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Determining ecosystem functioning in Brazilian biomes through foliar carbon and nitrogen concentrations and stable isotope ratios
- Source :
- Biogeochemistry. 154:405-423
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020.
-
Abstract
- By analyzing 6,480 tree leaf samples from 57 sites within Brazilian biomes, we considered whether vegetation types in terrestrial ecosystems reflect biogeochemical diversity and whether they fit into a leaf economics spectrum (LES). To achieve this, we investigated the relations among leaf carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations, their isotope natural abundance and C:N ratio. In addition, we tested their correlations with mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP), as climatic factors. We found consistent differences in the C and N concentrations and their isotopic composition among the vegetation types. MAP is the main climatic driver of changes in N, C:N ratio, δ15N, and δ13C, correlating negatively with N and positively with C:N ratio. These relations show that these biomes follow an LES. The Caatinga had the highest δ15N values, suggesting that N residence time in soil is longer due to low leaching and plant uptake. We observed that MAP is not the only factor influencing δ13C values in different biomes; instead canopy effect probably explains the highest values observed in the Cerrado. Our results reinforce earlier findings that life diversity in the tropics reflects biogeochemistry diversity and leaf δ15N opens the possibility for investigating plant trade-offs dictated by the LES. Finally, we expect our findings to contribute to a better understanding of the tropics in global climate models.
- Subjects :
- Canopy
Biogeochemical cycle
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
δ13C
Stable isotope ratio
Ecology
Biome
Biogeochemistry
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
01 natural sciences
040103 agronomy & agriculture
0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental science
Ecosystem
Terrestrial ecosystem
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Water Science and Technology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1573515X and 01682563
- Volume :
- 154
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Biogeochemistry
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........e7ccfbe110da1c963dc333bbe79aa1aa