Abstract
Carbon stable isotope techniques were extensively employed to trace the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) across a land-use change involving a shift to vegetation with different photosynthetic pathways. Based on the isotopic mass balance equation, relative contributions of new versus old SOC, and SOC turnover rate in corn fields were evaluated world-wide. However, most previous research had not analyzed corn debris left in the field, instead using an average corn plant δ 13C value or a measured value to calculate the proportion of corn-derived SOC, either of which could bias results. This paper carried out a detailed analysis of isotopic fractionation in corn plants and deduced the maximum possible bias of SOC dynamics study. The results show approximately 3‰ isotopic fractionation from top to bottom of the corn leaf. The 13C enrichment sequence in corn plant was tassel > stalk or cob > root > leaves. Individual parts accounting for the total dry mass of corn returned distinct values. Consequently, the average δ 13C value of corn does not represent the actual isotopic composition of corn debris. Furthermore, we deduced that the greater the fractionation in corn plant, the greater the possible bias. To alleviate bias of SOC dynamics study, we suggest two measures: analyze isotopic compositions and proportions of each part of the corn and determine which parts of the corn plant are left in the field and incorporated into SOC.
Published Version
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