Variation of Leaf Carbon Isotope in Plants in Different Lithological Habitats in a Karst Area

Abstract

Drought is the major factor that limits vegetation recovery in rocky desertification areas. The leaf carbon isotope (δ13C) value is related to plant water-use efficiency (WUE) and is of great significance in revealing the WUE characteristics of species in karst areas. Measurements of the δ13C value in plant leaves and the nutrient and water contents of lithologic soils were obtained for six woody species (cypress, Cupressus funebris Endl.; mansur shrub, Coriaria nepalensis Wall.; camphor, Cinnamomum bodinieri Levl.; birch, Betula luminifera H. Winkl.; alder, Alnus cremastogyne Burk. and dyetree, Platycarya longipes Wu.) planted in three different lithologic soil types (dolomite, dolomite sandstone, limestone) in the karst area of Guizhou Province. The results showed that C. funebris in the dolomite sandstone soil had the highest δ13C value (−27.19‰), whereas C. bodinieri in the limestone soil had the lowest δ13C value (−31.50‰). In terms of lithology, the average leaf δ13C values were −28.66‰ (dolomitic sandstone), −28.83‰ (dolomite), and −29.46‰ (limestone). The δ13C values of C. funebris and A. cremastogyne were significantly lower in the limestone soil than in the dolomite and dolomite sandstone soil, indicating that the WUE of some tree species is affected by soil conditions under different lithological development processes. Moreover, the relationship between the δ13C value in the leaves and the comprehensive soil conditions varied among the species, and the δ13C value was negatively correlated with the soil water content in all three soil types. Our study provides basic data on the composition characteristics of the δ13C value of tree species, which is beneficial for the selection of tree species for vegetation restoration and afforestation in karst areas.

Responses of two dominant desert plant species to the changes in groundwater depth in hinterland natural oasis, Tarim Basin

“…Foliar δ l3 C not only offers a comprehensive insight into how plant species interplay with and respond to their biotic and abiotic environments but also reveals the resource acquisition strategies of plant species throughout the growth period (Cao et al., 2020; Fu et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2018). In addition, previous studies on the water use efficiency (WUE) of plant species have reported that foliar δ l3 C is the best option for quantifying the WUE of plant species due to its advantages of high precision and low destructiveness (Bush et al., 2017; Marhaba et al., 2020; Zou et al., 2019). In recent decades, several studies have been conducted on the response of plant δ l3 C to climate variables (Gatica et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2015; Sun et al., 2018), soil variables (Liu et al., 2020; Ogaya & Peñuelas, 2008; Verlinden et al., 2015), and habitat conditions (Song et al., 2019; Zou et al., 2019).…”

“…In addition, previous studies on the water use efficiency (WUE) of plant species have reported that foliar δ l3 C is the best option for quantifying the WUE of plant species due to its advantages of high precision and low destructiveness (Bush et al., 2017; Marhaba et al., 2020; Zou et al., 2019). In recent decades, several studies have been conducted on the response of plant δ l3 C to climate variables (Gatica et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2015; Sun et al., 2018), soil variables (Liu et al., 2020; Ogaya & Peñuelas, 2008; Verlinden et al., 2015), and habitat conditions (Song et al., 2019; Zou et al., 2019). Although few attempts have taken an interest in WUE of desert riparian forests in Tarim and Heihe River basins in arid regions of northwestern China, the studies have only taken into account single plant types or unique age structure (Ren et al., 2014; Si et al., 2015).…”

Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Abundances and Soil Stoichiometry of Zanthoxylum Planispinum Var. Dintanensis Plantations at Different Ages

“…The annual average temperature is 18.4 ℃, with the highest and lowest temperatures of 32.4 ℃ and 6.6 ℃ respectively. It is warm and dry in winter and spring, humid and hot in summer and autumn; (3) rocky deserti cation: the soil is mainly limestone and marl, and the exposed area of bedrock is more than 70% (Zou et al 2019). The main vegetation is subtropical evergreen deciduous coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest; as an economic species, Zanthoxylum planispinum var.…”

Temperature, nutrient availability, and species traits interact to shape elevation responses of Australian tropical trees

“…Such large intraspecific variation has been attributed to increase in species' water-use efficiency with increasing elevation and its inherent adaptive plasticity to variable environmental conditions (Cordell et al, 1998;Peri et al, 2012). Studies have also reported variation in foliar δ 13 C with other environmental attributes such as precipitation, soil nutrients, solar radiation, and VPD (Vitousek et al, 1990;Chen et al, 2017;Zou et al, 2019;Bauman et al, 2022a). Variation in foliar δ 13 C with elevation can also result from the influence of leaf morphology (leaf thickness or LMA, for example), which leads to longer diffusion pathways for CO 2 into the leaf and decreases the internal-to-ambient CO 2 concentration ratio (c i /c a ) and hence causes enrichment of foliar δ 13 C in montane flora (Körner et al, 1986;Prentice et al, 2014).…”