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Volume 15, issue 4
Biogeosciences, 15, 987–995, 2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-987-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-987-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Biogeosciences, 15, 987–995, 2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-987-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-987-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article 20 Feb 2018
Research article | 20 Feb 2018
Stable isotopic constraints on global soil organic carbon turnover
Chao Wang et al.
Related authors
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
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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.
Sara K. E. Goulden, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Katherine H. Freeman, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Nanako O. Ogawa, Hisami Suga, Oliver Chadwick, and Benjamin Z. Houlton
Biogeosciences, 16, 3869–3882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3869-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3869-2019, 2019
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We investigate whether soil organic compounds preserve information about nitrogen availability to plants. We isolate chlorophyll degradation products in leaves, litter, and soil and explore possible species and climate effects on preservation and interpretation. We find that compound-specific nitrogen isotope measurements in soil have potential as a new tool to reconstruct changes in nitrogen cycling on a landscape over time, avoiding issues that have limited other proxies.
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.
B. Z. Houlton and S. L. Morford
SOIL, 1, 381–397, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-381-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-381-2015, 2015
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Nitrogen is necessary for life; this element is found in all DNA and protein molecules on Earth. Nitrogen also regulates the CO2 uptake capacity of land ecosystems, with important consequences for climate change. Here we provide evidence for a new source of nitrogen that is found in many of the rock materials on which natural ecosystems form. The idea that rocks are a widely distributed source of nitrogen challenges the standard paradigm of botany, soil, and ecosystem science.
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Stable Isotopes & Other Tracers
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
Ideas and perspectives: Same Carbon Different Elements – An Insight into Position-Specific Isotope Patterns Within a Single Compound
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
Isotopic evidence for alteration of nitrous oxide emissions and producing pathways' contribution under nitrifying conditions
Seasonal dynamics of the COS and CO2 exchange of a managed temperate grassland
Trace element composition of size-fractionated suspended particulate matter samples from the Qatari Exclusive Economic Zone of the Arabian Gulf: the role of atmospheric dust
Benthic carbon fixation and cycling in diffuse hydrothermal and background sediments in the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica
Changes in gross oxygen production, net oxygen production, and air-water gas exchange during seasonal ice melt in Whycocomagh Bay, a Canadian estuary in the Bras d'Or Lake system
Plants or bacteria? 130 years of mixed imprints in Lake Baldegg sediments (Switzerland), as revealed by compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) and biomarker analysis
Commercial traceability of Arapaima spp. fisheries in the Amazon basin: can biogeochemical tags be useful?
Distribution of Fe isotopes in particles and colloids in the salinity gradient along the Lena River plume, Laptev Sea
Early season N2O emissions under variable water management in rice systems: source-partitioning emissions using isotope ratios along a depth profile
Evolution of 231Pa and 230Th in overflow waters of the North Atlantic
Southern Ocean controls of the vertical marine δ13C gradient – a modelling study
Negligible isotopic fractionation of nitrogen within temperate Zostera spp. meadows
Ecosystem fluxes of carbonyl sulfide in an old-growth forest: temporal dynamics and responses to diffuse radiation and heat waves
Export flux of unprocessed atmospheric nitrate from temperate forested catchments: a possible new index for nitrogen saturation
Silicon isotopes of deep sea sponges: new insights into biomineralisation and skeletal structure
Latitudinal trends in stable isotope signatures and carbon-concentrating mechanisms of northeast Atlantic rhodoliths
Salinity control on Na incorporation into calcite tests of the planktonic foraminifera Trilobatus sacculifer – evidence from culture experiments and surface sediments
The silicon stable isotope distribution along the GEOVIDE section (GEOTRACES GA-01) of the North Atlantic Ocean
Tracing water masses with 129I and 236U in the subpolar North Atlantic along the GEOTRACES GA01 section
Environmental and taxonomic controls of carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition in Sphagnum across broad climatic and geographic ranges
Estimation of isotope variation of N2O during denitrification by Pseudomonas aureofaciens and Pseudomonas chlororaphis: implications for N2O source apportionment
Immediate increase in isotopic enrichment in small mammals following the expansion of a great cormorant colony
Stomatal control of leaf fluxes of carbonyl sulfide and CO2 in a Typha freshwater marsh
The triple oxygen isotope composition of phytoliths as a proxy of continental atmospheric humidity: insights from climate chamber and climate transect calibrations
Short-term fate of intertidal microphytobenthos carbon under enhanced nutrient availability: a 13C pulse-chase experiment
δ11B as monitor of calcification site pH in divergent marine calcifying organisms
Catchment tracers reveal discharge, recharge and sources of groundwater-borne pollutants in a novel lake modelling approach
Spatial variations in snowpack chemistry, isotopic composition of NO3− and nitrogen deposition from the ice sheet margin to the coast of western Greenland
Glacial–interglacial changes and Holocene variations in Arabian Sea denitrification
Use of flow cytometry and stable isotope analysis to determine phytoplankton uptake of wastewater derived ammonium in a nutrient-rich river
Mn∕Ca intra- and inter-test variability in the benthic foraminifer Ammonia tepida
Modeling calcification periods of Cytheridella ilosvayi from Florida based on isotopic signatures and hydrological data
Interaction of CO2 concentrations and water stress in semiarid plants causes diverging response in instantaneous water use efficiency and carbon isotope composition
Quantifying nutrient uptake as driver of rock weathering in forest ecosystems by magnesium stable isotopes
Long-term carbon and nitrogen dynamics at SPRUCE revealed through stable isotopes in peat profiles
Nitrogen input 15N signatures are reflected in plant 15N natural abundances in subtropical forests in China
The origin of methane in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf unraveled with triple isotope analysis
Quantification of dynamic soil–vegetation feedbacks following an isotopically labelled precipitation pulse
Reviews and syntheses: Isotopic approaches to quantify root water uptake: a review and comparison of methods
C ∕ N ratio, stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N), and n-alkane patterns of brown mosses along hydrological gradients of low-centred polygons of the Siberian Arctic
Technical note: Coupling infrared gas analysis and cavity ring down spectroscopy for autonomous, high-temporal-resolution measurements of DIC and δ13C–DIC
Quantification of multiple simultaneously occurring nitrogen flows in the euphotic ocean
Quantifying N2O reduction to N2 based on N2O isotopocules – validation with independent methods (helium incubation and 15N gas flux method)
Small-scale variability in geomorphological settings influences mangrove-derived organic matter export in a tropical bay
Leaf nitrogen from first principles: field evidence for adaptive variation with climate
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
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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
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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.
Yuyang He, Xiaobin Cao, and Huiming Bao
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-120, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-120, 2020
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
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Different carbon sites in a large organic molecule has different isotope composition. We realized that different carbon sites may not have 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 demonstrated 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.
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
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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
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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.
Guillaume Humbert, Mathieu Sébilo, Justine Fiat, Longqi Lang, Ahlem Filali, Véronique Vaury, Mathieu Spérandio, and Anniet M. Laverman
Biogeosciences, 17, 979–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-979-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-979-2020, 2020
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Mitigating emissions of the greenhouse gas N2O requires understanding of the relative contribution of its producing processes in response to environmental variables. We show, using isotopic analysis, that N2O emissions from a nitrifying system were sensitive to oxygenation, temperature and NH4+ concentrations with nitrite reduction being the main N2O source. Temperature appears to be the main control on N2O production, due to its dissimilar effects on ammonium and nitrite oxidizing activities.
Felix M. Spielmann, Albin Hammerle, Florian Kitz, Katharina Gerdel, and Georg Wohlfahrt
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-27, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-27, 2020
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
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Carbonyl sulfide (COS) can be used as a proxy for plant photosynthesis on ecosystem scale. However, the relationships between COS and CO2 fluxes and their dependence on daily to seasonal changes in environmental drivers still are poorly understood. We examined COS and CO2 ecosystem fluxes above an agriculturally used mountain grassland for 6 months. The harvesting of the grassland disturbed the otherwise stable COS to CO2 uptake ratio. We even found the canopy to release COS during those times.
Oguz Yigiterhan, Ebrahim Mohd Al-Ansari, Alex Nelson, Mohamed Alaa Abdel-Moati, Jesse Turner, Hamood Abdulla Alsaadi, Barbara Paul, Ibrahim Abdullatif Al-Maslamani, Mehsin Abdulla Al-Ansi Al-Yafei, and James W. Murray
Biogeosciences, 17, 381–404, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-381-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-381-2020, 2020
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We analyze net-tow samples of plankton and associated particulate matter from the Exclusive Economic Zone, Qatar, Arabian Gulf, using net tows with mesh sizes of 50 and 200 μm to examine the composition of plankton populations. We also focus on the role and composition of the atmospheric dust, representative of terrigenous material, deposited in the Gulf. We concluded that Al, Fe, Cr, Co, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Li are of dust origin and As, Cd, Cu, Mo, Zn, and Ca are of anthropogenic/biogenic origin.
Clare Woulds, James B. Bell, Adrian G. Glover, Steven Bouillon, and Louise S. Brown
Biogeosciences, 17, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1-2020, 2020
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Sedimented hydrothermal vents occur where heated, mineral-rich (hydrothermal) water seeps through seafloor sediments. They host chemosynthetic microbes, which use chemical energy to fix dissolved carbon dioxide into sugars (chemosynthesis). We conducted carbon tracing experiments, and observed chemosynthesis at both vent and non-vent sites. Thus, chemosynthesis occurred over a much larger area than expected, suggesting it is more widespread than previously thought.
Cara C. Manning, Rachel H. R. Stanley, David P. Nicholson, Brice Loose, Ann Lovely, Peter Schlosser, and Bruce G. Hatcher
Biogeosciences, 16, 3351–3376, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3351-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3351-2019, 2019
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We measured rates of biological activity and gas exchange in a Canadian estuary during ice melt. We quantified gas exchange using inert, deliberately released tracers and found that the gas transfer rate at > 90 % ice cover was 6 % of the rate for nearly ice-free conditions. We measured oxygen concentration and isotopic composition and used the data to detect changes in the rates of photosynthesis and respiration (autotrophy and heterotrophy) as the ice melted.
Marlène Lavrieux, Axel Birkholz, Katrin Meusburger, Guido L. B. Wiesenberg, Adrian Gilli, Christian Stamm, and Christine Alewell
Biogeosciences, 16, 2131–2146, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2131-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2131-2019, 2019
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A fingerprinting approach using compound-specific stable isotopes was applied to a lake sediment core to reconstruct erosion processes over the past 150 years in a Swiss catchment. Even though the reconstruction of land use and eutrophication history was successful, the observation of comparatively low δ13C values of plant-derived fatty acids in the sediment suggests their alteration within the lake. Thus, their use as a tool for source attribution in sediment cores needs further investigation.
Luciana A. Pereira, Roberto V. Santos, Marília Hauser, Fabrice Duponchelle, Fernando Carvajal, Christophe Pecheyran, Sylvain Bérail, and Marc Pouilly
Biogeosciences, 16, 1781–1797, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1781-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1781-2019, 2019
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This study presents the first step for a chemical origin certification of pirarucu fishery in the Amazon. A preliminary isotopic tool to improve the actual tracking system integrates ecological, social, and economic aspects of Amazon dynamics. The geographic origin validation of farmed and wild fishes contributes to environmental and social practices, secures food and income to communities, helps manage endangered species, reinforces aquaculture, and combats illegal fisheries.
Sarah Conrad, Johan Ingri, Johan Gelting, Fredrik Nordblad, Emma Engström, Ilia Rodushkin, Per S. Andersson, Don Porcelli, Örjan Gustafsson, Igor Semiletov, and Björn Öhlander
Biogeosciences, 16, 1305–1319, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1305-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1305-2019, 2019
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Iron analysis of the particulate, colloidal, and truly dissolved fractions along the Lena River freshwater plume showed that the particulate iron dominates close to the coast. Over 99 % particulate and about 90 % colloidal iron were lost, while the truly dissolved phase was almost constant. Iron isotopes suggest that the shelf acts as a sink for particles and colloids with negative iron isotope values, while colloids with positive iron isotope values travel further out into the Arctic Ocean.
Elizabeth Verhoeven, Matti Barthel, Longfei Yu, Luisella Celi, Daniel Said-Pullicino, Steven Sleutel, Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Johan Six, and Charlotte Decock
Biogeosciences, 16, 383–408, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-383-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-383-2019, 2019
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This study utilized state-of-the-art measurements of nitrogen isotopes to evaluate nitrogen cycling and to assess the biological sources of the potent greenhouse gas, N2O, in response to water-saving practices in rice systems. Water-saving practices did emit more N2O, and high N2O production had a lower 15N isotope signature. Modeling and visual interpretation indicate that these emissions mostly came from denitrification or nitrifier denitrification, controlled upstream by nitrification rates.
Feifei Deng, Gideon M. Henderson, Maxi Castrillejo, Fiz F. Perez, and Reiner Steinfeldt
Biogeosciences, 15, 7299–7313, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7299-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7299-2018, 2018
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To better use Pa / Th to reconstruct deep water ventilation rate, we assessed controls on 230Th and 231Pa in the northern North Atlantic. With extended optimum multi-parameter analysis and CFC-based water-mass age, we found the imprint of young overflow water on Th and Pa and enhanced scavenging near the seafloor. A significantly higher advective loss of Pa to the south relative to Th in the Atlantic was estimated, supporting the use of Pa / Th for assessing basin-scale meridional transport.
Anne L. Morée, Jörg Schwinger, and Christoph Heinze
Biogeosciences, 15, 7205–7223, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7205-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7205-2018, 2018
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Changes in the distribution of the carbon isotope 13C can be used to study the climate system if the governing processes (ocean circulation and biogeochemistry) are understood. We show the Southern Ocean importance for the global 13C distribution and that changes in 13C can be strongly influenced by biogeochemistry. Interpretation of 13C as a proxy for climate signals needs to take into account the effects of changes in biogeochemistry in addition to changes in ocean circulation.
Douglas G. Russell, Wei Wen Wong, and Perran L. M. Cook
Biogeosciences, 15, 7225–7234, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7225-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7225-2018, 2018
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Nitrogen is an important nutrient in marine environments and is continually converted from one form to another. One way these processes can be investigated is by looking at the ratio of the 15N and 14N stable isotopes of different nitrogen-containing compounds. To date few studies have compared these ratios in seagrass beds, their associated sediments and the porewater NH4+ pool. The strong relationship between these nitrogen pools suggests that nitrogen is tightly recycled within seagrass beds.
Bharat Rastogi, Max Berkelhammer, Sonia Wharton, Mary E. Whelan, Frederick C. Meinzer, David Noone, and Christopher J. Still
Biogeosciences, 15, 7127–7139, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7127-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7127-2018, 2018
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Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) has gained prominence as an independent tracer for gross primary productivity, which is usually modelled by partitioning net CO2 fluxes. Here, we present a simple empirical model for estimating ecosystem-scale OCS fluxes for a temperate old-growth forest and find that OCS sink strength scales with independently estimated CO2 uptake and is sensitive to the the fraction of downwelling diffuse light. We also examine the response of OCS and CO2 fluxes to sequential heat waves.
Fumiko Nakagawa, Urumu Tsunogai, Yusuke Obata, Kenta Ando, Naoyuki Yamashita, Tatsuyoshi Saito, Shigeki Uchiyama, Masayuki Morohashi, and Hiroyuki Sase
Biogeosciences, 15, 7025–7042, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7025-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7025-2018, 2018
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To clarify the biological processing of nitrate within temperate forested catchments using unprocessed atmospheric nitrate exported from each catchment as a tracer, we continuously monitored stream nitrate concentrations and stable isotopic compositions in three forested catchments for more than 2 years. We concluded that the export flux of unprocessed atmospheric nitrate relative to the deposition flux in each forest ecosystem is applicable as an index for nitrogen saturation.
Lucie Cassarino, Christopher D. Coath, Joana R. Xavier, and Katharine R. Hendry
Biogeosciences, 15, 6959–6977, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6959-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6959-2018, 2018
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Using a simple model, we show that the silicon isotopic composition of sponges can be used to estimate the silicic acid concentration of seawater, a key parameter linked to nutrient and carbon cycling. However, our data illustrate that skeletal type and growth rate also control silicon isotopic composition of sponges. Our study demonstrates the paleoceanographic utility of sponges as an archive for ocean silica content provided that suitable skeleton types are selected.
Laurie C. Hofmann and Svenja Heesch
Biogeosciences, 15, 6139–6149, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6139-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6139-2018, 2018
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The ability of marine macroalgae to adapt to changing ocean chemistry will depend on the flexibility of their inorganic carbon uptake mechanisms across biogeographic ranges. Therefore, we investigated the plasticity of inorganic carbon uptake mechanisms in north Atlantic rhodoliths – free-living calcifying red algae that form important benthic habitats in coastal environments. We observed flexible mechanisms related to seawater DIC concentrations, indicating the potential for adaptation.
Jacqueline Bertlich, Dirk Nürnberg, Ed C. Hathorne, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Eveline M. Mezger, Markus Kienast, Steffanie Nordhausen, Gert-Jan Reichart, Joachim Schönfeld, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 15, 5991–6018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5991-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5991-2018, 2018
Jill N. Sutton, Gregory F. de Souza, Maribel I. García-Ibáñez, and Christina L. De La Rocha
Biogeosciences, 15, 5663–5676, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5663-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5663-2018, 2018
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The silicon stable isotope distribution determined from samples collected from the North Atlantic Ocean indicates that water mass subduction and circulation are the dominant processes controlling the distribution of dissolved silicon in this region. In addition, these data provide a clear view of the direct interaction between northern and southern water masses and the extent to which the silicon isotope composition of these silica-poor waters is influenced by hydrography.
Maxi Castrillejo, Núria Casacuberta, Marcus Christl, Christof Vockenhuber, Hans-Arno Synal, Maribel I. García-Ibáñez, Pascale Lherminier, Géraldine Sarthou, Jordi Garcia-Orellana, and Pere Masqué
Biogeosciences, 15, 5545–5564, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5545-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5545-2018, 2018
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The investigation of water mass transport pathways and timescales is important to understand the global ocean circulation. Following earlier studies, we use artificial radionuclides introduced to the oceans in the 1950s to investigate the water transport in the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA). For the first time, we combine measurements of the long-lived iodine-129 and uranium-236 to confirm earlier findings/hypotheses and to better understand shallow and deep ventilation processes in the SPNA.
Gustaf Granath, Håkan Rydin, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Fia Bengtsson, Nicholas Boncek, Luca Bragazza, Zhao-Jun Bu, Simon J. M. Caporn, Ellen Dorrepaal, Olga Galanina, Mariusz Gałka, Anna Ganeva, David P. Gillikin, Irina Goia, Nadezhda Goncharova, Michal Hájek, Akira Haraguchi, Lorna I. Harris, Elyn Humphreys, Martin Jiroušek, Katarzyna Kajukało, Edgar Karofeld, Natalia G. Koronatova, Natalia P. Kosykh, Mariusz Lamentowicz, Elena Lapshina, Juul Limpens, Maiju Linkosalmi, Jin-Ze Ma, Marguerite Mauritz, Tariq M. Munir, Susan M. Natali, Rayna Natcheva, Maria Noskova, Richard J. Payne, Kyle Pilkington, Sean Robinson, Bjorn J. M. Robroek, Line Rochefort, David Singer, Hans K. Stenøien, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Kai Vellak, Anouk Verheyden, James Michael Waddington, and Steven K. Rice
Biogeosciences, 15, 5189–5202, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5189-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5189-2018, 2018
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Peat constitutes a long-term archive for climate reconstruction by using the isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen. We analysed isotopes in two peat moss species across North America and Eurasia. Peat (moss tissue) isotope composition was predicted by soil moisture and isotopic composition of the rainwater but differed between species. Our results suggest that isotope composition can be used on a large scale for climatic reconstructions but that such models should be species-specific.
Joshua A. Haslun, Nathaniel E. Ostrom, Eric L. Hegg, and Peggy H. Ostrom
Biogeosciences, 15, 3873–3882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3873-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3873-2018, 2018
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N2O δ15N and δ18O values changed non-linearly during in vitro N2O production by bacterial denitrification of NO3−, an argument against their use in N2O apportionment. We present a novel approach for describing non-linear isotopic behaviour, which may be applied to other multi-step reactions. We also show that the intramolecular distribution of 15N in N2O, used to apportion N2O emissions to denitrification and nitrification, is unaffected by electron donor source and electron donor concentration.
Linas Balčiauskas, Raminta Skipitytė, Marius Jasiulionis, Laima Balčiauskienė, and Vidmantas Remeikis
Biogeosciences, 15, 3883–3891, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3883-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3883-2018, 2018
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Effects of an expanding great cormorant colony on small mammals were evaluated. An increase of the number of bird pairs led to decreased δ13C and increased δ15N values in mice hair after the first year of nest appearance. Differences in isotopic signatures were related to species of rodents, pointing to the differences in their diet. Cormorant influence was indirect, the result of biological pollution from guano on rodent foods. Scaring cormorants from the colonies may have the opposite effect.
Wu Sun, Kadmiel Maseyk, Céline Lett, and Ulli Seibt
Biogeosciences, 15, 3277–3291, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3277-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3277-2018, 2018
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Carbonyl sulfide (COS) is an emerging tracer to probe land photosynthesis at canopy to global scales, but the relationship between leaf COS and CO2 fluxes needed for this application is poorly quantified. With in situ leaf fluxes of COS and CO2 measured in a freshwater marsh, we show that light and vapor deficit control the relationship between leaf COS and CO2 fluxes by regulating stomatal conductance. Our findings support the use of COS as a tracer for canopy photosynthesis.
Anne Alexandre, Amarelle Landais, Christine Vallet-Coulomb, Clément Piel, Sébastien Devidal, Sandrine Pauchet, Corinne Sonzogni, Martine Couapel, Marine Pasturel, Pauline Cornuault, Jingming Xin, Jean-Charles Mazur, Frédéric Prié, Ilhem Bentaleb, Elizabeth Webb, Françoise Chalié, and Jacques Roy
Biogeosciences, 15, 3223–3241, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3223-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3223-2018, 2018
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There is a lack of proxies suitable for reconstructing, in a quantitative way, past changes in continental atmospheric humidity, which is a key climate parameter. Here, we demonstrate through climate chamber and climate transect calibrations that the triple oxygen isotope composition of phytoliths offers a potential for reconstructing changes in relative humidity.
Philip M. Riekenberg, Joanne M. Oakes, and Bradley D. Eyre
Biogeosciences, 15, 2873–2889, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2873-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2873-2018, 2018
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Shallow coastal waters are increasingly experiencing increased nutrient loading. Sediment algae within these systems are responsible for a large portion of C production, but we have limited knowledge of what happens to sediment microbial processing of MPB-C under increased nutrient conditions. This work examines how C-processing pathways change after increased short-term nutrient exposure, finding shifts in processing between microbial groups and increased export of algal C from the sediment.
Jill N. Sutton, Yi-Wei Liu, Justin B. Ries, Maxence Guillermic, Emmanuel Ponzevera, and Robert A. Eagle
Biogeosciences, 15, 1447–1467, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1447-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1447-2018, 2018
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The boron isotope composition of marine biogenic carbonates has been studied as a proxy for monitoring past changes in seawater pH and carbonate chemistry. We highlight the potential utility of the boron isotope composition of marine biogenic carbonates as a proxy of calcifying site pH for a wide range of calcifying taxa and the importance of using species-specific seawater-pH–boron isotope calibrations when reconstructing seawater pH from the boron isotope composition of biogenic carbonates.
Emil Kristensen, Mikkel Madsen-Østerbye, Philippe Massicotte, Ole Pedersen, Stiig Markager, and Theis Kragh
Biogeosciences, 15, 1203–1216, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1203-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1203-2018, 2018
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We propose a novel modelling approach enabling swift hydrological surveys based on multiple conservative and non-conservative tracers to estimate water retention time, groundwater discharge sites, fractions of water originating from the discharge sites, groundwater recharge sites and sites that are especially important in regard to groundwater recharge. Thus we provide a whole lake hydrological survey while pinpointing sources of pollutants like colored dissolved organic matter and nutrients.
Chris J. Curtis, Jan Kaiser, Alina Marca, N. John Anderson, Gavin Simpson, Vivienne Jones, and Erika Whiteford
Biogeosciences, 15, 529–550, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-529-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-529-2018, 2018
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Few studies have investigated the atmospheric deposition of nitrate in the Arctic or its impacts on Arctic ecosystems. We collected late-season snowpack from three regions in western Greenland from the coast to the edge of the ice sheet. We found major differences in nitrate concentrations (lower at the coast) and deposition load (higher). Nitrate in snowpack undergoes losses and isotopic enrichment which are greatest in inland areas; hence deposition impacts may be greatest at the coast.
Birgit Gaye, Anna Böll, Joachim Segschneider, Nicole Burdanowitz, Kay-Christian Emeis, Venkitasubramani Ramaswamy, Niko Lahajnar, Andreas Lückge, and Tim Rixen
Biogeosciences, 15, 507–527, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-507-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-507-2018, 2018
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The Arabian Sea has one of the most severe oxygen minima of the world's oceans between about 100 and 1200 m of water depth and is therefore a major oceanic nitrogen sink. Stable nitrogen isotopic ratios in sediments record changes in oxygen concentrations and were studied for the last 25 kyr. Oxygen concentrations dropped at the end of the last glacial and became further reduced during the Holocene, probably due to the increasing age of the low-oxygen water mass.
Calla M. Schmidt, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Megan B. Young, and Carol Kendall
Biogeosciences, 15, 353–367, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-353-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-353-2018, 2018
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In this study we measured phytoplankton use of nitrogen from wastewater treatment plant effluent in a river. The project was designed to test a new technique for isolating phytoplankton from river water prior to isotopic analysis in order to use trace nitrogen source use under environmental conditions. This study helps us understand the fate of anthropogenic nitrogen in aquatic ecosystems, which is essential to establishing effective nutrient management plans.
Jassin Petersen, Christine Barras, Antoine Bézos, Carole La, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Filip J. R. Meysman, Aurélia Mouret, Caroline P. Slomp, and Frans J. Jorissen
Biogeosciences, 15, 331–348, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-331-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-331-2018, 2018
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In Lake Grevelingen, a coastal ecosystem, foraminifera experience important temporal variations in oxygen concentration and in pore water manganese. The high resolution of LA-ICP-MS allows us to analyse the chambers of foraminiferal shells separately and to obtain signals from a series of calcification events. We estimate the variability in Mn/Ca observed within single shells due to biomineralization and show that a substantial part of the signal is related to environmental variability.
Juliane Meyer, Claudia Wrozyna, Albrecht Leis, and Werner E. Piller
Biogeosciences, 14, 4927–4947, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4927-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4927-2017, 2017
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Isotopic signatures of ostracods from Florida correlate with their host water, implying a regional influence of temperature and precipitation. Calculated monthly configurations of a theoretical calcite formed in rivers were compared to ostracod isotope compositions. The data suggest a seasonal shell formation during early spring that is coupled to the hydrological cycle of the region. The surprising seasonality of the investigated ostracods is of importance for paleontological interpretation.
Na Zhao, Ping Meng, Yabing He, and Xinxiao Yu
Biogeosciences, 14, 3431–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3431-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3431-2017, 2017
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Few researchers have investigated post-photosynthetic 13C fractionation happening in leaves. Potted saplings were cultivated under orthogonal treatments of CO2 concentration and soil water content. The 13C fractionation from mesophyll conductance and post-carboxylation both contributed to the total 13C fractionation that was determined by δ13C of water-soluble compounds and gas-exchange measurements.
David Uhlig, Jan A. Schuessler, Julien Bouchez, Jean L. Dixon, and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg
Biogeosciences, 14, 3111–3128, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3111-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3111-2017, 2017
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Plants and soil microbiota play an active role in rock weathering. Here we show that the coupling between erosion and weathering might be established by nutrients that are taken up by trees, are not recycled from plant litter and are missing in the dissolved river flux due to forest re-growth after clear cutting or due to erosion as coarse woody debris. To track this nutrient pathway we used magnesium stable isotopes in combination with innovative metrics over annual and millennial timescales.
Erik A. Hobbie, Janet Chen, Paul J. Hanson, Colleen M. Iversen, Karis J. McFarlane, Nathan R. Thorp, and Kirsten S. Hofmockel
Biogeosciences, 14, 2481–2494, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2481-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2481-2017, 2017
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We measured carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (13C : 12C and 15N : 14N) in peat cores in a northern Minnesota bog to understand how climate, vegetation type, and decomposition affected C and N budgets over the last 9000 years. 13C : 12C patterns were primarily influenced by shifts in temperature, peatland vegetation and atmospheric CO2, whereas tree colonization and upland N influxes affected 15N : 14N ratios. Isotopic markers provided new insights into long-term patterns of CO2 and nitrogen losses.
Geshere Abdisa Gurmesa, Xiankai Lu, Per Gundersen, Yunting Fang, Qinggong Mao, Chen Hao, and Jiangming Mo
Biogeosciences, 14, 2359–2370, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2359-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2359-2017, 2017
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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.
Célia J. Sapart, Natalia Shakhova, Igor Semiletov, Joachim Jansen, Sönke Szidat, Denis Kosmach, Oleg Dudarev, Carina van der Veen, Matthias Egger, Valentine Sergienko, Anatoly Salyuk, Vladimir Tumskoy, Jean-Louis Tison, and Thomas Röckmann
Biogeosciences, 14, 2283–2292, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2283-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2283-2017, 2017
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The Arctic Ocean, especially the Siberian shelves, overlays large areas of subsea permafrost that is degrading. We show that methane with a biogenic origin is emitted from this permafrost. At locations where bubble plumes have been observed, methane can escape oxidation in the surface sediment and rapidly migrate through the very shallow water column of this region to escape to the atmosphere, generating a positive radiative feedback.
Arndt Piayda, Maren Dubbert, Rolf Siegwolf, Matthias Cuntz, and Christiane Werner
Biogeosciences, 14, 2293–2306, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2293-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2293-2017, 2017
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Complex plant–soil interactions in the hydrological cycle of a Mediterranean cork oak ecosystem are investigated with stable water isotopes. Trees largely foster infiltration due to altered microclimatic conditions below crowns but compete with understorey plants for the same water source in deeper soil layers. The presence of understorey plants does not alter water losses compared to bare soil, but water utilization for carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixation is largely increased.
Youri Rothfuss and Mathieu Javaux
Biogeosciences, 14, 2199–2224, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2199-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2199-2017, 2017
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Plant root water uptake (RWU) has been documented for the past 5 decades from water stable isotopic analysis. In this paper, we review the different methods for reconstructing RWU profiles on the basis of isotopic information and confront them with each other during a series of virtual experiments. Finally, we call for a development of approaches coupling physically based RWU models with controlled condition experimental setups.
Romy Zibulski, Felix Wesener, Heinz Wilkes, Birgit Plessen, Luidmila A. Pestryakova, and Ulrike Herzschuh
Biogeosciences, 14, 1617–1630, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1617-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1617-2017, 2017
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We investigated variations of isotopic and biochemical parameters in arctic mosses. We were able to differentiate habitat groups of mosses (classified by moisture gradient) by elemental content and isotopic ratios (δ13C, δ15N). Some species showed intraspecific variability in their isotopic composition along the moisture gradient. Furthermore n-alkanes showed interesting patterns for species identification.
Mitchell Call, Kai G. Schulz, Matheus C. Carvalho, Isaac R. Santos, and Damien T. Maher
Biogeosciences, 14, 1305–1313, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1305-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1305-2017, 2017
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The conventional method for determining dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and it carbon stable isotope ratio (δ13C–DIC) can be a laborious process which can limit sampling frequency. This paper presents a new approach to autonomously determine DIC & δ13C–DIC at high temporal resolution. The simple method requires no customised design. Instead it uses two commercially available instruments and achieved a sampling resolution of 16 mins with precision and accuracy comparable to conventional methods.
Min Nina Xu, Yanhua Wu, Li Wei Zheng, Zhenzhen Zheng, Huade Zhao, Edward A. Laws, and Shuh-Ji Kao
Biogeosciences, 14, 1021–1038, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1021-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1021-2017, 2017
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To resolve multiple N transformation rates, we proposed an innovative “isotope matrix method” to simultaneously derive rates for multiple transformations. This method was designed specifically for incubations in the euphotic zone under simulated in situ light conditions and minimized potential biases caused by non-targeted processes. The method facilitates simple post hoc analysis of data and can be used to probe specific effects of environmental factors on the rates of interactive N processes.
Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Jürgen Augustin, Anette Giesemann, and Reinhard Well
Biogeosciences, 14, 711–732, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-711-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-711-2017, 2017
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The consumption of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) by its reduction to dinitrogen via microbial denitrification in soil is poorly quantified. This precludes improvements in nitrogen (N) efficiency in agricultural ecosystems and mitigation of N losses to the environment including N2O fluxes. We present a laboratory evaluation for the determination of N2O reduction based on stable isotope values of soil-emitted N2O as a new approach to determine N2O reduction in the field studies.
Geraldina Signa, Antonio Mazzola, James Kairo, and Salvatrice Vizzini
Biogeosciences, 14, 617–629, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-617-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-617-2017, 2017
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Using a combined analytical approach (fatty acid and isotopic markers), we found that the different settings of the creeks flowing into Gazi Bay influenced the mangrove export to the adjacent seagrasses and coral reef. Given the major influence that organic matter exchange between habitats has on organic matter availability and consumption by fauna, the small-scale variability in mangrove export may have far-reaching consequences for local food webs and for the functioning of the whole ecosystem.
Ning Dong, Iain Colin Prentice, Bradley J. Evans, Stefan Caddy-Retalic, Andrew J. Lowe, and Ian J. Wright
Biogeosciences, 14, 481–495, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-481-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-481-2017, 2017
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The nitrogen content of leaves is a key quantity for understanding ecosystem function. We analysed variations in nitrogen per unit leaf area among species at sites along a transect across Australia including many climates and ecosystem types. The data could be explained by the idea that leaf nitrogen comprises two parts, one proportional to leaf mass, the other (metabolic) part proportional to light intensity and declining with CO2 drawdown and temperature, as optimal allocation theory predicts.
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Short summary
Soil contains a large amount of organic carbon and plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's C cycle and climate system. In this study, we collected soil-carbon isotope data within a 1 m depth globally and provided an isotope-based approach for understanding soil carbon decomposition rate. Compared with other methods, utilization of C isotope composition ratios in the soil profile provides an independent approach that does not rely on disruption of plant-soil-microbe interactions.
Soil contains a large amount of organic carbon and plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's C...
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