Temperature versus species-specific influences on the stable oxygen isotope ratio of tree rings

Abstract

Stable isotopic ratios integrate ecosystem variability while reflecting change in both environmental and biological processes. At sites, where climate does not strongly limit tree growth, co-occurring trees may display large discrepancies in stable oxygen isotopic ratios (δ18O) due to the interplay between biological processes (competition for light and nutrients, individual tree physiology, etc.) and climate. For a better quantification of the isotope variability within and among trees, the climatic and/or individual tree effects on seasonal δ18O variations in precipitation, soil water, leaf water and leaf organic material (whole leaf, cellulose and starch) and annual δ18O variations in tree-ring cellulose for Fagus sylvatica (Fs), Quercus robur (Qr), Carpinus betulus (Cb) and Pinus sylvestris (Ps) were studied in a mature temperate forest in Switzerland, using a mixed linear regression model technique. Furthermore, the influence of environmental factors on δ18O was assessed by means of three common isotope fractionation models. Our statistical analysis showed that except for Ps, a greater portion of δ18O variance in leaf compounds can be explained by individual tree effects, compared to temperature. Concerning tree-ring cellulose, only Fs and Ps show a significant temperature signal (maximum 12% of the variance explained), while the individual tree effect significantly explains δ18O for all species for a period of 38 years. Large species differences resulted in a limited ability of the isotope fractionation models to predict measured values. Overall, we conclude that in a diverse mixed forest stand, individual tree responses reduce the potential extraction of a temperature signal from δ18O.