Modelling carbon isotope fractionation in tree rings based on effective evapotranspiration and soil water status

Environmental influences on carbon isotope fractionation in tree rings require further elucidation in order to use this parameter as a biological marker of climatic variations. δ¹³C values in tree-ring cellulose of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) were analysed for the period from 1950 to 1990. A bioclimatic model of water balance was used to give the actual evapotranspiration as well as the soil water content on a daily basis. δ¹³C shows a significant decrease from –24·5‰ to –25‰ over this period. Internal CO₂ concentration changes from 200 to 220 ppm in relation with the rise of atmospheric CO₂. Beside a slight non-significant inter-individual variation, a large year-to-year variation exists. The relative extractable soil water of July, combined with the value of δ¹³C for the previous year, predicts as much as 70% of this variance. Air temperature or precipitation accounted for less variation. δ¹³C is strongly correlated with basal area increment, but appeared a more reliable indicator of water status at the stand level.     

Twentieth century changes of tree-ring δ13C at the southern range-edge of Fagus sylvatica: increasing water-use efficiency does not avoid the growth decline induced by warming at low altitudes

We aimed to gain knowledge on the changes in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) in response to increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and climate change over the last century. We investigated the variation in the iWUE of mature Fagus sylvatica trees located in the higher, central and lower altitudinal forest limits (HFL, CFA and LFL) of one of the southernmost sites of beech distribution in Europe, the Montseny Mountains in Catalonia (northeast Spain), during the last century by analysing the δ¹³C of their tree rings. Pre‐ and post‐maturation phases of the trees presented different trends in δ¹³C, Δ¹³C, Ci (internal CO₂ concentration), iWUE and basal area increment (BAI). Moreover, these variables showed different trends and absolute values in the LFL than in the other altitudinal sites, CFA and HFL. Our results show the existence of an age effect on δ¹³C in the CFA and HFL (values increased by ca. 1.25‰ coinciding with the BAI suppression and release phases, previous to maturation). These age‐related changes were not found in the LFL, whose beech trees arrived to maturation earlier and experienced drier conditions during the suppression phase. In the last 26 years of comparable mature trees, the increase of iWUE deduced from the Δ¹³C analyses was ca. 10% in LFL, ca. 6% in CFA and not significant in HFL. These results show that climate change towards more arid conditions accounted for these higher Δ¹³C‐values and increases in the LFL more than the continuous increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. This increased iWUE in the LFL did not avoid a decline in growth in these lowest altitudes of this beech southern range‐edge as a result of warming. Furthermore, since there was no apparent change in iWUE and growth in the beech forests growing in the more standard‐adequate environments of higher altitudes in the last 26 years, the rate of sequestration of C into temperate ecosystems may not increase with increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations as predicted by most models based on short‐term small scale experiments.     

Linking microbial activity and soil organic matter transformations in forest soils under elevated CO2

Soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics ultimately govern the ability of soil to provide long‐term C sequestration and the nutrients required for ecosystem productivity. Predicting belowground responses to elevated CO₂ requires an integrated understanding of SOM transformations and the microbial activity that governs them. It remains unclear how the microorganisms upon which these transformations depend will function in an elevated CO₂ world. This study examines SOM transformations and microbial metabolism in soils from the Duke Free Air Carbon Enrichment site in North Carolina, USA. We assessed microbial respiration and net nitrogen (N) mineralization in soils with and without elevated CO₂ exposure during a 100‐day incubation. We also traced the depleted C isotopic signature of the supplemental CO₂ into SOM and the soils' phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA), which serve as biomarkers for living cells. Cumulative net N mineralization in elevated CO₂ soils was 50% that in control soils after a 100‐day incubation. Respiration was not altered with elevated CO₂. C : N ratios of bulk SOM did not change with elevated CO₂, but incubation data suggest that the C : N ratios of mineralized organic matter increased with elevated CO₂. Values of SOM δ¹³C were depleted with elevated CO₂ (?26.7±0.2 vs. ?30.2±0.3‰), reflecting the depleted signature of the supplemental CO₂. We compared δ¹³C of individual PLFA with the δ¹³C of SOM to discern incorporation of the depleted C isotopic signature into soil microbial groups in elevated CO₂ plots. PLFA i15:0, a15:0, and 10Met18:0 reflected significant incorporation of recently produced photosynthate, suggesting that the bacterial groups defined by these biomarkers are active metabolizers in elevated CO₂ soils. At least one of these groups (actinomycetes, 10Met18:0) specializes in metabolizing less labile substrates. Because control plots did not receive an equivalent ¹³C tracer, we cannot determine from these data whether this group of organisms was stimulated by elevated CO₂ compared with these organisms in control soils. Stimulation of this group, if it occurred in the elevated CO₂ plot, would be consistent with a decline in the availability of mineralizable organic matter with elevated CO₂, which incubation data suggest may be the case in these soils.     

A stable isotopic investigation into the causes of decline in a sub-Antarctic predator, the rockhopper penguin Eudyptes chrysocome

The rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) is a conspicuous apex marine predator that has experienced marked population declines throughout most of its circumpolar breeding distribution. The cause(s) for the declines remain elusive, but the relatively large spatio‐temporal scale over which population decreases have occurred implies that ecosystem‐scale, at‐sea factors are likely to be involved. We employ stable isotope analyses of carbon (¹³C/¹²C, expressed as δ¹³C) and nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N, δ¹⁵N) in time‐series of rockhopper penguin feather samples, dating back to 1861, in order to reconstruct the species' ecological history. Specifically, we examine whether rockhopper penguin population decline has been associated with a shift towards lower primary productivity in the ecosystem in which they feed, or with a shift to a diet of lower trophic status and lower quality, and we use long‐term temperature records to evaluate whether shifts in isotope ratios are associated with annual variations in sea surface temperature. Having controlled temporally for the Suess Effect and for increases in CO₂ concentrations in seawater, we found that overall, δ¹³C signatures decreased significantly over time in rockhopper penguins from seven breeding sites, supporting the hypothesis that decreases in primary productivity, and hence, carrying capacity, for which δ¹³C signature is a proxy, have been associated with the decline of penguin populations. There was some evidence of a long‐term decline in δ¹⁵N at some sites, and strong evidence that δ¹⁵N signatures were negatively related to sea surface temperatures across sites, indicative of a shift in diet to prey of lower trophic status over time and in warm years. However, a site‐by‐site analysis revealed divergent isotopic trends among sites: five of seven sites exhibited significant temporal or temperature‐related trends in isotope signatures. This study highlights the utility of stable isotope analyses when applied over relatively long timescales to apex predators.     

Seedling survival of Mediterranean shrubland species in relation to root:shoot ratio, seed size and water and nitrogen use

1. We hypothesized that in Mediterranean plant communities seedling survival of different species during the drought period would be related to their ability to use below-ground resources, particularly water and nitrogen.
2. For 5 years we studied under field conditions the summer seedling survival of 11 dominant species of a Spanish Mediterranean shrubland. We related seedling survival of the different species to their seed size and root allocation estimated as the slope of the function root biomass vs log shoot biomass. We used δ¹³C for the estimation of water-use efficiency and δ¹⁵N and nitrogen concentration to determine the sources of nitrogen utilized. We correlated these variables with root allocation.
3. Seedling survival of the different species was positively correlated with root allocation and seed size. Root allocation was also positively correlated with seed size. δ¹⁵N and nitrogen concentration were also positively correlated with root allocation, but δ¹³C was not.
4. Under the relatively moist conditions occurring during summer 1996, higher root allocation was associated with the use of nitrogen from more nitrogen saturated microsites.     

马尾松和杉木树干韧皮部水溶性糖 δ13C值对气象因子的响应

通过测定亚热带马尾松和杉木树干韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C值的连日变化,及其对天气变化过程的响应,研究δ¹³C值对短期天气变化动态的响应特征。结果显示,春季马尾松和杉木树干韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C日均值分别介于-26.81‰到-26.49‰之间,以及-29.26‰到-27.47‰之间,平均值分别为(-26.58±0.12)‰和(-28.67±0.65)‰。进一步分析表明,马尾松树干韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C值与取样之前第4天的太阳辐射、水气压亏缺、相对湿度和空气温度显著相关(P≤0.05),杉木树干韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C值取样之前第3天的太阳辐射、水气压亏缺和相对湿度显著相关(P≤0.05),但与空气温度的相关性不显著(P≤0.05)。在所测定的环境因子中,太阳辐射是影响马尾松和杉木树干韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C值的首要因素。当天降水事件可能导致马尾松和杉木树干韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C值连日变化出现异常波动。马尾松和杉木韧皮部水溶性糖δ¹³C值可以敏感记录短期天气变化动态。     

Estimating the contribution of leaf litter decomposition to soil CO2 efflux in a beech forest using 13C-depleted litter

The contribution of leaf litter decomposition to total soil CO₂ efflux (F_L/F) was evaluated in a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest in eastern France. The Keeling‐plot approach was applied to estimate the isotopic composition of respired soil CO₂ from soil covered with either control (?30.32‰) or ¹³C‐depleted leaf litter (?49.96‰). The δ¹³C of respired soil CO₂ ranged from ?25.50‰ to ?22.60‰ and from ?24.95‰ to ?20.77‰, respectively, with depleted or control litter above the soil. The F_L/F ratio was calculated by a single isotope linear mixing model based on mass conservation equations. It showed seasonal variations, increasing from 2.8% in early spring to about 11.4% in mid summer, and decreasing to 4.2% just after leaf fall. Between December 2001 and December 2002, cumulated F and F_L reached 0.98 and 0.08 kg_C m^?2, respectively. On an annual basis, decomposition of fresh leaf litter accounted for 8% of soil respiration and 80% of total C loss from fresh leaf litter. The other fraction of carbon loss during leaf litter decomposition that is assumed to have entered the soil organic matter pool (i.e. 20%) represents only 0.02 kg_C m^?2.