The effect of the presence of a forage legume on nitrogen and carbon levels in soils under Brachiaria pastures in the Atlantic forest region of the South of Bahia,Brazil

The impact of forest clearance, and its replacement by Brachiaria pastures, on soil carbon reserves has been studied at many sites in the Brazilian Amazonia, but to date there appear to be no reports of similar studies undertaken in the Atlantic forest region of Brazil. In this study performed in the extreme south of Bahia, the changes in C and N content of the soil were evaluated from the time of establishment of grass-only B. humidicola and mixed B. humidicola/Desmodium ovalifolium pastures through 9 years of grazing in comparison with the C and N contents of the adjacent secondary forest. The decline in the content of soil C derived from the forest (C3) vegetation and the accumulation of that derived from the Brachiaria (C4) were followed by determining the ¹³C natural abundance of the soil organic matter (SOM). The pastures were established in 1987, 10 years after deforestation, and it was estimated that until 1994 there was a loss in forest-derived C in the top 30 cm of soil of approximately 20% (9.1 Mg C ha^–1). After the establishment of the pastures, C derived from Brachiaria accumulated steadily such that at the final sampling (1997) it was estimated 13.9 Mg ha^–1 was derived from this source under the grass-only pasture (0–30 cm). Samples taken from all pastures and the forest in 1997 to a depth of 100 cm showed that below 40 cm depth there was no significant contribution of the Brachiaria-derived C and that total C reserves under the grass/legume and the grass-only pastures were slightly higher than under the forest (not significant at P=0.05). The more detailed sampling under the pastures showed that to a depth of 30 cm there was significantly (P<0.05) more C under the mixed pasture than the grass-only pasture. It was estimated that from the time of establishment the apparent rate of C accumulation (0–100 cm depth) under the grass/legume pastures (1.17 Mg ha^–1 yr^–1) was almost double that under the grass-only pastures (0.66 Mg ha^–1 yr^–1). The data indicated that newly incorporated SOM derived from the Brachiaria had a considerably higher C:N ratio than that present under the forest.     

Estimation of biological nitrogen fixation associated withBrachiaria andPaspalum grasses using15N labelled organic matter and fertilizer

Summary Six pasture grasses,Paspalum notatum cv batatais,P. notatum cv pensacola,Brachiaria radicans, B. ruziziensis, B. decumbens andB. humidicola, were grown in concrete cylinders (60 cm diameter) in the field for 31 months. The soil was amended with either a single addition of¹⁵N labelled organic matter or frequent small (2 kg N. ha^–1) additions of¹⁵N enriched (NH₄)₂SO₄. In the labelled fertilizer treatment soil analysis revealed that there was a very drastic change in¹⁵N enrichment in plant-available nitrogen (NO ₃ ^– +NH ₄ ⁺ ) with depth. The different grass cultivars recovered different quantities of applied labelled N, and evidence was obtained to suggest that the roots exploited the soil to different depths thus obtaining different¹⁵N enrichments in soil derived N. This invalidated the application of the isotope dilution technique to estimate the contribution of nitrogen fixation to the grass cultivars in this treatment. In the labelled organic matter treatment the¹⁵N label in the plant-available N declined at a decreasing rate during the experiment until in the last 12 months the decrease was only from 0.274 to 0.222 atom % excess. There was little change in¹⁵N enrichment of available N with depth, hence it was concluded that although the grasses recovered different quantities of labelled N, they all obtained virtually the same¹⁵N enrichment in soil derived N. Data from the final harvests of this treatment indicated thatB. humidicola andB. decumbens obtained 30 and 40% respectively of their nitrogen from N₂ fixation amounting to an input of 30 and 45 kg N.ha^–1 year^–1 respectively.     

Organic matter transformations and soil fertility in a treed pasture in semiarid NE Brazil

Planted silvo-pastoral systems are formed by sparing selected native trees when land is cleared for pasture establishment, or by planting selected species – often known agroforestry species – into the establishing pasture. Isolated trees within pastures and savannas are often associated with `resource islands', characterized by higher fertility and organic matter levels under the tree canopies. We here examine the processes underlying the differences in fertility and organic matter in a buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) pasture that contained two tree species (Ziziphus joazeiro Mart., Spondias tuberosa Arruda Cam.) preserved from the native thorn forest and a planted agroforestry species (Prospois juliflora Swartz D.C). The objective is to distinguish effects of soil variability from those induced by the presence of trees or the planting of pasture. The ¹³C signatures of the original (largely C3) vegetation, the preserved and planted trees, and the planted C4 grass were used to distinguish the provenance of organic matter in the top soil (0–15 cm). This allowed the conclusion that all trees maintained C3 derived C at the original thorn forest level, while lower levels under pasture were due to mineralisation of organic matter. The net rates of forest-derived C loss under pasture varied with soil type amounting to between 25 and 50% in 13 years after pasture establishment. Only on Alfisol, C inputs from the pasture compensated for the C3-C losses. Analysis of organic and inorganic P fractions indicated Z. joazeiro and P. juliflora enriched the soil under their canopy with P, whereas S. tuberosa had no positive effect on fertility. A combination of ANOVA and spatial analysis and mapping was used to show vegetation effects.     

Bat breath reveals metabolic substrate use in free-ranging vampires

We analysed the stable carbon isotope ratio in exhaled CO₂ (δ¹³C_breath) of free-ranging vampires to assess the type of metabolized substrate (endogenous or exogenous substrate) and its origin, i.e. whether the carbon atoms came from a C₄ food web (grass and cattle) or the C₃ food web in which they were captured (a rainforest remnant and its mammals). For an improved understanding of factors influencing the δ¹³C_breath of vampires, we conducted feeding experiments with captive animals. The mean δ¹³C_breath of starved bats was depleted in ¹³C in relation to the diet by 4.6‰ (n = 10). Once fed with blood, δ¹³C_breath levelled off within a short time approximately 2.2‰ above the stable carbon isotope signature of the diet. The median time required to exchange 50% of the carbon atoms in exhaled CO₂ with carbon atoms from the ingested blood was 18.6 min (mean 29.5 ± 19.0 min, n = 5). The average δ¹³C of wing membrane and fur in free-ranging vampire bats suggested that bats almost exclusively foraged for cattle blood during the past weeks. The δ¹³C_breath of the same bats averaged −19.1‰. Given that all free-ranging vampires were starving and that the δ¹³C of cattle was more in enriched in ¹³C by 5–6‰ than the δ¹³C_breath of vampires, we conclude that the vampire bats of our study metabolised fat that was predominantly built from carbon atoms originating from cattle blood. Since δ¹³C of wing membrane and fur integrates over weeks and months respectively and δ¹³C_breath over hours and days, we also conclude that vampire bats of the studied population consistently ignored rainforest mammals and chose cattle as their prey during and prior to our study.     

The variation of soil microbial respiration with depth in relation to soil carbon composition

The vertical variation in soil microbial respiratory activity and its relationship to organic carbon pools is critical for modeling soil C stock and predicting impacts of climate change, but is not well understood. Mineral soil samples, taken from four Scottish soils at different depths (0–8, 8–16, 16–24, 24–32 cm), were analyzed and incubated in the laboratory under constant temperature and environmental conditions. The vegetation type/plant species showed significant effects on the absolute concentration of C components and microbial activity, but the relative distribution of C and respiration rate with soil depth are similar across sites. Soil C pools and microbial respiratory activity declined rapidly with soil depth, with about 30% of total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and about half microbial carbon (C_mic) and respired CO₂ observed in the top 8 cm. The ratio of CO₂:TOC generally decreased with soil depth, but CO₂:DOC was significantly higher in the top 8 cm of soil than in the subsoil (8–32 cm). No general pattern between qCO₂ (CO₂:C_mic) and soil depth was found. The vertical distributions of soil C pools and microbial respiratory activity were best fitted with a single exponential equation. Compared with TOC and DOC, C_mic appears to be an adequate predictor for the variation in microbial respiration rate with soil depth, with 95% of variation in normalized respiration rate accounted for by a linear relationship.     

Effects of pasture introduction on soil CO2 emissions during the dry season in the state of Rondônia,Brazil

Soil CO₂ evolution rates, soil temperatures and moisture were measured during the dry season in two forest-to-pasture chronosequences in Rondônia, Brazil. The study included pastures ranging from 3 to 80 years-old. Mean dry-season CO₂ evolution from the forest in chronosequence 1, 88.8 mg CO₂-C m^–2h^–1 was lower than from the pastures which ranged from 111 to 158 mg CO₂-C m^–2h^–1. We found that temperature was not a good predictor of CO₂ emissions from pasture but that there was a significant relationship (r = 0.72,p < 0.05) between soil moisture and pasture emissions. The ¹³C of the soil CO₂ emissions also was measured on chronosequence I; ¹³C of the CO₂ emitted from the C3 forest was –29.43%. Pasture¹³CO₂ values increased from –17.91%. in the 3 year-old pasture to –12.86% in the 80 year-old, reflecting the increasing C₄ inputs with pasture age. Even in the youngest (3 year-old) pasture, 70 percent of the CO₂ evolved originated from C₄ pasture-derived carbon.     

Long-term effects of elevated atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on species composition and productivity of a southern African C<Subscript>4</Subscript> dominated grassland in the vicinity of a CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> exhalation

We describe the long-term effects of a CO₂ exhalation, created more than 70 years ago, on a natural C₄ dominated sub-tropical grassland in terms of ecosystem structure and functioning. We tested whether long-term CO₂ enrichment changes the competitive balance between plants with C₃ and C₄ photosynthetic pathways and how CO₂ enrichment has affected species composition, plant growth responses, leaf properties and soil nutrient, carbon and water dynamics. Long-term effects of elevated CO₂ on plant community composition and system processes in this sub-tropical grassland indicate very subtle changes in ecosystem functioning and no changes in species composition and dominance which could be ascribed to elevated CO₂ alone. Species compositional data and soil δ¹³C isotopic evidence suggest no detectable effect of CO₂ enrichment on C₃:C₄ plant mixtures and individual species dominance. Contrary to many general predictions C₃ grasses did not become more abundant and C₃ shrubs and trees did not invade the site. No season length stimulation of plant growth was found even after 5 years of exposure to CO₂ concentrations averaging 610 μmol mol⁻¹. Leaf properties such as total N decreased in the C₃ but not C₄ grass under elevated CO₂ while total non-structural carbohydrate accumulation was not affected. Elevated CO₂ possibly lead to increased end-of-season soil water contents and this result agrees with earlier studies despite the topographic water gradient being a confounding problem at our research site. Long-term CO₂ enrichment also had little effect on soil carbon storage with no detectable changes in soil organic matter found. There were indications that potential soil respiration and N mineralization rates could be higher in soils close to the CO₂ source. The conservative response of this grassland suggests that many of the reported effects of elevated CO₂ on similar ecosystems could be short duration experimental artefacts that disappear under long-term elevated CO₂ conditions.     

Determination of root biomasses of three species grown in a mixture using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen

A method is evaluated that employs variation in stable C and N isotopes from fractionations in C and N acquisition and growth to predict root biomasses of three plant species in mixtures. Celtis laevigata Willd. (C₃), Prosopis glandulosa Torr. (C₃, legume) and Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash (C₄), or Gossypium hirsutum L. (C₃), Glycine max (L.) Merr. (C₃ legume), and Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (C₄) were grown together in separate, three-species combinations. Surface roots (0–10 cm depth) of each species from each of the two combinations were mixed in various proportions, and the relative abundances of ¹⁵N and ¹⁴N and ¹³C and ¹²C in prepared mixtures, surface roots of single species, and roots extracted from the 80-cm soil profile in which each species combination was grown were analyzed by mass spectrometry. An algebraic determination which employed the δ ¹³C, % ¹⁵N, and C and N concentrations of root subsamples of individual species accounted for more than 95% of the variance in biomass of each species in prepared mixtures with G. max, G. hirsutum, and S. bicolor. A similar analysis demonstrated species-specific differences in rooting patterns. Root biomasses of the C₄ monocots in each combination, S. scoparium and S. bicolor, were concentrated in the upper 20 cm of soil, while those of G. hirsutum and the woody P. glandulosa were largest in lower soil strata. Analyses of stable C and N isotopes can effectively be used to distinguish roots of species which differ in ratios of ¹⁵N to ¹⁴N and ¹³C to ¹²C and thus to study belowground competition between or rooting patterns of associated species with different C and N isotope signatures. The method evaluated can be extended to quantify aboveground and belowground biomasses of component species in mixtures with isotopes of other elements or element concentrations that differ consistently among plants of interest.     

Carbon isotope composition as a tool to control the quality of herbs and medicinal plants

Isotope screening is a simple test for determining the photosynthetic pathway used by plants. The scope of this work was to classify the photosynthetic type of some herbs and medicinal plants through studies of the carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C). Also, we propose the use of carbon isotope composition as a tool to control the quality of herbs and medicinal plants. For studies of δ¹³C, δ¹³C‰ = [R (sample)/R (standard) − 1] × 10⁻³, dry leaves powdered in cryogenic mill were analyzed in a mass spectrometer coupled with an elemental analyzer for determining the ratio R = ¹³CO₂/¹²CO₂. In investigation of δ¹³C of 55 species, 23 botanical families, and 44 species possessed a C₃ photosynthetic type. Six species found among the botanical families Euphorbiaceae and Poaceae were C₄ plants, and 5 species found among the botanical families Agavaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Liliaceae possessed CAM-type photosynthesis. Carbon isotope composition of plants can be used as quality control of herbs and medicinal plants, allowing the identification of frauds or contaminations. Also, the information about the photosynthetic type found for these plants can help in introducing and cultivating exotic and wild herbs and medicinal plants.     

Stable isotope characteristics across narrow savanna/woodland ecotones in Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater,Western Australia

The stable isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of sediments from lakes are frequently analyzed to reconstruct the proportion of the regional vegetation that used either the C₃ or C₄ photosynthetic pathways, often without conducting a detailed survey of the current local vegetation. We performed a study on the modern vegetation composition within the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater to complement our future paleoecological investigation of the crater. A bull’s-eye pattern exists where C₄ grasses dominate an outer ring and salt tolerant species, including shrubs, herbs, chenopods, and halophytic algae, dominate the inner pan of the crater. The ecotone between the inner and outer zones is narrow and occupied by tall (>7 m) Acacia ampliceps, with some C₄ grasses in the understory. Along with the highest water table and most saline soils the center of the crater has C₃ plants present with the highest δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values. The range of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values from the analysis of surface soil organic matter (OM) was much smaller compared with the range of values from plant materials implying that either: (1) the current plant OM has not yet been integrated into the soils, or (2) processes within the soil have acted to homogenize isotopic variability within the crater. The application of a two end member mixing model to calculate %C₄ and %C₃ biomass from the δ¹³C of surface soil OM was complicated by: (1) the crater containing both a dry habitat with C₄ grasses and a central pan with C₄ halophytic plants and, (2) the large variation in the δ¹³C of the plants and soil OM.     

Precession-forced changes in South West African vegetation during Marine Isotope Stages 101–100 (2.56–2.51 Ma)

The intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (iNHG) is one of the critical climate thresholds in the Cenozoic. This study focuses on marine sediments recovered from Marine Isotope Stages 101/100 at the Ocean Drilling Program Site 1083 to assesses the impact of the iNHG on continental southern African vegetation through n-alkane (straight-chain hydrocarbon) abundance and δ¹³C values. The n-alkane abundance data yield a convoluted signal due to the number of controlling factors such as the source area, transportation routes and vegetation type. The C₃₁ n-alkane δ¹³C values, however, exhibit a cyclic pattern with a periodicity of c. 20 ka, and are not correlated to the abundance data. It is inferred that the signal does not represent a change in the geographical source of n-alkanes. Instead, we suggest that the variations are caused by water-stress-induced changes in either carbon isotope fractionation during C₃ photosynthesis or subtle changes in the proportion of C₃ and C₄ plants. These changes, unlike variations in oceanographic proxies, closely track precessional forcing factors and are independent of the prevailing obliquity-forced glacial/interglacial cycles. We conclude that the varying monsoon strength, rather than pCO₂ or temperature change, forced changes in southern African vegetation during this period.     

Co-function of C3-and C4-photosynthetic pathways in C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species

The potential for C₄ photosynthesis was investigated in five C₃-C₄ intermediate species, one C₃ species, and one C₄ species in the genus Flaveria, using ¹⁴CO₂ pulse-¹²CO₂ chase techniques and quantum-yield measurements. All five intermediate species were capable of incorporating ¹⁴CO₂ into the C₄ acids malate and aspartate, following an 8-s pulse. The proportion of ¹⁴C label in these C₄ products ranged from 50–55% to 20–26% in the C₃-C₄ intermediates F. floridana Johnston and F. linearis Lag. respectively. All of the intermediate species incorporated as much, or more, ¹⁴CO₂ into aspartate as into malate. Generally, about 5–15% of the initial label in these species appeared as other organic acids. There was variation in the capacity for C₄ photosynthesis among the intermediate species based on the apparent rate of conversion of ¹⁴C label from the C₄ cycle to the C₃ cycle. In intermediate species such as F. pubescens Rydb., F. ramosissima Klatt., and F. floridana we observed a substantial decrease in label of C₄-cycle products and an increase in percentage label in C₃-cycle products during chase periods with ¹²CO₂, although the rate of change was slower than in the C₄ species, F. palmeri. In these C₃-C₄ intermediates both sucrose and fumarate were predominant products after a 20-min chase period. In the C₃-C₄ intermediates, F. anomala Robinson and f. linearis we observed no significant decrease in the label of C₄-cycle products during a 3-min chase period and a slow turnover during a 20-min chase, indicating a lower level of functional integration between the C₄ and C₃ cycles in these species, relative to the other intermediates. Although F. cronquistii Powell was previously identified as a C₃ species, 7–18% of the initial label was in malate+aspartate. However, only 40–50% of this label was in the C-4 position, indicating C₄-acid formation as secondary products of photosynthesis in F. cronquistii. In 21% O₂, the absorbed quantum yields for CO₂ uptake (in mol CO₂·[mol quanta]^-1) averaged 0.053 in F. cronquistii (C₃), 0.051 in F. trinervia (Spreng.) Mohr (C₄), 0.052 in F. ramosissima (C₃-C₄), 0.051 in F. anomala (C₃-C₄), 0.050 in F. linearis (C₃-C₄), 0.046 in F. floridana (C₃-C₄), and 0.044 in F. pubescens (C₃-C₄). In 2% O₂ an enhancement of the quantum yield was observed in all of the C₃-C₄ intermediate species, ranging from 21% in F. ramosissima to 43% in F. pubescens. In all intermediates the quantum yields in 2% O₂ were intermediate in value to the C₃ and C₄ species, indicating a co-function of the C₃ and C₄ cycles in CO₂ assimilation. The low quantum-yield values for F. pubescens and F. floridana in 21% O₂ presumably reflect an ineffcient transfer of carbon from the C₄ to the C₃ cycle. The response of the quantum yield to four increasing O₂ concentrations (2–35%) showed lower levels of O₂ inhibition in the C₃-C₄ intermediate F. ramosissima, relative to the C₃ species. This indicates that the co-function of the C₃ and C₄ cycles in this intermediate species leads to an increased CO₂ concentration at the site of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and a concomitant decrease in the competitive inhibition by O₂.Abbreviations PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PGA 3-phosphoglycerate - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate     

Carbon-isotope discrimination by leaves of Flaveria species exhibiting different amounts of C3-and C4-cycle co-function

Carbon-isotope ratios were examined as ¹³C values in several C₃, C₄, and C₃–C₄ Flaveria species, and compared to predicted ¹³C, values generated from theoretical models. The measured ¹³C values were within 4 of those predicted from the models. The models were used to identify factors that contribute to C₃-like ¹³C values in C₃–C₄ species that exhibit considerable C₄-cycle activity. Two of the factors contributing to C₃-like ¹³C values are high CO₂ leakiness from the C₄ pathway and pi/pa values that were higher than C₄ congeners. A marked break occurred in the relationship between the percentage of atmospheric CO₂ assimilated through the C₄ cycle and the ¹³C value. Below 50% C₄-cycle assimialtion there was no significant relationship between the variables, but above 50% the ¹³C values became less negative. These results demonstrate that the level of C₄-cycle expression can increase from, 0 to 50% with little integration of carbon transfer from the C₄ to the C₃ cycle. As expression increaces above 50%, however, increased integration of C₃- and C₄-cycle co-function occurs.Abbreviations and symbols RuBP carboxylase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) - PEP carboxylase phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) - pa atmospheric CO₂ partial pressure - pi intercellular CO₂ partial pressure - isotope ratio - quantum yield for CO₂ uptake     

The quantum yield for CO2 uptake in C3 and C4 grasses

The quantum yield for CO₂ uptake was measured in C₃ and C₄ monocot species from several different grassland habitats. When the quantum yield was measured in the presence of 21% O₂ and 340 cm³ m^-3 CO₂, values were very similar in C₃ monocots, C₃ dicots, and C₄ monocots (0.045–0.056 mole CO₂ · mole^-1 quanta absorbed). In the presence of 2% O₂ and 800 cm³ m^-3 CO₂, enhancements of the quantum yield values occurred for the C₃ plants (both monocots and dicots), but not for C₄ monocots. A dependence of the quantum yield on leaf temperature was observed in the C₃ grass, Agropyron smithii, but not in the C₄ grass, Bouteloua gracilis, in 21% O₂ and 340 cm³ m^-3 CO₂. At leaf temperatures between 22–25°C the quantum yield values were approximately equal in the two species.     

Nitrogen cycling in low input legume-based agriculture,with emphasis on legume/grass pastures

Low input legume-based agriculture exists in a continuum between subsistence farming and intensive arable and pastoral systems. This review covers this range, but with most emphasis on temperate legume/grass pastures under grazing by livestock. Key determinants of nitrogen (N) flows in grazed legume/grass pastures are: inputs of N from symbiotic N₂ fixation which are constrained through self-regulation via grass/legume interactions; large quantities of N cycling through grazing animals with localised return in excreta; low direct conversion of pasture N into produce (typically 5–20%) but with N recycling under intensive grazing the farm efficiency of product N: fixed N can be up to 50%; and regulation of N flows by mineralisation/immobilisation reactions. Pastoral systems reliant solely on fixed N are capable of moderate-high production with modest N losses e.g. average denitrification and leaching losses from grazed pastures of 6 and 23 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1. Methods for improving efficiency of N cycling in legume-based cropping and legume/grass pasture systems are discussed. In legume/arable rotations, the utilisation of fixed N by crops is influenced greatly by the timing of management practices for synchrony of N supply via mineralisation and crop N uptake. In legume/grass pastures, the spatial return of excreta and the uptake of excreta N by pastures can potentially be improved through dietary manipulation and management strategies. Plant species selection and plant constituent modification also offer the potential to increase N efficiency through greater conversion into animal produce, improved N uptake from soil and manipulation of mineralisation/immobilisation/nitrification reactions.     

Does Bienertia cycloptera with the single-cell system of C(4) photosynthesis exhibit a seasonal pattern of delta (13)C values in nature similar to co-existing C (4) Chenopodiaceae having the dual-cell (Kranz) system?

Family Chenopodiaceae is an intriguing lineage, having the largest number of C₄ species among dicots, including a number of anatomical variants of Kranz anatomy and three single-cell C₄ functioning species. In some previous studies, during the culture of Bienertia cycloptera Bunge ex Boiss., carbon isotope values (δ¹³C values) of leaves deviated from C₄ to C₃−C₄ intermediate type, raising questions as to its mode of photosynthesis during growth in natural environments. This species usually co-occurs with several Kranz type C₄ annuals. The development of B. cycloptera morphologically and δ¹³C values derived from plant samples (cotyledons, leaves, bracts, shoots) were analyzed over a complete growing season in a salt flat in north central Iran, along with eight Kranz type C₄ species and one C₃ species. For a number of species, plants were greenhouse-grown from seeds collected from the site, in order to examine leaf anatomy and C₄ biochemical subtype. Among the nine C₄ species, the cotyledons of B. cycloptera, and of the Suaeda spp. have the same respective forms of C₄ anatomy occurring in leaves, while cotyledons of members of tribe Caroxyloneae lack Kranz anatomy, which is reflected in the δ¹³C values found in plants grown in the natural habitat. The nine C₄ species had average seasonal δ¹³C values of −13.9‰ (with a range between species from −11.3 to −15.9‰). The measurements of δ¹³C values over a complete growing season show that B. cycloptera performs C₄ photosynthesis during its life cycle in nature, similar to Kranz type species, with a seasonal average δ¹³C value of −15.2‰. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Forest-to-pasture conversion influences on soil organic carbon dynamics in a tropical deciduous forest

On a global basis, nearly 42% of tropical land area is classified as tropical deciduous forest (TDF) (Murphy and Lugo 1986). Currently, this ecosystem has very high deforestation rates; and its conversion to cattle pasture may result in losses of soil organic matter, decreases in soil fertility, and increases in CO₂ flux to the atmosphere. The soil organic matter turnover rate in a TDF after pasture conversion was estimated in Mexico by determining natural abundances of¹³C. Changes in these values would be induced by vegetation changes from the C₃ (forest) to the C₄ (pasture) photosynthetic pathway. The rate of loss of remnant forest-soil organic matter (fSOM) was 2.9 t ha^–1 year^–1 in 7-year-old pasture and decreased to 0.66 t ha^–1 year^–1 by year 11. For up to 3 years, net fSOM level increased in pastures; this increment can be attributed to decomposition of remnant forest roots. The sand-associated SOM fraction was the most and the silt-associated fraction the least depleted. TDF conversion to pasture results in extremely high rates of loss of remnant fSOM that are higher than any reported for any tropical forest.     

The roles of malate and aspartate in C4 photosynthetic metabolism of Flaveria bidentis (L.)

In C₄ grasses belonging to the NADP-malic enzyme-type subgroup, malate is considered to be the predominant C₄ acid metabolized during C₄ photosynthesis, and the bundle sheath cell chloroplasts contain very little photosystem-II (PSII) activity. The present studies showed that Flaveria bidentis (L.), an NADP-malic enzyme-type C₄ dicotyledon, had substantial PSII activity in bundle sheath cells and that malate and aspartate apparently contributed about equally to the transfer of CO₂ to bundle sheath cells. Preparations of bundle sheath cells and chloroplasts isolated from these cells evolved O₂ at rates between 1.5 and 2 mol · min^–1 · mg^–1 chlorophyll (Chl) in the light in response to adding either 3-phosphoglycerate plus HCO ₃ ^– or aspartate plus 2-oxoglutarate. Rates of more than 2 mol O₂ · min^–1 · mg^–1 Chl were recorded for cells provided with both sets of these substrates. With bundle sheath cell preparations the maximum rates of light-dependent CO₂ fixation and malate decarboxylation to pyruvate recorded were about 1.7 mol · min^–1 · mg^–1 Chl. Compared with NADP-malic enzyme-type grass species, F. bidentis bundle sheath cells contained much higher activities of NADP-malate dehydrogenase and of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases. Time-course and pulse-chase studies following the kinetics of radiolabelling of the C-4 carboxyl of C₄ acids from ¹⁴CO₂ indicated that the photosynthetically active pool of malate was about twice the size of the aspartate pool. However, there was strong evidence for a rapid flux of carbon through both these pools. Possible routes of aspartate metabolism and the relationship between this metabolism and PSII activity in bundle sheath cells are considered.Abbreviations DHAP dihydroxyacetone phosphate - NADP-ME(-type) NADP-malic enzyme (type) - NADP-MDH NADP-malate dehydrogenase - OAA oxaloacetic acid - 2-OG 2-oxoglutarate - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PGA 3-phosphoglycerate - Pi orthophosphate - Ru5P ribulose 5-phosphate     

Photosynthetic pathway of dominant plant species in the Qaidam Basin: evidence from foliar stable carbon isotope measurement

Foliar δ¹³C values of Calligogum kozlovi and Haloxylon ammodendron ranged from −13.13 to −15.11 ‰, while those of the rest 11 species were in the range of −22.22 to −27.73 ‰. This indicates that two of 13 dominant plant species in the Qaidam Basin possess a C₄ photosynthetic pathway. Significant differences were observed for the average foliar δ¹³C values between C₃ or C₄ plant communities, between grass and shrub communities, even between the same species derived from different sites. Precipitation accounted for the major part of the differences.     

Photosynthetic carbon metabolism of the cool-temperate C4 grass Spartina anglica Hubb.

The aim of this work was to describe the photosynthetic carbon metabolism of the cooltemperate C₄ grass Spartina anglica. With the exception of pyruvate, phosphate dikinase and pyruvate kinase, the maximum catalytic activities in leaves of putative enzymes of the C₄ cycle of a phosphoenolpyruvate-carboxykinase C₄ plant were considerably in excess of the observed, steady-state rate of photosynthesis, and were comparable with the maximum catalytic activities of key enzymes of the reductive pentose-phosphate pathway. Radioactive carbon from ¹⁴CO₂ supplied to attached leaves during steady-state photosynthesis appeared first in malate and aspartate from which it moved to intermediates of the reductive pentose-phosphate pathway, and then to sucrose. These experiments show that photosynthetic carbon metabolism in this cool-temperate C₄ plant is similar to that of C₄ plants of hotter climates.