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Soil water uptake by trees using water stable isotopes (δ2H and δ18O)−a method test regarding soil moisture, texture and carbonate

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Abstract

Aims

Stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen are often used to determine plant water uptake depths. We investigated whether and to what extend soil moisture, clay content, and soil calcium carbonate influences the water isotopic composition.

Methods

In the laboratory, dried soil samples varying in clay content were rewetted with different amounts of water of known isotopic composition. Further, we removed soil carbonate from a subset of samples prior to rewetting. Water was extracted from samples via cryogenic vacuum extraction and analysed by mass spectrometry.

Results

The isotopic composition of extracted soil water was similarly depleted in both 18O and 2H with decreasing soil moisture and increasing clay and carbonate content. Soil carbonate changed the δ18O composition while δ2H was not affected.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that soil carbonate can cause artifacts for 18O isotopic composition of soil water. At low soil moisture and high carbonate content this could lead to conflicting results for δ18O and δ2H in plant water uptake studies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted within the framework of the Research Training Group “Graduiertenkolleg 1086: The role of biodiversity for biogeochemical cycles and biotic interactions in temperate deciduous forests”, funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation). We thank Christina Langenbruch and Anja Guckland for providing data on soil properties and Reinhard Langel for excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Meik Meißner, Michael Köhler & Dirk Hölscher

  2. School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Luitgard Schwendenmann

  3. Centre for Stable Isotope Research and Analysis, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Jens Dyckmans

Authors
  1. Meik Meißner
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  2. Michael Köhler
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  3. Luitgard Schwendenmann
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  4. Dirk Hölscher
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  5. Jens Dyckmans
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Correspondence to Meik Meißner.

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Responsible Editor: Rafael S. Oliveira.

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Meißner, M., Köhler, M., Schwendenmann, L. et al. Soil water uptake by trees using water stable isotopes (δ2H and δ18O)−a method test regarding soil moisture, texture and carbonate. Plant Soil 376, 327–335 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1970-z

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