Water isotope analysis for tracing ecosystem processes: measurement techniques, ecological applications, and future challenges

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2019.0204

Abstract

Abstract:

Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope analysis provides an important tool to trace, integrate or indicate water fluxes from leaf, whole-plant to ecosystem levels. Through measuring and analyzing the natural varitions in the hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of water from different components of ecosystem, we can partition evapotranspiration of ecosystem, determine source of plant water uptake, and study mechanism of leaf water isotope enrichment. As such, water isotope analysis has emerged as an indispensable technique to study the mechanism and ecological effects of different water cycle processes in ecosystem. In this paper, we briefly reviewed the history in development and application of water isotope analysis for terrestrial ecosystem studies, which then followed by more detailed introduction of the application principles and technical essentials. Furthermore, we reviewed progresses in diverse water-isotope based research field ranging from evapotranspiration partitioning, plant water uptake apportionment, sourcing of dew flux and precipitation vapor, to exploration leaf water isotope enrichment mechanisms and water-carbon coupling. Finally, we summarized technological and methodological challenges to be solved in the future ecological research, so as to fully realize the potential of water isotope analysis in various field of ecological research.

Key words: oxygen isotope, deuterium isotope, tracing, water cycle, ecosystem processes

TANG Xian-Hui, CHEN Yong-Le, LI Fang, SONG Xin. Water isotope analysis for tracing ecosystem processes: measurement techniques, ecological applications, and future challenges[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2020, 44(4): 350-359.

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https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2020/V44/I4/350

Figures/Tables 1

Fig. 1 Measurement of transpiration vapor isotopic signal (δT) by connecting conifer chamber with isotope ratio laser spectrometer in the field (cited from Wang et al., 2012 with change). In the measurement, the airs (vapor concentration qA and isotopic signal δA) enter the clustered chamber at a velocity from the inlet (5), mixing with the transpiration vapor from leaves (T, δT) in chamber, then (qM, δM) eject from the outlet (6) at the same flow rate. Passing by a solenoid valve controlled multi-channel system (8), the mixed airs are alternately connected to the isotope ratio laser spectrometer (9) in a set measurement period (e.g., a measurement period of 4 min). As qA, δA, qM, δA and flow rate are measured, the transpired vapor flux can be calculated by mass balance between vapor entering and outgoing the chamber, then δT of transpiration vapor can be calculated by isotopic mass balance equation. More details and derivational processes reference to Wang et al. (2012).

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