Intraseasonal variation in the δ 15 N signature of taiga trees and shrubs
We examined the stable isotope ratios of nitrogen from six dominant taiga species over three distinct phenological periods during the growing season. Temporal changes in the isotopic signature varied among species, but were not consistent within a given growth form. Despite large variation between n...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1998
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x98-007 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/x98-007 |
| Summary: | We examined the stable isotope ratios of nitrogen from six dominant taiga species over three distinct phenological periods during the growing season. Temporal changes in the isotopic signature varied among species, but were not consistent within a given growth form. Despite large variation between nitrogen concentrations in new, mature, and senescent foliage, the seasonal fluctuations in δ 15 N were small with the exception of aspen, a tree species growing on the most fertile sites. In the absence of strong within-season variation in isotope signature, we conclude that this parameter reasonably well integrates the plant-nitrogen relations over the growing season for most species, with the caveat that this parameter may show significant temporal variation in species from high-nitrogen environments. We found a significant, positive relationship between nitrogen concentration and δ 15 N values in mature and newly flushed foliage, suggesting that plant enrichment in δ 15 N is associated with increased soil nitrogen turnover. |
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