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Carbon isotopic signature of CO2 emitted by plant compartments and soil in two temperate deciduous forests

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Annals of Forest Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

• Context

The carbon isotope composition of the CO2 efflux (δ13CE) from ecosystem components is widely used to investigate carbon cycles and budgets at different ecosystem scales. δ13CE, was considered constant but is now known to vary along seasons. The seasonal variations have rarely been compared among different ecosystem components.

• Aims

We aimed to characterise simultaneously the seasonal dynamics of δ13CE in different compartments of two temperate broadleaved forest ecosystems.

• Methods

Using manual chambers and isotope ratio mass spectrometry, we recorded simultaneously δ13CE and δ13C of organic matter in sun leaves, current-year twigs, trunk bases and soil in an oak and a beech forest during 1 year.

• Results

In the two forests, δ13CE displayed a larger variability in the tree components than in the soil. During the leafy period, a pronounced vertical zonation of δ13CE was observed between the top (sun leaves and twigs with higher values) and bottom (trunk and soil with lower values) of the ecosystem. No correlation was found between δ13CE and δ13C of organic matter. Causes for these seasonal variations and the vertical zonation in isotope signature are discussed.

• Conclusion

Our study shows clear differences in values as well as seasonal dynamics of δ13CE among different components in the two ecosystems. The temporal and local variation of δ13CE cannot be inferred from organic matter signature or CO2 emission rates.

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Abbreviations

E T :

Trunk CO2 efflux

E S :

Soil CO2 efflux

E ECO :

Ecosystem CO2 efflux

δ13C:

Carbon isotope composition

δ13CE :

Carbon isotope composition of CO2 efflux

δ13CEECO :

δ13CE of ecosystem

δ13CEL :

δ13CE of leaves

δ13CETG :

δ13CE of twigs

δ13CET :

δ13CE of trunk

δ13CES :

δ13CE of soil

δ13COM :

δ13C of total organic matter

δ13COM :

δ13COM of leaf

δ13COMT :

δ13COM of twig

δ13COMT :

δ13COM of trunk

δ13COMS :

δ13C of soil total organic matter

Doy:

Day of year

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Office National des Forêts, especially M. Bénard, for facilitating experimental work at Barbeau. We acknowledge N. Bréda (INRA Nancy, France) for trunk growth measurements at Hesse. The platform Métabolisme-Métabolome of the IFR87 is acknowledged for the isotope measurements. We are grateful to M. Danger and X. Raynaud for valuable discussions on the manuscript and to E. M. Gross for revising the manuscript. We thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their helpful comments and improvements to the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the French projects ‘Ministère délégué à la recherche-ACI Jeunes Chercheurs’ (no. JC10009) and ‘Programme National ACI/FNS ECCO, PNBC’ (convention no. 0429 FNS) and by the ESE laboratory thanks to funds from Paris-Sud University and CNRS.

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Author notes

  1. Florence Maunoury-Danger

    Present address: Université de Lorraine, LIEBE, CNRS, UMR 7146, Metz, 57070, France

  2. Jérôme Ngao

    Present address: INRA, Clermont Université Blaise Pascal, UMR 547 PIAF, 63100, Clermont-Ferrand, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AgroPariTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Orsay, 91405, France

    Florence Maunoury-Danger, Nicolas Chemidlin Prevost Boure, Kamel Soudani & Claire Damesin

  2. CNRS, UMR 8079, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, Orsay, 91405, France

    Daniel Berveiller, Eric Dufrene & Jean-Yves Pontailler

  3. INRA, Écologie et Écophysiologie Forestières, UMR 1137, Champenoux, 54280, France

    Jérôme Ngao, Claude Brechet & Bernard Longdoz

  4. Écologie et Écophysiologie Forestières, UMR 1137, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre, 54506, France

    Daniel Epron

  5. UMR 7618, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UPMC-Bioemco, 46 Rue d’Ulm, 75230, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Jean-Christophe Lata

  6. UMR 8618, Institut de Biotechnologie des Plantes, Univ. Paris-Sud, Orsay, 91405, France

    Caroline Lelarge-Trouverie

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  1. Florence Maunoury-Danger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Florence Maunoury-Danger.

Additional information

Handling Editor: Erwin Dreyer

Contribution of the co-authors

Florence Maunoury-Danger Nicolas Chemidlin Prevost Boure, Jérôme Ngao, Daniel Berveiller, Claude Brechet, Eric Dufrene, Daniel Epron, Jean-Christophe Lata, Bernard Longdoz, Caroline Lelarge Trouverie, Jean-Yves Pontailler, Kamel Soudani, Claire Damesin: performing practical work, field sampling, phenological and climatic measurements and isotopic analysis from Barbeau and Hesse sites.

Florence Maunoury-Danger Nicolas Chemidlin Prevost Boure, Jérôme Ngao, Bernard Longdoz, Daniel Epron, Claire Damesin: data analyses

Claire Damesin: designing the experiment and coordinating the research projects ‘Ministère délégué à la recherche-ACI Jeunes Chercheurs’ (no. JC10009) and ‘Programme National ACI/FNS ECCO PNBC’ (convention no. 0429 FNS)

Florence Maunoury-Danger: writing the paper

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Maunoury-Danger, F., Chemidlin Prevost Boure, N., Ngao, J. et al. Carbon isotopic signature of CO2 emitted by plant compartments and soil in two temperate deciduous forests. Annals of Forest Science 70, 173–183 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-012-0249-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-012-0249-5

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