substantial variations in _¹³C of marine carbonates and organic matter have been recorded for the entire Phanerozoic, in general, and the Late Paleozoic, in particular. Specifically, a rise in _¹³C during the Late Paleozoic is frequently seen in connection with the burial of organic matter in terrestrial ecosystems (linked to the radiation of higher land plants in the Lower Devonian and the spread of peat-forming environments during the Carboniferous). Based on a systematic survey of terrestrial organic matter (carbonized plant fragments, cuticles, detrital organic matter, coal) from different depositional environments a carbon isotope record is presented for the Late Paleozoic. So far, we have obtained _¹³C_org values of about 400 samples ranging in age from the Early Silurian (Early Wenlock) to the Permian-Triassic transition. The average isotopic composition varies between —25.5‰ and —22.5‰ with a band width of 2 — 5 ‰. The temporal evolution of the terrestrial organic carbon isotope record is in overall agreement with the respective dataset for marine carbonates, although less well constrained.