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Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide conditions.

Journal Article · · BioScience
Responses of ecosystems to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) 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{sub 2} is transferred to and sequestered in pools with long turnover times. The CO{sub 2} used for enrichment in many experiments incorporates a dual isotopic tracer, in the sense that ratios of both the stable carbon-13 ({sup 13}C) and the radioactive carbon-14 ({sup 14}C) isotopes with respect to carbon-12 are different from the corresponding ratios in atmospheric CO{sub 2}. Here we review techniques for using {sup 13}C and {sup 14}C 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 CO{sub 2}.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
SC; NSF; NASA
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
961438
Report Number(s):
ANL/ER/JA-47837
Journal Information:
BioScience, Journal Name: BioScience Journal Issue: 9 ; Sep. 2003 Vol. 53; ISSN 0006-3568; ISSN BISNAS
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

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