Investigation of the ‘canopy effect’ in the isotope ecology of temperate woodlands

Abstract

Anomalously 13C-depleted carbon stable isotope values from closed forest ecosystems have been termed the ‘canopy effect’. Originally this was ascribed to recycling of depleted carbon from forest floor decomposition of organic material, although others have suggested that it is equally likely to be due to variations in leaf-level processes in response to increased shade. This depletion in the heavier carbon isotope is passed on to woodland herbivores feeding within the forest environments. A similar isotopic depletion has also been reported in the archaeological literature from more open temperate woodland settings, but no measurements have been made on the plants at the base of the food chain in order to quantify the effect. In this study we attempt this by examining the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic values of different species of grasses from a range of open to closed habitat settings within Wytham Wood, Oxfordshire, UK. We find a strong relationship between carbon isotopic depletion of plant tissue and lowered light intensity with an up to 5‰ shift between grass grown in open and closed locations. In order to follow this up the food chain, we also report data on wool from sheep grazing in open pastures near the Wood, and on fallow deer living within the woodland, but which turn out not to show a strong canopy effect, probably related to their feeding strategies. We conclude that there is indeed a strong ‘canopy effect’ in temperate woodland, probably related to differential light levels, but that not all apparently woodland-dwelling mammals show such an effect. We also show considerable isotopic variation at the base of the food chain, which should counsel caution when attempting to interpret dietary isotopes using mixing models.