Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide conditions

Diane E. Pataki; David S. Ellsworth; R. Dave Evans; Miquel Gonzalez-Meler; John King; Steven W. Leavitt; Guanghui Lin; Roser Matamala; Elise Pendall; Rolf Siegwolf; Chris Van Kessel; James R. Ehleringer

doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0805:TCIEFU]2.0.CO;2

Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide conditions

Diane E. Pataki, David S. Ellsworth, R. Dave Evans, Miquel Gonzalez-Meler, John King, Steven W. Leavitt, Guanghui Lin, Roser Matamala, Elise Pendall, Rolf Siegwolf, Chris Van Kessel, James R. Ehleringer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

Responses of ecosystems to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) remain a critical uncertainty in global change research. Two key unknown factors are the fate of carbon newly incorporated by photosynthesis into various pools within the ecosystem and the extent to which elevated CO ₂ is transferred to and sequestered in pools with long turnover times. The CO₂ used for enrichment in many experiments incorporates a dual isotopic tracer, in the sense that ratios of both the stable carbon-13 (¹³C) and the radioactive carbon-14 (¹⁴C) isotopes with respect to carbon-12 are different from the corresponding ratios in atmospheric CO₂. Here we review techniques for using ¹³C and ¹⁴C abundances to follow the fate of newly fixed carbon and to further our understanding of the turnover times of ecosystem carbon pools. We also discuss the application of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen isotope analyses for tracing changes in the linkages between carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles under conditions of elevated CO₂.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	805-818
Number of pages	14
Journal	BioScience
Volume	53
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0805:TCIEFU]2.0.CO;2
State	Published - Sep 1 2003

Keywords

Carbon cycle
Elevated carbon dioxide
Global change
Radiocarbon
Stable isotopes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0805:TCIEFU]2.0.CO;2

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@article{0c6093127f494e1a97b87c1a5ec7df03,

title = "Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide conditions",

abstract = "Responses of ecosystems to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) remain a critical uncertainty in global change research. Two key unknown factors are the fate of carbon newly incorporated by photosynthesis into various pools within the ecosystem and the extent to which elevated CO 2 is transferred to and sequestered in pools with long turnover times. The CO2 used for enrichment in many experiments incorporates a dual isotopic tracer, in the sense that ratios of both the stable carbon-13 (13C) and the radioactive carbon-14 (14C) isotopes with respect to carbon-12 are different from the corresponding ratios in atmospheric CO2. Here we review techniques for using 13C and 14C abundances to follow the fate of newly fixed carbon and to further our understanding of the turnover times of ecosystem carbon pools. We also discuss the application of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen isotope analyses for tracing changes in the linkages between carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles under conditions of elevated CO2.",

keywords = "Carbon cycle, Elevated carbon dioxide, Global change, Radiocarbon, Stable isotopes",

author = "Pataki, {Diane E.} and Ellsworth, {David S.} and Evans, {R. Dave} and Miquel Gonzalez-Meler and John King and Leavitt, {Steven W.} and Guanghui Lin and Roser Matamala and Elise Pendall and Rolf Siegwolf and {Van Kessel}, Chris and Ehleringer, {James R.}",

note = "Funding Information: This article is a product of a workshop funded by the Biological and Environmental Research Program (BER), US Department of Energy (DOE). Research reported in this manuscript was funded by US DOE BER through the Great Plains Regional Center of the National Institute for Global Environmental Change, under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC03-90ER61010, and by US National Science Foundation grants 98-14358, 02-12819, and DEB-0120169. This work contributes to the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems (GCTE) core project of the International Geosphere– Biosphere Programme. GCTE Focus 1 is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration{\textquoteright}s Earth Science Enterprise.",

year = "2003",

month = sep,

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doi = "10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0805:TCIEFU]2.0.CO;2",

language = "English (US)",

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journal = "BioScience",

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T1 - Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide conditions

AU - Pataki, Diane E.

AU - Ellsworth, David S.

AU - Evans, R. Dave

AU - Gonzalez-Meler, Miquel

AU - King, John

AU - Leavitt, Steven W.

AU - Lin, Guanghui

AU - Matamala, Roser

AU - Pendall, Elise

AU - Siegwolf, Rolf

AU - Van Kessel, Chris

AU - Ehleringer, James R.

N1 - Funding Information: This article is a product of a workshop funded by the Biological and Environmental Research Program (BER), US Department of Energy (DOE). Research reported in this manuscript was funded by US DOE BER through the Great Plains Regional Center of the National Institute for Global Environmental Change, under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC03-90ER61010, and by US National Science Foundation grants 98-14358, 02-12819, and DEB-0120169. This work contributes to the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems (GCTE) core project of the International Geosphere– Biosphere Programme. GCTE Focus 1 is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Earth Science Enterprise.

PY - 2003/9/1

Y1 - 2003/9/1

N2 - Responses of ecosystems to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) remain a critical uncertainty in global change research. Two key unknown factors are the fate of carbon newly incorporated by photosynthesis into various pools within the ecosystem and the extent to which elevated CO 2 is transferred to and sequestered in pools with long turnover times. The CO2 used for enrichment in many experiments incorporates a dual isotopic tracer, in the sense that ratios of both the stable carbon-13 (13C) and the radioactive carbon-14 (14C) isotopes with respect to carbon-12 are different from the corresponding ratios in atmospheric CO2. Here we review techniques for using 13C and 14C abundances to follow the fate of newly fixed carbon and to further our understanding of the turnover times of ecosystem carbon pools. We also discuss the application of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen isotope analyses for tracing changes in the linkages between carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles under conditions of elevated CO2.

AB - Responses of ecosystems to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) remain a critical uncertainty in global change research. Two key unknown factors are the fate of carbon newly incorporated by photosynthesis into various pools within the ecosystem and the extent to which elevated CO 2 is transferred to and sequestered in pools with long turnover times. The CO2 used for enrichment in many experiments incorporates a dual isotopic tracer, in the sense that ratios of both the stable carbon-13 (13C) and the radioactive carbon-14 (14C) isotopes with respect to carbon-12 are different from the corresponding ratios in atmospheric CO2. Here we review techniques for using 13C and 14C abundances to follow the fate of newly fixed carbon and to further our understanding of the turnover times of ecosystem carbon pools. We also discuss the application of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen isotope analyses for tracing changes in the linkages between carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles under conditions of elevated CO2.

KW - Carbon cycle

KW - Elevated carbon dioxide

KW - Global change

KW - Radiocarbon

KW - Stable isotopes

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DO - 10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0805:TCIEFU]2.0.CO;2

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:0141458867

SN - 0006-3568

VL - 53

SP - 805

EP - 818

JO - BioScience

JF - BioScience

IS - 9

ER -

Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide conditions

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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