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Ubierna N, Holloway-Phillips MM, Wingate L, Ogée J, Busch FA, Farquhar GD. Using Carbon Stable Isotopes to Study C 3 and C 4 Photosynthesis: Models and Calculations. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2790:163-211. [PMID: 38649572 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3790-6_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Stable carbon isotopes are a powerful tool to study photosynthesis. Initial applications consisted of determining isotope ratios of plant biomass using mass spectrometry. Subsequently, theoretical models relating C isotope values to gas exchange characteristics were introduced and tested against instantaneous online measurements of 13C photosynthetic discrimination. Beginning in the twenty-first century, laser absorption spectroscopes with sufficient precision for determining isotope mixing ratios became commercially available. This has allowed collection of large data sets at lower cost and with unprecedented temporal resolution. More data and accompanying knowledge have permitted refinement of 13C discrimination model equations, but often at the expense of increased model complexity and difficult parametrization. This chapter describes instantaneous online measurements of 13C photosynthetic discrimination, provides recommendations for experimental setup, and presents a thorough compilation of equations available to researchers. We update our previous 2018 version of this chapter by including recently improved descriptions of (photo)respiratory processes and associated fractionations. We discuss the capabilities and limitations of the diverse 13C discrimination model equations and provide guidance for selecting the model complexity needed for different applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Ubierna
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR)1391 ISPA, Villenave D'Ornon, France
| | - Meisha-Marika Holloway-Phillips
- Research Unit of Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmendsorf, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Wingate
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR)1391 ISPA, Villenave D'Ornon, France
| | - Jérôme Ogée
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR)1391 ISPA, Villenave D'Ornon, France
| | - Florian A Busch
- School of Biosciences and The Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Graham D Farquhar
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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Leppä K, Tang Y, Ogée J, Launiainen S, Kahmen A, Kolari P, Sahlstedt E, Saurer M, Schiestl‐Aalto P, Rinne‐Garmston KT. Explicitly accounting for needle sugar pool size crucial for predicting intra-seasonal dynamics of needle carbohydrates δ 18 O and δ 13 C. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 236:2044-2060. [PMID: 35575976 PMCID: PMC9795997 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
We explore needle sugar isotopic compositions (δ18 O and δ13 C) in boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) over two growing seasons. A leaf-level dynamic model driven by environmental conditions and based on current understanding of isotope fractionation processes was built to predict δ18 O and δ13 C of two hierarchical needle carbohydrate pools, accounting for the needle sugar pool size and the presence of an invariant pinitol pool. Model results agreed well with observed needle water δ18 O, δ18 O and δ13 C of needle water-soluble carbohydrates (sugars + pinitol), and needle sugar δ13 C (R2 = 0.95, 0.84, 0.60, 0.73, respectively). Relative humidity (RH) and intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration ratio (Ci /Ca ) were the dominant drivers of δ18 O and δ13 C variability, respectively. However, the variability of needle sugar δ18 O and δ13 C was reduced on diel and intra-seasonal timescales, compared to predictions based on instantaneous RH and Ci /Ca , due to the large needle sugar pool, which caused the signal formation period to vary seasonally from 2 d to more than 5 d. Furthermore, accounting for a temperature-sensitive biochemical 18 O-fractionation factor and mesophyll resistance in 13 C-discrimination were critical. Interpreting leaf-level isotopic signals requires understanding on time integration caused by mixing in the needle sugar pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kersti Leppä
- Natural Resources Institute Finland00790HelsinkiFinland
| | - Yu Tang
- Natural Resources Institute Finland00790HelsinkiFinland
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)/Forest SciencesUniversity of Helsinki00014HelsinkiFinland
| | | | | | - Ansgar Kahmen
- Department of Environmental Sciences – BotanyUniversity of Basel4056BaselSwitzerland
| | - Pasi Kolari
- Faculty of Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)/PhysicsUniversity of Helsinki00014HelsinkiFinland
| | | | - Matthias Saurer
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for ForestSnow and Landscape Research (WSL)8903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Pauliina Schiestl‐Aalto
- Faculty of Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)/PhysicsUniversity of Helsinki00014HelsinkiFinland
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Ubierna N, Holloway‐Phillips M, Farquhar GD. Scaling from fluxes to organic matter: interpreting 13 C isotope ratios of plant material using flux models. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 236:2003-2008. [PMID: 36385264 PMCID: PMC9827853 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This article is a Commentary on Leppä et al. (2022), 236: 2044–2060.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Ubierna
- Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACT2601Australia
| | | | - Graham D. Farquhar
- Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACT2601Australia
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Gimeno TE, Campany CE, Drake JE, Barton CVM, Tjoelker MG, Ubierna N, Marshall JD. Whole-tree mesophyll conductance reconciles isotopic and gas-exchange estimates of water-use efficiency. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:2535-2547. [PMID: 33217000 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic water-use efficiency (WUE) describes the link between terrestrial carbon (C) and water cycles. Estimates of intrinsic WUE (iWUE) from gas exchange and C isotopic composition (δ13 C) differ due to an internal conductance in the leaf mesophyll (gm ) that is variable and seldom computed. We present the first direct estimates of whole-tree gm , together with iWUE from whole-tree gas exchange and δ13 C of the phloem (δ13 Cph ). We measured gas exchange, online 13 C-discrimination, and δ13 Cph monthly throughout spring, summer, and autumn in Eucalyptus tereticornis grown in large whole-tree chambers. Six trees were grown at ambient temperatures and six at a 3°C warmer air temperature; a late-summer drought was also imposed. Drought reduced whole-tree gm . Warming had few direct effects, but amplified drought-induced reductions in whole-tree gm . Whole-tree gm was similar to leaf gm for these same trees. iWUE estimates from δ13 Cph agreed with iWUE from gas exchange, but only after incorporating gm . δ13 Cph was also correlated with whole-tree 13 C-discrimination, but offset by -2.5 ± 0.7‰, presumably due to post-photosynthetic fractionations. We conclude that δ13 Cph is a good proxy for whole-tree iWUE, with the caveats that post-photosynthetic fractionations and intrinsic variability of gm should be incorporated to provide reliable estimates of this trait in response to abiotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa E Gimeno
- Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa, 48940, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, 48008, Spain
| | - Courtney E Campany
- Department of Biology, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, 25443, USA
| | - John E Drake
- Forest and Natural Resources Management, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY, 132110, USA
| | - Craig V M Barton
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Mark G Tjoelker
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Nerea Ubierna
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - John D Marshall
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogsmarksgränd 17, 907 36, Umeå, Sweden
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Marino G, Haworth M, Scartazza A, Tognetti R, Centritto M. A Comparison of the Variable J and Carbon-Isotopic Composition of Sugars Methods to Assess Mesophyll Conductance from the Leaf to the Canopy Scale in Drought-Stressed Cherry. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E1222. [PMID: 32059382 PMCID: PMC7072943 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Conductance of CO2 across the mesophyll (Gm) frequently constrains photosynthesis (PN) but cannot be measured directly. We examined Gm of cherry (Prunus avium L.) subjected to severe drought using the variable J method and carbon-isotopic composition (δ13C) of sugars from the centre of the leaf, the leaf petiole sap, and sap from the largest branch. Depending upon the location of the plant from which sugars are sampled, Gm may be estimated over scales ranging from a portion of the leaf to a canopy of leaves. Both the variable J and δ13C of sugars methods showed a reduction in Gm as soil water availability declined. The δ13C of sugars further from the source of their synthesis within the leaf did not correspond as closely to the diffusive and C-isotopic discrimination conditions reflected in the instantaneous measurement of gas exchange and chlorophyll-fluorescence utilised by the variable J approach. Post-photosynthetic fractionation processes and/or the release of sugars from stored carbohydrates (previously fixed under different environmental and C-isotopic discrimination conditions) may reduce the efficacy of the δ13C of sugars from leaf petiole and branch sap in estimating Gm in a short-term study. Consideration should be given to the spatial and temporal scales at which Gm is under observation in any experimental analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Marino
- National Research Council of Italy - Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection (CNR - IPSP), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy; (M.H.); (M.C.)
| | - Matthew Haworth
- National Research Council of Italy - Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection (CNR - IPSP), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy; (M.H.); (M.C.)
| | - Andrea Scartazza
- National Research Council of Italy—Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR–IRET), Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Roberto Tognetti
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences - University of Molise, Via Francesco De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy;
- The EFI Project Centre on Mountain Forests (MOUNTFOR), Edmund Mach Foundation, 38010 San Michele all’Adige (TN), Italy
| | - Mauro Centritto
- National Research Council of Italy - Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection (CNR - IPSP), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy; (M.H.); (M.C.)
- CNR-Eni Research Center “Acqua”, Research Center Metapontum Agrobios, 750125 Metaponto, Italy
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Li F, Sugimoto A. Effect of waterlogging on carbon isotope discrimination during photosynthesis in Larix gmelinii. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2018; 54:63-77. [PMID: 28780887 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2017.1340886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Soil moisture is a major factor controlling carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), which has been demonstrated to decrease under dry conditions in many studies; however, few studies on Δ13C under waterlogging condition have been conducted. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted with Larix gmelinii, a major larch species in the east Siberian Taiga, to investigate the effect of waterlogging on Δ13C during photosynthesis. Assimilation rate and Δ13CRD (instantaneous Δ13C calculated with Rayleigh distillation equation) decreased drastically soon after waterlogging, followed by recovery in their values, which was caused by a change in stomatal conductance. Thereafter, assimilation rate decreased gradually, whereas Δ13CRD decreased more gently. These results were thought to be caused by the decrease in both stomatal conductance and carboxylation. Our results indicate that extreme wet events may cause a decrease in Δ13C, which is important information for detecting flooding events in the past using tree-ring isotope analyses and for studying impacts of flooding on plants in areas where waterlogging might occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Li
- a Graduate School of Environmental Science , Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
| | - Atsuko Sugimoto
- a Graduate School of Environmental Science , Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
- b Faculty of Environmental Earth Science , Hokkaido University , Sapporo , Japan
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Ubierna N, Holloway-Phillips MM, Farquhar GD. Using Stable Carbon Isotopes to Study C 3 and C 4 Photosynthesis: Models and Calculations. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1770:155-196. [PMID: 29978402 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7786-4_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Stable carbon isotopes are a powerful tool to study photosynthesis. Initial applications consisted of determining isotope ratios of plant biomass using mass spectrometry. Subsequently, theoretical models relating C-isotope values to gas exchange characteristics were introduced and tested against instantaneous online measurements of 13C photosynthetic discrimination. Beginning in the twenty-first century, tunable diode laser spectroscopes with sufficient precision for determining isotope mixing ratios became commercially available. This has allowed collection of large data sets, at low cost and with unprecedented temporal resolution. With more data and accompanying knowledge, it has become apparent that there is a need for increased complexity in models and calculations. This chapter describes instantaneous online measurements of 13C photosynthetic discrimination, provides recommendations for experimental setup, and presents a thorough compilation of equations needed for different applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Ubierna
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
| | | | - Graham D Farquhar
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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Giuggiola A, Ogée J, Rigling A, Gessler A, Bugmann H, Treydte K. Improvement of water and light availability after thinning at a xeric site: which matters more? A dual isotope approach. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 210:108-121. [PMID: 26639082 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Thinning fosters individual tree growth by increasing the availability of water, light and nutrients. At sites where water rather than light is limiting, thinning also enhances soil evaporation and might not be beneficial. Detailed knowledge of the short- to long-term physiological response underlying the growth responses to thinning is crucial for the management of forests already suffering from recurrent drought-induced dieback. We applied a dual isotope approach together with mechanistic isotope models to study the physiological processes underlying long-term growth enhancement of heavily thinned Pinus sylvestris in a xeric forest in Switzerland. This approach allowed us to identify and disentangle thinning-induced changes in stomatal conductance and assimilation rate. At our xeric study site, the increase in stomatal conductance far outweighed the increase in assimilation, implying that growth release in heavily thinned trees is primarily driven by enhanced water availability rather than increased light availability. We conclude that in forests with relatively isohydric species (drought avoiders) that are growing close to their physiological limits, thinning is recommended to maintain a less negative water balance and thus foster tree growth, and ultimately the survival of forest trees under drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Giuggiola
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jérôme Ogée
- INRA, UMR 1391 ISPA, 71 l'Avenue Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Andreas Rigling
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Harald Bugmann
- Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Treydte
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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Ubierna N, Farquhar GD. Advances in measurements and models of photosynthetic carbon isotope discrimination in C3 plants. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2014; 37:1494-8. [PMID: 24716900 DOI: 10.1111/pce.12346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2014] [Accepted: 03/31/2014] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Ubierna
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
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