Articles | Volume 14, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2359-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2359-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
10 May 2017
Research article |
| 10 May 2017
Nitrogen input 15N signatures are reflected in plant 15N natural abundances in subtropical forests in China
Geshere Abdisa Gurmesa
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded
Ecosystems and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South
China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management,
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Aarhus, Denmark
Xiankai Lu
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded
Ecosystems and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South
China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Per Gundersen
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management,
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Yunting Fang
CAS Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences,
Shenyang 110164, China
Qinggong Mao
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded
Ecosystems and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South
China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Chen Hao
Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystem, Key
Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of
Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
Jiangming Mo
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded
Ecosystems and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South
China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Related authors
No articles found.
Niel Verbrigghe, Niki I. W. Leblans, Bjarni D. Sigurdsson, Sara Vicca, Chao Fang, Lucia Fuchslueger, Jennifer L. Soong, James T. Weedon, Christopher Poeplau, Cristina Ariza-Carricondo, Michael Bahn, Bertrand Guenet, Per Gundersen, Gunnhildur E. Gunnarsdóttir, Thomas Kätterer, Zhanfeng Liu, Marja Maljanen, Sara Marañón-Jiménez, Kathiravan Meeran, Edda S. Oddsdóttir, Ivika Ostonen, Josep Peñuelas, Andreas Richter, Jordi Sardans, Páll Sigurðsson, Margaret S. Torn, Peter M. Van Bodegom, Erik Verbruggen, Tom W. N. Walker, Håkan Wallander, and Ivan A. Janssens
Biogeosciences, 19, 3381–3393, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3381-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3381-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In subarctic grassland on a geothermal warming gradient, we found large reductions in topsoil carbon stocks, with carbon stocks linearly declining with warming intensity. Most importantly, however, we observed that soil carbon stocks stabilised within 5 years of warming and remained unaffected by warming thereafter, even after > 50 years of warming. Moreover, in contrast to the large topsoil carbon losses, subsoil carbon stocks remained unaffected after > 50 years of soil warming.
Wendell W. Walters, Linlin Song, Jiajue Chai, Yunting Fang, Nadia Colombi, and Meredith G. Hastings
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11551–11567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11551-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11551-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This article details new field observations of the nitrogen stable isotopic composition of ammonia emitted from vehicles conducted in the US and China. Vehicle emissions of ammonia may be a significant source to urban regions with important human health and environmental implications. Our measurements have indicated a consistent isotopic signature from vehicle ammonia emissions. The nitrogen isotopic composition of ammonia may be a useful tool for tracking vehicle emissions.
Yunhua Chang, Yan-Lin Zhang, Jiarong Li, Chongguo Tian, Linlin Song, Xiaoyao Zhai, Wenqi Zhang, Tong Huang, Yu-Chi Lin, Chao Zhu, Yunting Fang, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Jianmin Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12221–12234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12221-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The present work underscores the value of cloud water dissolved inorganic nitrogen isotopes as carriers of quantitative information on regional NOx and NH3 emissions. It sheds light on the origin and production pathways of nitrogenous species in clouds and emphasizes the importance of biomass-burning-derived nitrogenous species as cloud condensation nuclei in China’s troposphere. Moreover, it highlights the rapid evolution of NOx emissions in China.
Susan J. Cheng, Peter G. Hess, William R. Wieder, R. Quinn Thomas, Knute J. Nadelhoffer, Julius Vira, Danica L. Lombardozzi, Per Gundersen, Ivan J. Fernandez, Patrick Schleppi, Marie-Cécile Gruselle, Filip Moldan, and Christine L. Goodale
Biogeosciences, 16, 2771–2793, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2771-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2771-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen deposition and fertilizer can change how much carbon is stored in plants and soils. Understanding how much added nitrogen is recovered in plants or soils is critical to estimating the size of the future land carbon sink. We compared how nitrogen additions are recovered in modeled soil and plant stocks against data from long-term nitrogen addition experiments. We found that the model simulates recovery of added nitrogen into soils through a different process than found in the field.
Chongjuan Chen, Yufu Jia, Yuzhen Chen, Imran Mehmood, Yunting Fang, and Guoan Wang
Biogeosciences, 15, 369–377, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-369-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-369-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The south slope of Tian Shan differs from the north slope in environment. The study showed that leaf δ15N, soil δ15N and △δ15Nleaf-soil on the south slope were greater than those on the north slope. The significant influential factors of leaf and soil δ15N on the south slope were different from those on the north slope. The results suggested that the south slope has higher soil N transformation rates than the north slope and relationships between leaf and soil δ15N and environment are localized.
Dongwei Liu, Weixing Zhu, Xiaobo Wang, Yuepeng Pan, Chao Wang, Dan Xi, Edith Bai, Yuesi Wang, Xingguo Han, and Yunting Fang
Biogeosciences, 14, 989–1001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-989-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-989-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The use of 15N natural abundance of soil ammonium and nitrate demonstrates a clear shifting contribution from abiotic to biotic controls on N cycling along a 3200 km dryland transect in northern China, with a threshold at mean annual precipitation of 100 mm. Abiotic factors were the main driver below threshold, shown by the accumulation of atmospheric N and NH3 losses. In the area above threshold, soil N cycling was controlled mainly by biological factors, e.g., plant uptake and denitrification.
Mianhai Zheng, Tao Zhang, Lei Liu, Weixing Zhu, Wei Zhang, and Jiangming Mo
Biogeosciences, 13, 3503–3517, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3503-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3503-2016, 2016
Weili Liu, Lin Qi, Yunting Fang, and Jian Yang
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-91, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-91, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Wildfire is a major disturbance in boreal forest ecosystem and strongly affects ecosystem N cycling. We find that even 5 years after a wildfire, isotopic signatures of soil and plant N pools are still different from those in unburned areas in a Chinese boreal forest. Our results show persistent legacy effects in the form of increased N losses following wildfires. The fire-induced increases in NH3 volatilization may greatly contribute to the increased δ15N values in plant and soil.
W. Zhang, X. Zhu, Y. Luo, R. Rafique, H. Chen, J. Huang, and J. Mo
Biogeosciences, 11, 4941–4951, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4941-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4941-2014, 2014
H. Chen, W. Zhang, F. Gilliam, L. Liu, J. Huang, T. Zhang, W. Wang, and J. Mo
Biogeosciences, 10, 6609–6616, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6609-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6609-2013, 2013
X. Lu, F. S. Gilliam, G. Yu, L. Li, Q. Mao, H. Chen, and J. Mo
Biogeosciences, 10, 3931–3941, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3931-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3931-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Stable Isotopes & Other Tracers
Technical note: A Bayesian mixing model to unravel isotopic data and quantify trace gas production and consumption pathways for time series data – Time-resolved FRactionation And Mixing Evaluation (TimeFRAME)
Separating above-canopy CO2 and O2 measurements into their atmospheric and biospheric signatures
Position-specific kinetic isotope effects for nitrous oxide: A new expansion of the Rayleigh model
Climatic controls on leaf wax hydrogen isotope ratios in terrestrial and marine sediments along a hyperarid-to-humid gradient
Fractionation of stable carbon isotopes during microbial propionate consumption in anoxic rice paddy soils
Sources and sinks of carbonyl sulfide inferred from tower and mobile atmospheric observations in the Netherlands
Downpour dynamics: outsized impacts of storm events on unprocessed atmospheric nitrate export in an urban watershed
The hidden role of dissolved organic carbon in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon in modern redox-stratified lakes
Biogeochemical processes captured by carbon isotopes in redox-stratified water columns: a comparative study of four modern stratified lakes along an alkalinity gradient
Partitioning of carbon export in the euphotic zone of the oligotrophic South China Sea
Determination of respiration and photosynthesis fractionation factors for atmospheric dioxygen inferred from a vegetation–soil–atmosphere analogue of the terrestrial biosphere in closed chambers
Permafrost degradation and nitrogen cycling in Arctic rivers: insights from stable nitrogen isotope studies
Neodymium budget in the Mediterranean Sea: evaluating the role of atmospheric dusts using a high-resolution dynamical-biogeochemical model
Nitrate isotope investigations reveal future impacts of climate change on nitrogen inputs and cycling in Arctic fjords: Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden (Svalbard)
Mineralization of autochthonous particulate organic carbon is a fast channel of organic matter turnover in Germany's largest drinking water reservoir
Carbon isotopic ratios of modern C3 and C4 vegetation on the Indian peninsula and changes along the plant–soil–river continuum – implications for vegetation reconstructions
Controls on nitrite oxidation in the upper Southern Ocean: insights from winter kinetics experiments in the Indian sector
Tracing the source of nitrate in a forested stream showing elevated concentrations during storm events
Intra-skeletal variability in phosphate oxygen isotope composition reveals regional heterothermies in marine vertebrates
Isotopic differences in soil–plant–atmosphere continuum composition and control factors of different vegetation zones on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains
An analysis of the variability in δ13C in macroalgae from the Gulf of California: indicative of carbon concentration mechanisms and isotope discrimination during carbon assimilation
Summertime productivity and carbon export potential in the Weddell Sea, with a focus on the waters adjacent to Larsen C Ice Shelf
Particulate biogenic barium tracer of mesopelagic carbon remineralization in the Mediterranean Sea (PEACETIME project)
Hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation factors of aerobic methane oxidation in deep-sea water
Host-influenced geochemical signature in the parasitic foraminifera Hyrrokkin sarcophaga
Comparing modified substrate-induced respiration with selective inhibition (SIRIN) and N2O isotope approaches to estimate fungal contribution to denitrification in three arable soils under anoxic conditions
How are oxygen budgets influenced by dissolved iron and growth of oxygenic phototrophs in an iron-rich spring system? Initial results from the Espan Spring in Fürth, Germany
Stable isotope ratios in seawater nitrate reflect the influence of Pacific water along the northwest Atlantic margin
High-resolution 14C bomb peak dating and climate response analyses of subseasonal stable isotope signals in wood of the African baobab – a case study from Oman
Geographic variability in freshwater methane hydrogen isotope ratios and its implications for global isotopic source signatures
Seasonality of nitrogen sources, cycling, and loading in a New England river discerned from nitrate isotope ratios
Evaluating the response of δ13C in Haloxylon ammodendron, a dominant C4 species in Asian desert ecosystems, to water and nitrogen addition as well as the availability of its δ13C as an indicator of water use efficiency
Modern silicon dynamics of a small high-latitude subarctic lake
Radium-228-derived ocean mixing and trace element inputs in the South Atlantic
Nitrogen isotopic fractionations during nitric oxide production in an agricultural soil
Silicon uptake and isotope fractionation dynamics by crop species
Barium stable isotopes as a fingerprint of biological cycling in the Amazon River basin
Bottomland hardwood forest growth and stress response to hydroclimatic variation: evidence from dendrochronology and tree ring Δ13C values
N2O isotope approaches for source partitioning of N2O production and estimation of N2O reduction – validation with the 15N gas-flux method in laboratory and field studies
Technical note: Single-shell δ11B analysis of Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi using femtosecond laser ablation MC-ICPMS and secondary ion mass spectrometry
Biogeochemical evidence of anaerobic methane oxidation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation in a stratified lake using stable isotopes
Effects of 238U variability and physical transport on water column 234Th downward fluxes in the coastal upwelling system off Peru
Do degree and rate of silicate weathering depend on plant productivity?
Alpine Holocene tree-ring dataset: age-related trends in the stable isotopes of cellulose show species-specific patterns
Ideas and perspectives: The same carbon behaves like different elements – an insight into position-specific isotope distributions
Seasonal dynamics of the COS and CO2 exchange of a managed temperate grassland
Leaf-scale quantification of the effect of photosynthetic gas exchange on Δ17O of atmospheric CO2
The stable carbon isotope signature of methane produced by saprotrophic fungi
Understanding the effects of early degradation on isotopic tracers: implications for sediment source attribution using compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA)
Oxygen isotope composition of waters recorded in carbonates in strong clumped and oxygen isotopic disequilibrium
Eliza Harris, Philipp Fischer, Maciej P. Lewicki, Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Stephen J. Harris, and Fernando Perez-Cruz
Biogeosciences, 21, 3641–3663, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3641-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Greenhouse gases are produced and consumed via a number of pathways. Quantifying these pathways helps reduce the climate and environmental footprint of anthropogenic activities. The contribution of the pathways can be estimated from the isotopic composition, which acts as a fingerprint for these pathways. We have developed the Time-resolved FRactionation And Mixing Evaluation (TimeFRAME) model to simplify interpretation and estimate the contribution of different pathways and their uncertainty.
Kim A. P. Faassen, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, Raquel González-Armas, Bert G. Heusinkveld, Ivan Mammarella, Wouter Peters, and Ingrid T. Luijkx
Biogeosciences, 21, 3015–3039, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3015-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3015-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ratio between atmospheric O2 and CO2 can be used to characterize the carbon balance at the surface. By combining a model and observations from the Hyytiälä forest (Finland), we show that using atmospheric O2 and CO2 measurements from a single height provides a weak constraint on the surface CO2 exchange because large-scale processes such as entrainment confound this signal. We therefore recommend always using multiple heights of O2 and CO2 measurements to study surface CO2 exchange.
Elise D. Rivett, Wenjuan Ma, Nathaniel E. Ostrom, and Eric L. Hegg
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-963, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-963, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Many different processes produce nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. Measuring the ratio of heavy and light nitrogen isotopes (15N/14N) for the non-exchangeable central and outer N atoms of N2O helps to distinguish sources of N2O. To accurately calculate the position-specific isotopic preference, we developed an expansion of the widely-used Rayleigh model. Application of our new model to simulated and experimental data demonstrates its improved accuracy for analyzing N2O synthesis.
Nestor Gaviria-Lugo, Charlotte Läuchli, Hella Wittmann, Anne Bernhardt, Patrick Frings, Mahyar Mohtadi, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
Biogeosciences, 20, 4433–4453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4433-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4433-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed how leaf wax hydrogen isotopes in continental and marine sediments respond to climate along one of the strongest aridity gradients in the world, from hyperarid to humid, along Chile. We found that under extreme aridity, the relationship between hydrogen isotopes in waxes and climate is non-linear, suggesting that we should be careful when reconstructing past hydrological changes using leaf wax hydrogen isotopes so as to avoid overestimating how much the climate has changed.
Ralf Conrad and Peter Claus
Biogeosciences, 20, 3625–3635, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3625-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3625-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge of carbon isotope fractionation is important for the assessment of the pathways involved in the degradation of organic matter. Propionate is an important intermediate. In the presence of sulfate, it was degraded by Syntrophobacter species via acetate to CO2. In the absence of sulfate, it was mainly consumed by Smithella and methanogenic archaeal species via butyrate and acetate to CH4. However, stable carbon isotope fractionation during the degradation process was quite small.
Alessandro Zanchetta, Linda M. J. Kooijmans, Steven van Heuven, Andrea Scifo, Hubertus A. Scheeren, Ivan Mammarella, Ute Karstens, Jin Ma, Maarten Krol, and Huilin Chen
Biogeosciences, 20, 3539–3553, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3539-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3539-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Carbonyl sulfide (COS) has been suggested as a tool to estimate carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake by plants during photosynthesis. However, understanding its sources and sinks is critical to preventing biases in this estimate. Combining observations and models, this study proves that regional sources occasionally influence the measurements at the 60 m tall Lutjewad tower (1 m a.s.l.; 53°24′ N, 6°21′ E) in the Netherlands. Moreover, it estimates nighttime COS fluxes to be −3.0 ± 2.6 pmol m−2 s−1.
Joel T. Bostic, David M. Nelson, and Keith N. Eshleman
Biogeosciences, 20, 2485–2498, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2485-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2485-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Land-use changes can affect water quality. We used tracers of pollution sources and water flow paths to show that an urban watershed exports variable sources during storm events relative to a less developed watershed. Our results imply that changing precipitation patterns combined with increasing urbanization may alter sources of pollution in the future.
Robin Havas, Christophe Thomazo, Miguel Iniesto, Didier Jézéquel, David Moreira, Rosaluz Tavera, Jeanne Caumartin, Elodie Muller, Purificación López-García, and Karim Benzerara
Biogeosciences, 20, 2405–2424, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2405-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2405-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a reservoir of prime importance in the C cycle of both continental and marine systems. It has also been suggested to influence the past Earth climate but is still poorly characterized in ancient-Earth-like environments. In this paper we show how DOC analyses from modern redox-stratified lakes can evidence specific metabolic reactions and environmental factors and how these can help us to interpret the C cycle of specific periods in the Earth's past.
Robin Havas, Christophe Thomazo, Miguel Iniesto, Didier Jézéquel, David Moreira, Rosaluz Tavera, Jeanne Caumartin, Elodie Muller, Purificación López-García, and Karim Benzerara
Biogeosciences, 20, 2347–2367, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2347-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2347-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We describe the C cycle of four modern stratified water bodies from Mexico, a necessary step to better understand the C cycle of primitive-Earth-like environments, which were dominated by these kinds of conditions. We highlight the importance of local external factors on the C cycle of these systems. Notably, they influence the sensitivity of the carbonate record to environmental changes. We also show the strong C-cycle variability among these lakes and their organic C sediment record.
Yifan Ma, Kuanbo Zhou, Weifang Chen, Junhui Chen, Jin-Yu Terence Yang, and Minhan Dai
Biogeosciences, 20, 2013–2030, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2013-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2013-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We distinguished particulate organic carbon (POC) export fluxes out of the nutrient-depleted layer (NDL) and the euphotic zone. The amount of POC export flux at the NDL base suggests that the NDL could be a hotspot of particle export. The substantial POC export flux at the NDL base challenges traditional concepts that the NDL was limited in terms of POC export. The dominant nutrient source for POC export fluxes should be subsurface nutrients, which was determined by 15N isotopic mass balance.
Clémence Paul, Clément Piel, Joana Sauze, Nicolas Pasquier, Frédéric Prié, Sébastien Devidal, Roxanne Jacob, Arnaud Dapoigny, Olivier Jossoud, Alexandru Milcu, and Amaëlle Landais
Biogeosciences, 20, 1047–1062, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1047-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1047-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
To improve the interpretation of the δ18Oatm and Δ17O of O2 in air bubbles in ice cores, we need to better quantify the oxygen fractionation coefficients associated with biological processes. We performed a simplified analogue of the terrestrial biosphere in a closed chamber. We found a respiration fractionation in agreement with the previous estimates at the microorganism scale, and a terrestrial photosynthetic fractionation was found. This has an impact on the estimation of the Dole effect.
Adam Francis, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Robert G. M. Spencer, Robert M. Holmes, Jennifer A. Rogers, and Claire Mahaffey
Biogeosciences, 20, 365–382, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-365-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-365-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is causing extensive permafrost degradation and nutrient releases into rivers with great ecological impacts on the Arctic Ocean. We focused on nitrogen (N) release from this degradation and associated cycling using N isotopes, an understudied area. Many N species are released at degradation sites with exchanges between species. N inputs from permafrost degradation and seasonal river N trends were identified using isotopes, helping to predict climate change impacts.
Mohamed Ayache, Jean-Claude Dutay, Kazuyo Tachikawa, Thomas Arsouze, and Catherine Jeandel
Biogeosciences, 20, 205–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-205-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The neodymium (Nd) is one of the most useful tracers to fingerprint water mass provenance. However, the use of Nd is hampered by the lack of adequate quantification of the external sources. Here, we present the first simulation of dissolved Nd concentration and Nd isotopic composition in the Mediterranean Sea using a high-resolution model. We aim to better understand how the various external sources affect the Nd cycle and particularly assess how it is impacted by atmospheric inputs.
Marta Santos-Garcia, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Margot C. F. Debyser, Katrine Husum, Philipp Assmy, and Haakon Hop
Biogeosciences, 19, 5973–6002, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5973-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5973-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Terrestrial sources of nitrate are important contributors to the nutrient pool in the fjords of Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden in Svalbard during the summer, and they sustain most of the fjord primary productivity. Ongoing tidewater glacier retreat is postulated to favour light limitation and less dynamic circulation in fjords. This is suggested to encourage the export of nutrients to the middle and outer part of the fjord system, which may enhance primary production within and in offshore areas.
Marlene Dordoni, Michael Seewald, Karsten Rinke, Kurt Friese, Robert van Geldern, Jakob Schmidmeier, and Johannes A. C. Barth
Biogeosciences, 19, 5343–5355, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5343-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5343-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Organic matter (OM) turnover into dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was investigated by means of carbon isotope mass balances in Germany's largest water reservoir. This includes a metalimnetic oxygen minimum (MOM). Autochthonous particulate organic carbon (POC) was the main contributor to DIC, with rates that were highest for the MOM. Generally low turnover rates outline the environmental fragility of this water body in the case that OM loads increase due to storm events or land use changes.
Frédérique M. S. A. Kirkels, Hugo J. de Boer, Paulina Concha Hernández, Chris R. T. Martes, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Sayak Basu, Muhammed O. Usman, and Francien Peterse
Biogeosciences, 19, 4107–4127, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4107-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4107-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The distinct carbon isotopic values of C3 and C4 plants are widely used to reconstruct past hydroclimate, where more C3 plants reflect wetter and C4 plants drier conditions. Here we examine the impact of regional hydroclimatic conditions on plant isotopic values in the Godavari River basin, India. We find that it is crucial to identify regional plant isotopic values and consider drought stress, which introduces a bias in C3 / C4 plant estimates and associated hydroclimate reconstructions.
Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, Tanya Marshall, Xin Sun, Jessica M. Burger, Sandy J. Thomalla, Bess B. Ward, and Sarah E. Fawcett
Biogeosciences, 19, 3425–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in the winter Southern Ocean show a high affinity for nitrite but require a minimum (i.e., "threshold") concentration before they increase their rates of nitrite oxidation significantly. The classic Michaelis–Menten model thus cannot be used to derive the kinetic parameters, so a modified equation was employed that also yields the threshold nitrite concentration. Dissolved iron availability may play an important role in limiting nitrite oxidation.
Weitian Ding, Urumu Tsunogai, Fumiko Nakagawa, Takashi Sambuichi, Hiroyuki Sase, Masayuki Morohashi, and Hiroki Yotsuyanagi
Biogeosciences, 19, 3247–3261, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3247-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3247-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Excessive leaching of nitrate from forested catchments during storm events degrades water quality and causes eutrophication in downstream areas. Thus, tracing the source of nitrate increase during storm events in forested streams is important for sustainable forest management. Based on the isotopic compositions of stream nitrate, including Δ17O, this study clarifies that the source of stream nitrate increase during storm events was soil nitrate in the riparian zone.
Nicolas Séon, Romain Amiot, Guillaume Suan, Christophe Lécuyer, François Fourel, Fabien Demaret, Arnauld Vinçon-Laugier, Sylvain Charbonnier, and Peggy Vincent
Biogeosciences, 19, 2671–2681, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2671-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2671-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed the oxygen isotope composition of bones and teeth of four marine species possessing regional heterothermies. We observed a consistent link between oxygen isotope composition and temperature heterogeneities recorded by classical methods. This opens up new perspectives on the determination of the thermoregulatory strategies of extant marine vertebrates where conventional methods are difficult to apply, but also allows us to investigate thermophysiologies of extinct vertebrates.
Yuwei Liu, Guofeng Zhu, Zhuanxia Zhang, Zhigang Sun, Leilei Yong, Liyuan Sang, Lei Wang, and Kailiang Zhao
Biogeosciences, 19, 877–889, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-877-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-877-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We took the water cycle process of soil–plant–atmospheric precipitation as the research objective. In the water cycle of soil–plant–atmospheric precipitation, precipitation plays the main controlling role. The main source of replenishment for alpine meadow plants is precipitation and alpine meltwater; the main source of replenishment for forest plants is soil water; and the plants in the arid foothills mainly use groundwater.
Roberto Velázquez-Ochoa, María Julia Ochoa-Izaguirre, and Martín Federico Soto-Jiménez
Biogeosciences, 19, 1–27, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our research is the first approximation to understand the δ13C macroalgal variability in one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, the Gulf of California. The life-form is the principal cause of δ13C macroalgal variability, mainly taxonomy. However, changes in habitat characteristics and environmental conditions also influence the δ13C macroalgal variability. The δ13C macroalgae is indicative of carbon concentration mechanisms and isotope discrimination during carbon assimilation.
Raquel F. Flynn, Thomas G. Bornman, Jessica M. Burger, Shantelle Smith, Kurt A. M. Spence, and Sarah E. Fawcett
Biogeosciences, 18, 6031–6059, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6031-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6031-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Biological activity in the shallow Weddell Sea affects the biogeochemistry of recently formed deep waters. To investigate the drivers of carbon and nutrient export, we measured rates of primary production and nitrogen uptake, characterized the phytoplankton community, and estimated nutrient depletion ratios across the under-sampled western Weddell Sea in mid-summer. Carbon export was highest at the ice shelves and was determined by a combination of physical, chemical, and biological factors.
Stéphanie H. M. Jacquet, Christian Tamburini, Marc Garel, Aurélie Dufour, France Van Vambeke, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, Nagib Bhairy, and Sophie Guasco
Biogeosciences, 18, 5891–5902, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5891-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5891-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compared carbon remineralization rates (MRs) in the western and central Mediterranean Sea in late spring during the PEACETIME cruise, as assessed using the barium tracer. We reported higher and deeper (up to 1000 m depth) MRs in the western basin, potentially sustained by an additional particle export event driven by deep convection. The central basin is the site of a mosaic of blooming and non-blooming water masses and showed lower MRs that were restricted to the upper mesopelagic layer.
Shinsuke Kawagucci, Yohei Matsui, Akiko Makabe, Tatsuhiro Fukuba, Yuji Onishi, Takuro Nunoura, and Taichi Yokokawa
Biogeosciences, 18, 5351–5362, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5351-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5351-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrogen and carbon isotope ratios of methane as well as the relevant biogeochemical parameters and microbial community compositions in hydrothermal plumes in the Okinawa Trough were observed. We succeeded in simultaneously determining hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation factors associated with aerobic oxidation of methane in seawater (εH = 49.4 ± 5.0 ‰, εC = 5.2 ± 0.4 ‰) – the former being the first of its kind ever reported.
Nicolai Schleinkofer, David Evans, Max Wisshak, Janina Vanessa Büscher, Jens Fiebig, André Freiwald, Sven Härter, Horst R. Marschall, Silke Voigt, and Jacek Raddatz
Biogeosciences, 18, 4733–4753, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4733-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4733-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have measured the chemical composition of the carbonate shells of the parasitic foraminifera Hyrrokkin sarcophaga in order to test if it is influenced by the host organism (bivalve or coral). We find that both the chemical and isotopic composition is influenced by the host organism. For example strontium is enriched in foraminifera that grew on corals, whose skeleton is built from aragonite, which is naturally enriched in strontium compared to the bivalves' calcite shell.
Lena Rohe, Traute-Heidi Anderson, Heinz Flessa, Anette Goeske, Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Nicole Wrage-Mönnig, and Reinhard Well
Biogeosciences, 18, 4629–4650, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4629-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4629-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This is the first experimental setup combining a complex set of methods (microbial inhibitors and isotopic approaches) to differentiate between N2O produced by fungi or bacteria during denitrification in three soils. Quantifying the fungal fraction with inhibitors was not successful due to large amounts of uninhibited N2O production. All successful methods suggested a small or missing fungal contribution. Artefacts occurring with microbial inhibition to determine N2O fluxes are discussed.
Inga Köhler, Raul E. Martinez, David Piatka, Achim J. Herrmann, Arianna Gallo, Michelle M. Gehringer, and Johannes A. C. Barth
Biogeosciences, 18, 4535–4548, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4535-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4535-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated how high Fe(II) levels influence the O2 budget of a circum-neutral Fe(II)-rich spring and if a combined study of dissolved O (DO) and its isotopic composition can help assess this effect. We showed that dissolved Fe(II) can exert strong effects on the δ18ODO even though a constant supply of atmospheric O2 occurs. In the presence of photosynthesis, direct effects of Fe oxidation become masked. Critical Fe(II) concentrations indirectly control the DO by enhancing photosynthesis.
Owen A. Sherwood, Samuel H. Davin, Nadine Lehmann, Carolyn Buchwald, Evan N. Edinger, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Markus Kienast
Biogeosciences, 18, 4491–4510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4491-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Pacific water flowing eastward through the Canadian Arctic plays an important role in redistributing nutrients to the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Using samples collected from northern Baffin Bay to the southern Labrador Shelf, we show that stable isotopic ratios in seawater nitrate reflect the fraction of Pacific to Atlantic water. These results provide a new framework for interpreting patterns of nitrogen isotopic variability recorded in modern and archival organic materials in the region.
Franziska Slotta, Lukas Wacker, Frank Riedel, Karl-Uwe Heußner, Kai Hartmann, and Gerhard Helle
Biogeosciences, 18, 3539–3564, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3539-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3539-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The African baobab is a challenging climate and environmental archive for its semi-arid habitat due to dating uncertainties and parenchyma-rich wood anatomy. Annually resolved F14C data of tree-ring cellulose (1941–2005) from a tree in Oman show the annual character of the baobab’s growth rings but were up to 8.8 % lower than expected for 1964–1967. Subseasonal δ13C and δ18O patterns reveal years with low average monsoon rain as well as heavy rainfall events from pre-monsoonal cyclones.
Peter M. J. Douglas, Emerald Stratigopoulos, Sanga Park, and Dawson Phan
Biogeosciences, 18, 3505–3527, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3505-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3505-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrogen isotopes could be a useful tool to help resolve the geographic distribution of methane emissions from freshwater environments. We analyzed an expanded global dataset of freshwater methane hydrogen isotope ratios and found significant geographic variation linked to water isotopic composition. This geographic variability could be used to resolve changing methane fluxes from freshwater environments and provide more accurate estimates of the relative balance of global methane sources.
Veronica R. Rollinson, Julie Granger, Sydney C. Clark, Mackenzie L. Blanusa, Claudia P. Koerting, Jamie M. P. Vaudrey, Lija A. Treibergs, Holly C. Westbrook, Catherine M. Matassa, Meredith G. Hastings, and Craig R. Tobias
Biogeosciences, 18, 3421–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3421-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3421-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We measured nutrients and the naturally occurring nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) stable isotope ratios of nitrate discharged from a New England river over an annual cycle, to monitor N loading and identify dominant sources from the watershed. We uncovered a seasonality to loading and sources of N from the watershed. Seasonality in the nitrate isotope ratios also informed on N cycling, conforming to theoretical expectations of riverine nutrient cycling.
Zixun Chen, Xuejun Liu, Xiaoqing Cui, Yaowen Han, Guoan Wang, and Jiazhu Li
Biogeosciences, 18, 2859–2870, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2859-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2859-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
δ13C in plants is a sensitive long-term indicator of physiological acclimatization. The present study suggests that precipitation change and increasing atmospheric N deposition have little impact on δ13C of H. ammodendron, a dominant plant in central Asian deserts, but affect its gas exchange. In addition, this study shows that δ13C of H. ammodendron could not indicate its water use efficiency (WUE), suggesting that whether δ13C of C4 plants indicates WUE is species-specific.
Petra Zahajská, Carolina Olid, Johanna Stadmark, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Sophie Opfergelt, and Daniel J. Conley
Biogeosciences, 18, 2325–2345, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2325-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2325-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The drivers of high accumulation of single-cell siliceous algae (diatoms) in a high-latitude lake have not been fully characterized before. We studied silicon cycling of the lake through water, radon, silicon, and stable silicon isotope balances. Results showed that groundwater brings 3 times more water and dissolved silica than the stream inlet. We demonstrate that groundwater discharge and low sediment deposition have driven the high diatom accumulation in the studied lake in the past century.
Yu-Te Hsieh, Walter Geibert, E. Malcolm S. Woodward, Neil J. Wyatt, Maeve C. Lohan, Eric P. Achterberg, and Gideon M. Henderson
Biogeosciences, 18, 1645–1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1645-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1645-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The South Atlantic near 40° S is one of the high-productivity and most dynamic nutrient regions in the oceans, but the sources and fluxes of trace elements (TEs) to this region remain unclear. This study investigates seawater Ra-228 and provides important constraints on ocean mixing and dissolved TE fluxes to this region. Vertical mixing is a more important source than aeolian or shelf inputs in this region, but particulate or winter deep-mixing inputs may be required to balance the TE budgets.
Zhongjie Yu and Emily M. Elliott
Biogeosciences, 18, 805–829, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-805-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-805-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we demonstrated distinct nitrogen isotope effects for nitric oxide (NO) production from major microbial and chemical NO sources in an agricultural soil. These results highlight characteristic bond-forming and breaking mechanisms associated with microbial and chemical NO production and implicate that simultaneous isotopic analyses of NO and nitrous oxide (N2O) can lead to unprecedented insights into the sources and processes controlling NO and N2O emissions from agricultural soils.
Daniel A. Frick, Rainer Remus, Michael Sommer, Jürgen Augustin, Danuta Kaczorek, and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg
Biogeosciences, 17, 6475–6490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6475-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6475-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Silicon is taken up by some plants to increase structural stability and to develop stress resistance and is rejected by others. To explore the underlying mechanisms, we used the stable isotopes of silicon that shift in their relative abundance depending on the biochemical transformation involved. On species with a rejective (tomato, mustard) and active (wheat) uptake mechanism, grown in hydroculture, we found that the transport of silicic acid is controlled by the precipitation of biogenic opal.
Quentin Charbonnier, Julien Bouchez, Jérôme Gaillardet, and Éric Gayer
Biogeosciences, 17, 5989–6015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5989-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5989-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The abundance and isotope composition of the trace metal barium (Ba) allows us to track and quantify nutrient cycling throughout the Amazon Basin. In particular, we show that the Ba biological fingerprint evolves from that of a strong net nutrient uptake in the mountainous area of the Andes towards efficient nutrient recycling on the plains of the Lower Amazon. Our study highlights the fact that the geochemical signature of rock-derived nutrients transported by the Amazon is scarred by life.
Ajinkya G. Deshpande, Thomas W. Boutton, Ayumi Hyodo, Charles W. Lafon, and Georgianne W. Moore
Biogeosciences, 17, 5639–5653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5639-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5639-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Wetland forests in the southern USA are threatened by changing climate and human-induced pressures. We used tree ring widths and C isotopes as indicators of forest growth and physiological stress, respectively, and compared these to past climate data. We observed that vegetation growing in the drier patches is susceptible to stress, while vegetation growth and physiology in wetter patches is less sensitive to unfavorable environmental conditions, highlighting the importance of optimal wetness.
Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Maciej Piotr Lewicki, and Reinhard Well
Biogeosciences, 17, 5513–5537, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5513-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5513-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first validation of N2O isotopic approaches for estimating N2O source pathways and N2O reduction. These approaches are widely used for tracing soil nitrogen cycling, but the results of these estimations are very uncertain. Here we report the results from parallel treatments allowing for precise validation of these approaches, and we propose the best strategies for results interpretation, including the new idea of an isotope model integrating three isotopic signatures of N2O.
Markus Raitzsch, Claire Rollion-Bard, Ingo Horn, Grit Steinhoefel, Albert Benthien, Klaus-Uwe Richter, Matthieu Buisson, Pascale Louvat, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 17, 5365–5375, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5365-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5365-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The isotopic composition of boron in carbonate shells of marine unicellular organisms is a popular tool to estimate seawater pH. Usually, many shells need to be dissolved and measured for boron isotopes, but the information on their spatial distribution is lost. Here, we investigate two techniques that allow for measuring boron isotopes within single shells and show that they yield robust mean values but provide additional information on the heterogeneity within and between single shells.
Florian Einsiedl, Anja Wunderlich, Mathieu Sebilo, Ömer K. Coskun, William D. Orsi, and Bernhard Mayer
Biogeosciences, 17, 5149–5161, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5149-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5149-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrate pollution of freshwaters and methane emissions into the atmosphere are crucial factors in deteriorating the quality of drinking water and in contributing to global climate change. Here, we report vertical concentration and stable isotope profiles of CH4, NO3-, NO2-, and NH4+ in the water column of Fohnsee (southern Bavaria, Germany) that may indicate linkages between nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation and the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium.
Ruifang C. Xie, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, Insa Rapp, Jan Lüdke, Beat Gasser, Marcus Dengler, Volker Liebetrau, and Eric P. Achterberg
Biogeosciences, 17, 4919–4936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4919-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4919-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Thorium-234 (234Th) is widely used to study carbon fluxes from the surface ocean to depth. But few studies stress the relevance of oceanic advection and diffusion on the downward 234Th fluxes in nearshore environments. Our study in offshore Peru showed strong temporal variations in both the importance of physical processes on 234Th flux estimates and the oceanic residence time of 234Th, whereas salinity-derived seawater 238U activities accounted for up to 40 % errors in 234Th flux estimates.
Ralf A. Oeser and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg
Biogeosciences, 17, 4883–4917, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4883-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4883-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present a novel strategy to decipher the relative impact of biogenic and abiotic drivers of weathering. We parameterized the nutrient fluxes in four ecosystems along a climate and vegetation gradient situated on the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. We investigated how nutrient demand by plants drives weathering. We found that the increase in biomass nutrient demand is accommodated by faster nutrient recycling rather than an increase in the weathering–release rates.
Tito Arosio, Malin M. Ziehmer, Kurt Nicolussi, Christian Schlüchter, and Markus Leuenberger
Biogeosciences, 17, 4871–4882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4871-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4871-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Stable isotopes in tree-ring cellulose are tools for climatic reconstructions, but interpretation is challenging due to nonclimate trends. We analyzed the tree-age trends in tree-ring isotopes of deciduous larch and evergreen cembran pine. Samples covering the whole Holocene were collected at the tree line in the Alps. For cambial ages over 100 years, we prove the absence of age trends in δD, δ18O, and δ13C for both species. For lower cambial ages, trends differ for each isotope and species.
Yuyang He, Xiaobin Cao, and Huiming Bao
Biogeosciences, 17, 4785–4795, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4785-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4785-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Different carbon sites in a large organic molecule have different isotope compositions. Different carbon sites may not have the chance to exchange isotopes at all. The lack of appreciation of this notion might be blamed for an unsettled debate on the thermodynamic state of an organism. Here we demonstrate using minerals, N2O, and acetic acid that the dearth of exchange among different carbon sites renders them as independent as if they were different elements in organic molecules.
Felix M. Spielmann, Albin Hammerle, Florian Kitz, Katharina Gerdel, and Georg Wohlfahrt
Biogeosciences, 17, 4281–4295, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4281-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4281-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Carbonyl sulfide (COS) can be used as a proxy for plant photosynthesis on an ecosystem scale. However, the relationships between COS and CO2 fluxes and their dependence on daily to seasonal changes in environmental drivers are still poorly understood. We examined COS and CO2 ecosystem fluxes above an agriculturally used mountain grassland for 6 months. Harvesting of the grassland disturbed the otherwise stable COS-to-CO2 uptake ratio. We even found the canopy to release COS during those times.
Getachew Agmuas Adnew, Thijs L. Pons, Gerbrand Koren, Wouter Peters, and Thomas Röckmann
Biogeosciences, 17, 3903–3922, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3903-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3903-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We measured the effect of photosynthesis, the largest flux in the carbon cycle, on the triple oxygen isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 at the leaf level during gas exchange using three plant species. The main factors that limit the impact of land vegetation on the triple oxygen isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 are identified, characterized and discussed. The effect of photosynthesis on the isotopic composition of CO2 is commonly quantified as discrimination (ΔA).
Moritz Schroll, Frank Keppler, Markus Greule, Christian Eckhardt, Holger Zorn, and Katharina Lenhart
Biogeosciences, 17, 3891–3901, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3891-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3891-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fungi have recently been identified to produce the greenhouse gas methane. Here, we investigated the stable carbon isotope values of methane produced by saprotrophic fungi. Our results show that stable isotope values of methane from fungi are dependent on the fungal species and the metabolized substrate. They cover a broad range and overlap with stable carbon isotope values of methane reported for methanogenic archaea, the thermogenic degradation of organic matter, and other eukaryotes.
Pranav Hirave, Guido L. B. Wiesenberg, Axel Birkholz, and Christine Alewell
Biogeosciences, 17, 2169–2180, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment input into water bodies is a prominent threat to freshwater ecosystems. We tested the stability of tracers employed in freshwater sediment tracing based on compound-specific isotope analysis during early degradation in soil. While bulk δ13C values showed no stability, δ13C values of plant-derived fatty acids and n-alkanes were stably transferred to the soil without soil particle size dependency after an early degradation in organic horizons, thus indicating their suitability as tracers.
Caroline Thaler, Amandine Katz, Magali Bonifacie, Bénédicte Ménez, and Magali Ader
Biogeosciences, 17, 1731–1744, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1731-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1731-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Paleoenvironment reconstructions, retrieved from δ18O and Δ47 values measured in carbonate, are compromised when crystallization occurs in isotopic disequilibrium. We show that some paleoenvironmental information can still be retrieved from these paired disequilibrium Δ47 and δ18O values. The possibility of retrieving information on paleowaters, sediments' interstitial waters, or organisms' body water at the carbonate precipitation loci will help understand past Earth and life evolution.
Cited articles
Amundson, R., Austin, A. T., Schuur, E. A. G., Yoo, K., Matzek, V., Kendall, C., Uebersax, A., Brenner, D., and Baisden, W. T.: Global patterns of the isotopic composition of soil and plant nitrogen, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 17, 10–31, 2003.
Bauer, G. A., Gebauer, G., Harrison, A. F., Högberg, P., Högbom, L., Schinkel, H., Taylor, A. F. S., Novak, M., Buzek, F., Harkness, D., Persson T., and Schulze E.-D.: Biotic and abiotic controls over ecosystem cycling of stable natural nitrogen, carbon and sulphur isotopes, in: Carbon and nitrogen cycling in European forest ecosystems, edited by: Schulze, E.-D., (Ecological studies, 142) Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 189–214, 2000.
Boeckx, P., Paulino, L., Oyarzun, C., van Cleemput, O., and Godoy, R.: Soil delta δ15N patterns in old-growth forests of southern Chile as integrator for N-cycling, Isot. Environ. Healt. S., 41, 249–259, 2005.
Chen, X. Y. and Mulder, J.: Indicators for nitrogen status and leaching in subtropical forest ecosystems, south china, Biogeochemistry, 82, 165–180, 2007.
Craine, J. M., Elmore, A. J., Aidar, M. P. M., Bustamante, M., Dawson, T. E., Hobbie, E. A., Kahmen, A., Mack, M. C., McLauchlan, K. K., Michelsen, A., Nardoto, G. B., Pardo, L. H., Peñuelas, J., Reich, P. B., Schuur, E. A. G., Stock, W. D., Templer, P. H., Virginia, R. A., Welker, J. M., and Wright, I. J.: Global patterns of foliar nitrogen isotopes and their relationships with climate, mycorrhizal fungi, foliar nutrient concentrations, and nitrogen availability, New Phytol., 183, 980–992, 2009.
Craine, J. M., Brookshire, E. N. J., Cramer, M. D., Hasselquist, N. J., Koba, K., Marin-Spiotta, E., and Wang, L.: Ecological interpretations of nitrogen isotope ratios of terrestrial plants and soils, Plant Soil, 396, 1–26, 2015a.
Craine, J. M., Elmore, A. J., Wang, L., Augusto, L., Baisden, W. T., Brookshire, E. N. J., Cramer, M. D., Hasselquist, N. J., Hobbie, E. A., Kahmen, A., Koba, K., Kranabetter, J. M., Mack, M. C., Marin-Spiotta, E., Mayor, J. R., McLauchlan, K. K., Michelsen, A., Nardoto, G. B., Oliveira, R. S., Perakis, S. S., Peri, P. L., Quesada, C. A., Richter, A., Schipper, L. A., Stevenson, B. A., Turner, B. L., Viani, R. A. G., Wanek, W., and Zeller, B.: Convergence of soil nitrogen isotopes across global climate gradients, Sci Rep., 5, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep08280, 2015b.
Emmett, B. A., Kjønaas, O. J., Gundersen, P., Koopmans, C., Tietema, A., and Sleep, D.: Natural abundance of 15N in forests across a nitrogen deposition gradient, Forest Ecol. Manag., 101, 9–18, 1998.
Fang, Y., Zhu, W., Mo, J., Zhou, G., and Gundersen, P.: Dynamics of soil inorganic nitrogen and their responses to nitrogen additions in three subtropical forests, south China, J. Environ. Sci.-China, 18, 752–759, 2006.
Fang, Y., Gundersen, P., Mo, J., and Zhu, W.: Nitrogen leaching in response to increased nitrogen inputs in subtropical monsoon forests in southern China, Forest Ecol. Manag. 257, 332–342, 2009.
Fang, Y., Gundersen, P., Vogt, R. D., Koba, K., Chen, F., Chen, X. Y., and Yoh, M.: Atmospheric deposition and leaching of nitrogen in Chinese forest ecosystems, J. Forest Res., 16, 341–350, 2011a.
Fang, Y. T., Yoh, M., Koba, K., Zhu, W. X., Takebayashi, Y., Xiao, Y. H., Lei, C. Y., Mo, J., Zhang, W., and Lu, X.: Nitrogen deposition and forest nitrogen cycling along an urban-rural transect in southern China, Glob. Change Biol., 17, 872–885, 2011b.
Fang, Y., Koba, K., Makabe, A., Takahashi, C., Zhu, W., Hayashi, T., Hokari, A. A., Urakawa, R., Bai, E., Houlton, B. Z., Xi, D., Zhang, S., Matsushita, K., Tu, Y., Liu, D., Zhu, F., Wang, Z., Zhou, G., Chen, D., Makita, T., Toda, H., Liu, X., Chen, Q., Zhang, D., Li, Y., and Yoh, M.: Microbial denitrification dominates nitrate losses from forest ecosystems, PNAS, 112, 1470–1474, 2015.
Fang, Y. T., Gundersen, P., Mo, J. M., and Zhu, W. X.: Input and output of dissolved organic and inorganic nitrogen in subtropical forests of South China under high air pollution, Biogeosciences, 5, 339–352, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-5-339-2008, 2008.
Galloway, J. N.: The global nitrogen cycle: Past, present and future, Sci. China Ser. C., 48, 669–677, 2005.
Gundersen, P., Callesen, I., and de Vries, W.: Nitrate leaching in forest ecosystems is related to forest floor C ∕ N ratios, Environ. Pollut., 102, 403–407, 1998.
Gurmesa, G. A.: Fate of deposited nitrogen in tropical forests in southern China, PhD thesis, Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 2016.
Gurmesa, G. A., Lu, X., Gundersen, P., Mao, Q., Zhou, K., Fang, Y., and Mo, J.: High retention of 15N-labeled nitrogen deposition in a nitrogen saturated old-growth tropical forest, Glob. Change Biol., 22, 3608–3620, 2016.
Handley, L. L. and Raven, J. A.: The use of natural abundance of nitrogen isotopes in plant physiology and ecology, Plant Cell Environ., 15, 965–985, 1992.
Hilton, R. G., Galy, A., West, A. J., Hovius, N., and Roberts, G. G.: Geomorphic control on the d15N of mountain forests, Biogeosciences, 10, 1693–1705, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1693-2013, 2013.
Hobbie, E. A. and Hogberg, P.: Nitrogen isotopes link mycorrhizal fungi and plants to nitrogen dynamics, New Phytol., 196, 367–382, 2012.
Högberg, P.: Development of 15N enrichment in a nitrogen-fertilized forest soil-plant system, Soil Biol. Biochem., 23, 335–338, 1991.
Högberg, P.: Tansley review No. 95, 15N natural abundance in soil-plant systems, New Phytol., 137, 179–203, 1997.
Högberg, P., Högbom, L., Schinkel, H., Högberg, M., Johannisson, C., and Wallmark, H.: N-15 abundance of surface soils, roots and mycorrhizas in profiles of European forest soils, Oecologia, 108, 207–214, 1996.
Högberg, P., Johannisson, C., Yarwood, S., Callesen, I., Nasholm, T., Myrold, D. D., and Hogberg, M. N.: Recovery of ectomycorrhiza after “nitrogen saturation” of a conifer forest, New Phytol., 189, 515–525, 2011.
Högberg, P., Johannisson, C., and Hogberg, M. N.: Is the high 15N natural abundance of trees in N-loaded forests caused by an internal ecosystem N isotope redistribution or a change in the ecosystem N isotope mass balance?, Biogeochemistry, 117, 351–358, 2014.
Hyvönen, R., Persson, T., Andersson, S., Olsson, B., Agren, G. I., and Linder, S.: Impact of long-term nitrogen addition on carbon stocks in trees and soils in northern Europe, Biogeochemistry, 89, 121–137, 2008.
Johannisson, C. and Hogberg, P.: 15N abundance of soils and plants along an experimentally-induced forest nitrogen supply gradient, Oecologia, 97, 322–325, 1994.
Karamanos, R. E. and Rennie, D. A.: Nitrogen isotope fractionation during ammonium exchange reactions with soil clay, Can. J. Soil Sci., 58, 53–60, 1978.
Kitayama, K. and Iwamoto, K.: Patterns of natural 15N abundance in the leaf-to-soil continuum of tropical rain forests differing in N availability on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, Plant Soil, 229, 203–212, 2001.
Koba, K., Isobe, K., Takebayashi, Y., Fang, Y. T., Sasaki, Y., Saito, W., Yoh, M., Mo, J., Liu, L., Lu, X., Zhang, T., Zhang, W., and Senoo, K.: δ15N of soil N and plants in a N-saturated, subtropical forest of southern China, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 24, 2499–2506, 2010.
Koba, K., Fang, Y., Mo, J., Zhang, W., Lu, X., Liu, L., Zhang, T., Takebayashi, Y., Toyoda, S., and Yoshida, N.: The δ15N natural abundance of the N lost from an N-saturated subtropical forest in southern China, J. Geophys Res., 117, G02015, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JG001615, 2012.
Korontzi, S., Macko, S. A., Anderson, I. C., and Poth, M. A.: A stable isotopic study to determine carbon and nitrogen cycling in a disturbed southern Californian forest ecosystem, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 14, 177–188, 2000.
Koopmans, C. J., Tietema, A., and Verstraten, J. M.: Natural 15N abundance in two nitrogen saturated forest ecosystems, Oecologia, 11, 470–480, 1997.
Lachouani, P., Frank, A. H., and Wanek, W.: A suite of sensitive chemical methods to determine the delta N-15 of ammonium, nitrate and total dissolved N in soil extracts, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 24, 3615–3623, 2010
Liu, D., Fang, Y., Tu, Y., and Pan, Y.: Chemical method for nitrogen Isotopic analysis of ammonium at natural abundance, Anal. Chem., 86, 3787–3792, 2014.
Liu, S. R.: Nitrogen cycling and dynamic analysis of man-made larch forest ecosystem, Plant Soil, 168, 391–397, 1995.
Liu, X., Duan, L., Mo, J., Du, E.,Shen, J., Lu, X., Zhang, Y., Zhou, X., He, C., and Zhang, F.: Nitrogen deposition and its ecological impact in China: an overview, Environ. Pollut., 159, 2251–2264, 2011.
Lu, X., Gilliam, F. S., Yu, G., Li, L., Mao, Q., Chen, H., and Mo, J.: Long-term nitrogen addition decreases carbon leaching in a nitrogen-rich forest ecosystem, Biogeosciences, 10, 3931–3941, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3931-2013, 2013.
Lu, X., Mao, Q., Gilliam, F. S., Luo, Y., and Mo, J.: Nitrogen deposition contributes to soil acidification in tropical ecosystems, Glob. Change Biol., 20, 3790–3801, 2014.
Magill, A. H., Aber, J. D., Berntson, G. M., McDowell, W. H., Nadelhoffer, K. J., Melillo, J. M., and Steudler, P.: Long-term nitrogen additions and nitrogen saturation in two temperate forests, Ecosystems, 3, 238–253, 2000.
Martinelli, L. A., Piccolo, M. C., Townsend, A. R., Vitousek, P. M., Cuevas, E., McDowell, W., Robertson, G. P., Santos, O. C., and Treseder, K.: Nitrogen stable isotopic composition of leaves and soil: Tropical versus temperate forests, Biogeochemistry, 46, 45–65, 1999.
McNulty, S. G., Boggs, J., Aber, J. D., Rustad, L., and Magill, A.: Red spruce ecosystem level changes following 14 years of chronic N fertilization, Forest Ecol. Manag., 219, 279–291, 2005.
Mo, J., Sandra, B. Peng, S., Kong, G., and Fang, Y.: Effects of human impacts on fine roots and soil organic matter of a pine forest in subtropical Chin, Acta Ecologica Sinica, 25, 491–499, 2005.
Mo, J., Brown, S., Xue, J., Fang, Y., and Li, Z.: Response of litter decomposition to simulated N deposition in disturbed, rehabilitated and mature forests in subtropical China, Plant Soil, 282, 135–151, 2006.
Nadelhoffer, K. J. and Fry, B.: Controls on natural nitrogen-15 and carbon-13 abundances in forest soil organic matter, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 52, 1633–1640, 1988.
Nadelhoffer, K. J. and Fry, B.: Nitrogen isotope studies in forest ecosystems, in: Stable isotopes in ecology, edited by: Lajtha, K. and Michener, R., Black-well Scientific, Oxford, UK, 22–44, 1994.
Nardoto, G. B., Quesada, C. A., Patiño, S., Saiz, G., Baker, T. R., Schwarz, M., Schrodt, F., Feldpausch, T. R., Domingues, T. F., Marimon, B. S., Marimon Jr., B., Vieira, I. C. G., Silveira, M., Bird, M. I., Phillips, O. L., Lloyd, J., and Martinelli, L.: Basin-wide variations in amazon forest nitrogen-cycling characteristics as inferred from plant and soil 15N : 14N measurements, Plant Ecol. Divers., 7, 173–187, 2014.
Näsholm, T., Nordin, A., Edfast, A. B., and Hogberg, P.: Identification of coniferous forests with incipient nitrogen saturation through analysis of arginine and nitrogen-15 abundance of trees, J. Environ. Qual., 26, 302–309, 1997.
Pardo, L. H., Hemond, H. F., Montoya, J. P., Fahey, T. J., and Siccama, T. G.: Response of the natural abundance of N-15 in forest soils and foliage to high nitrate loss following clear-cutting, Can. J. Forest Res., 32, 1126–1136, 2002.
Pardo, L. H., Templer, P. H., Goodale, C. L., Duke, S., Groffman, P. M., Adams, M. B., Boeckx, P., Boggs, J., Campbell, J., Colman, B., Compton, J., Emmett, B., Gundersen, P., Kjønaas, J., Lovett, L., Mack, M., Magill, A., Mbila, M., Mitchell, M. J., McGee, G., McNulty, S., Nadelhoffer, K., Ollinger, S., Ross, D., Rueth, H., Rustad, L., Schaberg, P., Schiff, S., Schleppi, P., Spoelstra, J., and Wessel, W.: Regional assessment of N saturation using foliar and root δ15N, Biogeochemistry, 80, 143–171, 2006.
Perakis, S. S., Tepley, A. J., and Compton, J. E.: Disturbance and topography shape nitrogen availability and δ15N over long-term forest succession, Ecosystems, 18, 573–588, 2015.
Robinson, D.: δ15N as an integrator of the nitrogen cycle, Trends Ecol. Evol., 16, 153–162, 2001.
Sah, S. P. and Brumme, R.: Natural 15N Abundance in two nitrogen saturated forest ecosystems at Solling, Germany, J. Forest Sci., 49, 515–522, 2003.
Schulze, E. D.: Air-pollution and forest decline in a spruce (Picea Abies) forest, Science, 244, 776–783, 1989.
Shen, C. D., Liu, D. S., Peng, S. L., Sun, Y. M., Jiang, M. T., Yi, W. X., Xing, C. P., Gao, Q. Z., Li, Z., and Zhou, G. Y.: 14C measurement of forest soils in Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, Chinese Sci. Bull., 44, 251–256, 1999.
Sun, F., Kuang, Y., Wen, D., Xu, Z., Li, J., Zuo, W., and Hou, E.: Long-term tree growth rate, water use efficiency, and tree ring nitrogen isotope composition of Pinus massoniana L. in response to global climate change and local nitrogen deposition in southern china, J. Soil Sediments, 10, 1453–1465, 2010.
Townsend, A. R., Cleveland, C. C., Houlton, B. Z., Alden, C. B., and White, J. W.: Multi-element regulation of the tropical forest carbon cycle, Front. Ecol. Environ., 9, 9–17, 2011.
Wang, A., Fang, Y. T., Chen, D. X., Koba, K., Makabe, A., Li, Y. D., Luo, T. S., and Yoh, M.: Variations in nitrogen-15 natural abundance of plant and soil systems in four remote tropical rainforests, southern china, Oecologia, 174, 567–580, 2014.
Zhang, W., Mo, J., Yu, G., Fang, Y., Li, D., Lu, X., and Wang, H.: Emissions of nitrous oxide from three tropical forests in Southern China in response to simulated nitrogen deposition, Plant Soil, 306, 221–236, 2008.
Short summary
We measured the abundance of a nitrogen (N) isotope (15N) in two subtropical forests in China to study the cycling of input N (deposition and addition). Plant leaves in both forests were 15N-depleted relative to the atmospheric standard, likely as an imprint from 15N-depleted deposition. Plant 15N changed into 15N of the added N, indicating incorporation of N into plants. Thus, interpretations of ecosystem 15N from high-N-deposition regions need to include data on the 15N deposition signature.
We measured the abundance of a nitrogen (N) isotope (15N) in two subtropical forests in China to...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint