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Diurnal variations of needle water isotopic ratios in two pine species

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Abstract

Diurnal fluctuations of leaf water isotope ratios (δ18O and δD) were measured for Jeffrey (Pinus jeffreyi Balf.) and lodgepole (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Louden) pine. Two trees per species were sampled every few hours on 15–16 October 2005 and 19–20 June 2006. Diurnal gas exchange was measured during the summer sampling. In fall 2005, leaf water δ18O ranged from 0.7 to 9.0‰, and leaf water δD ranged from −70 to −50‰. In summer 2006, leaf water δ18O ranged from 7.7 to 20.7‰, and leaf water δD ranged from −61 to −24‰. Diurnal variation of leaf water isotope values typically reached a maximum in early afternoon, began decreasing around midnight, and reached a minimum in mid-morning. Both periods showed a high degree of enrichment relative to source water, with leaf water–source water enrichments ranging up to 37.8‰ for δ18O, and up to 95‰ for δD. Leaf water enrichment varied by season with summer enrichment being greater than fall enrichment. A steady-state model (i.e., modified Craig–Gordon modeling) for leaf water isotope compositions did not provide a good fit to measured values of leaf water. In summer, a non-steady state model provided a better fit to the measured data than the steady-state model. Our findings demonstrate substantial leaf water enrichment above source water and diurnal variations in the isotopic composition of leaf water, which has application to understanding short-term variability of atmospheric gases (water vapor, CO2, O2), climate studies based on the isotopic composition of tree rings, and ecosystem water fluxes.

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Notes

  1. The absence of LI-COR gas exchange measurements precluded calculation of the non-steady state model.

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Acknowledgments

This work originated from the second author’s Master’s thesis at the University of Nevada, Reno, and was supported, in part, by the Whittell Forest Graduate Fellowship to R. Monnar and by National Science Foundation grant BCS-0518655 to F. Biondi, who was also funded, in part, by National Science Foundation grant ATM-CAREER-0132631. We are grateful to Dr. Stephen B. Vander Wall for logistical support at the Whittell Forest (Little Valley). This manuscript benefited greatly from the comments of three anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exotic and Invasive Weeds Research Unit, USDA ARS, 920 Valley Road, Reno, NV, 89512, USA

    Keirith A. Snyder

  2. DendroLab, Department of Geography, University of Nevada, Reno, USA

    Robert Monnar, Peter Hartsough & Franco Biondi

  3. Nevada Stable Isotope Laboratory, Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, USA

    Simon R. Poulson

  4. Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, USA

    Peter Hartsough & Franco Biondi

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  1. Keirith A. Snyder
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  2. Robert Monnar
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  3. Simon R. Poulson
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  4. Peter Hartsough
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  5. Franco Biondi
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Correspondence to Keirith A. Snyder.

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Communicated by A. Gessler.

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Snyder, K.A., Monnar, R., Poulson, S.R. et al. Diurnal variations of needle water isotopic ratios in two pine species. Trees 24, 585–595 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-010-0429-6

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