CO2 Pulse Research Articles

Ectomycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal rhizosphere fungi increase root-derived C input to soil and modify enzyme activities: A 14 C pulse labelling of Picea abies seedlings.

Consequences of interactions between ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcMF) and non-mycorrhizal rhizosphere fungi (NMRF) for plant carbon (C) allocation belowground and nutrient cycling in soil remain unknown. To address this topic, we performed a mesocosm study with Norway spruce seedlings [Picea abies (L.) H. Karst] inoculated with EcMF, NMRF, or a mixture of both (MIX). 14 CO2 pulse labelling of spruce was applied to trace and visualize the 14 C incorporation into roots, rhizohyphosphere and hyphosphere. Activities and localization of enzymes involved in the C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling were visualized using zymography. Spruce seedlings inoculated with EcMF and NMRF allocated more C to soils (EcMF: 10.7%; NMRF: 3.5% of total recovered C) compared to uninoculated control seedlings. The 14 C activity in the hyphosphere was highest for EcMF and lowest for NMRF. In the presence of both, NMRF and EcMF (MIX), the 14 C activity was 64% lower compared with EcMF inoculation alone. This suggests a suppressed C allocation via EcMF likely due to the competition between EcMF and NMRF for N and P. Furthermore, we observed 57% and 49% higher chitinase and leucine-aminopeptidase activities in the rhizohyphosphere of EcMF compared to the uninoculated control, respectively. In contrast, β-glucosidase activity (14.3 nmol cm-2 h-1 ) was highest in NMRF likely because NMRF consumed rhizodeposits efficiently. This was further supported by that enzyme stoichiometry in soil with EcMF shifted to a higher investment of nutrient acquisition enzymes (e.g., chitinase, leucine-aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase) compared to NMRF inoculation, where investment in β-glucosidase increased. In conclusion, the alleviation of EcMF from C limitation promotes higher activities of enzymes involved in the N and P cycle to cover the nutrient demand of EcMF and host seedlings. In contrast, C limitation of NMRF probably led to a shift in investment towards higher activities of enzymes involved in the C cycle.

General circulation and global heat transport in a quadrupling CO2 pulse experiment

To investigate the response of the general circulation and global transport of heat through both atmosphere and ocean to two-types of carbon dioxide removal scenario, we performed an earth system model experiment in which we imposed a pulse-type quadrupling of CO2 forcing for 50 years and a gradual peak-and-decline of four-time CO2 forcing. We found that the results from two experiments are qualitatively similar to each other. During the forcing-on period, a dominant warming in the upper troposphere over the tropics and on the surface at high latitudes led to a slowdown in the Hadley circulation, but the poleward atmospheric energy transport was enhanced due to an increase in specific humidity. This counteracted the reduction in poleward oceanic energy transport owing to the suppression of the meridional overturning circulation in both Hemispheres. After returning the original CO2 level, the hemispheric thermal contrast was reversed, causing a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone. To reduce the hemispheric thermal contrast, the northward energy transports in the atmosphere and ocean surface were enhanced while further weakening of the global-scale Atlantic meridional overturning circulation led to southward energy transport in the deep ocean.

High‐pressure CO, H2, CO2 and Ethylene Pulses Applied in the Hydrogenation of CO to Higher Alcohols over a Bulk Co‐Cu Catalyst

AbstractThe reaction pathways of higher alcohol synthesis over a bulk Co−Cu catalyst (Co : Cu=2 : 1) were investigated by applying high‐pressure pulse experiments as a surface‐sensitive operando method at 280 °C and 60 bar. Using high‐pressure CO and H2 pulses in a syngas flow with a H2:CO ratio of 1, it was shown that the surface of the working 2CoCu catalyst is saturated with adsorbed CO, but not with adsorbed atomic hydrogen, because only the H2 pulses increased the yields of all alcohols and alkanes. The reverse water gas shift reaction (WGSR) was investigated by pulsing CO2. The CO2 pulses poisoned the formation of methanol, ethanol, and 1‐propanol, and the absence of significant CO and H2O responses indicates that the WGSR is not efficiently catalyzed by the applied 2CoCu catalyst excluding the presence of exposed Cu0 sites. A series of ethylene pulses showed that when a threshold mole fraction of ethylene of about 1 vol % is surpassed, 2CoCu is an active catalyst for the hydroformylation of ethylene to 1‐propanol pointing to the presence of highly coordinatively unsaturated Co sites.

Understanding Solvothermal Growth of Metal-Organic Framework Colloids for CO2 Capture Applications.

A quantitative study of the synthesis of metal-organic framework (MOF) colloids via a solvothermal growth process was demonstrated using electrospray-differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA), a gas-phase electrophoresis approach. HKUST-1, a copper-based MOF (Cu-MOF), was selected as the representative MOF of the study. The effects of the synthetic parameters, including ligand concentration (CBTC), synthetic temperature (Ts), and synthetic time (ts) versus material properties of the Cu-MOF, were successfully characterized based on the mobility size distributions measured by ES-DMA. The results show that the mobility size of Cu-MOF was proportional to Ts, ts, and CBTC during the solvothermal growth. X-ray diffraction and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses were employed complementarily to the ES-DMA, confirming that the increase in mobility size of Cu-MOF was correlated to the increase in crystallinity (i.e., larger specific surface area and crystallite size). The results of CO2 pulse adsorption show that the synthesized Cu-MOF possessed a good CO2 adsorption ability under 1 atm, 35 °C, and the cumulative amount of CO2 uptake was proportional to the measured mobility size of Cu-MOF. The work provides a proof of concept for the controlled synthesis of MOF colloids with the support of gas-phase electrophoretic analysis, and the quantitative methodology is useful for the development of MOF-based applications in CO2 capture and utilization.

Role of plants in determining the soil response to either a single freeze-thaw or dry-wet event

In a changing climate, extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and magnitude. These events may induce stress in plants and soil microbial communities, but the impact of climate extremes on root-soil interactions remains poorly understood. To better understand the response of a temperate agroecosystem to winter freezing and drought, a mild (−5 °C) or severe (−10 °C) freeze-thaw, or dry-wet cycle was imposed on mesocosms planted with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and unplanted soil. We measured the effect of the stresses on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes (CO2, N2O, CH4), plant tissue composition, soil solute concentrations and soil microbial community structure. Only the most severe freezing event had a direct effect on soils, with pulses of CO2 and N2O released after thawing. In contrast, all stresses reduced C fixation and respiration in planted treatments. Total CO2 flux from planted mesocosms was reduced during the drought period and CO2 flux was negatively correlated with soil water content. The severe freeze-thaw event caused lasting damage to plants and increased rhizodeposition, resulting in increased CO2 efflux and a small alteration in soil microbial community composition. The presence of plants resulted in significantly greater total CO2 flux following freeze-thaw or dry-wet events, but only in unplanted soil was there a net increase in GHG emissions. These results demonstrate that, although the effects of stress appear magnified where plants are present, the maintenance of winter plant cover in temperate agricultural soils reduces the effects of extreme weather events on future climate.

Background Earth system state amplified Carnian (Late Triassic) environmental changes

Past major biological turnovers are coeval to large injections of CO2 into the atmosphere–ocean system that are often linked to the emplacement of Large Igneous Provinces. The impact of these CO2 pulses on ecosystems is however different at different times, and this difference is contingent on the initial boundary conditions. Here, we show how delayed vegetation recovery from the Permo–Triassic mass extinction (ca. 252 Ma) and continuing amalgamation of Pangaea, determined the style of the Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (ca. 233 Ma), a global climate change event linked to a major biological turnover and to the emplacement of the Wrangellia LIP. Our new biogeochemical modelling can reproduce changes in C and Sr isotopes only when we assume that high terrestrial productivity recovers in the Carnian, ∼15 Myrs after the Permo–Triassic crisis, consistent with the re-appearance of large coal swamps. In the model, this early Carnian expansion of the terrestrial organic C reservoir results in a drop of atmospheric pCO2 and global temperatures. Furthermore, climate modelling shows how the resulting low pCO2 conditions, coupled to the aridity of Pangaea, made the Carnian Earth system more susceptible to hydrological cycle enhancements following C inputs from coeval volcanism, thus explaining the nature of the Carnian Pluvial Episode.

Climatic Controls on Soil Carbon Accumulation and Loss in a Dryland Ecosystems

AbstractArid and semiarid ecosystems drive year‐to‐year variability in the strength of the terrestrial carbon (C) sink, yet there is uncertainty about how soil C gains and losses contribute to this variation. To address this knowledge gap, we embedded C‐depleted soil mesocosms, containing litter or biocrust C inputs, within an in situ dryland ecosystem warming experiment. Over the course of one year, changes in microbial biomass and total soil organic C pools were monitored alongside hourly measurements of soil CO2 flux. We also developed a biogeochemical model to explore the mechanisms that gave rise to observed soil C dynamics. Field data and model simulations demonstrated that water exerted much stronger control on soil biogeochemistry than temperature, with precipitation events triggering large CO2 pulses and transport of litter‐ and biocrust‐derived C into the soil profile. We expected leaching of organic matter would result in steady accumulation of C within the mineral soil over time. Instead, the size of the total organic C pool fluctuated throughout the year, largely in response to microbial growth: increases in the size of microbial biomass were negatively correlated with the quantity of C residing in the top 2 cm, where most biogeochemical changes were observed. Our data and models suggest that microbial responses to precipitation events trigger rapid metabolism of dissolved organic C inputs, which strongly limit accumulation of autotroph‐derived C belowground. Accordingly, changes in the magnitude and/or frequency of precipitation events in this dryland ecosystem could have profound impacts on the strength of the soil C sink.

Responses of soil microbial biomass carbon and dissolved organic carbon to drying-rewetting cycles: A meta-analysis

Climate change may significantly increase drying-wetting cycles (DWC) in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the effects of DWC on soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) remain elusive. Therefore, we used a meta-analysis including 187 observations to clarify the effects of DWC on soil MBC and DOC. The results showed that DWC increased soil MBC by 9.5%. The effect size was negatively related to soil clay content, SOC, total nitrogen, while it was positively related to soil sampling depth, and the ratio of drying days over the total number of days in a DWC (D/T). Simultaneously, DWC increased soil DOC by 12.3%. Moreover, the effect size of MBC continuously increased with the number of DWC, while that of DOC decreased with the number of DWC. This result may explain why the CO2 pulse after rewetting continues, but its amplitude decreases gradually with the increase of DWC number. Overall, our results help understand the responses of soil MBC and DOC to DWC in terrestrial ecosystems, and could improve the prediction of soil carbon emissions under more variable soil moisture regimes in the future.

Assessing Protein Synthesis and Degradation Rates in Arabidopsis thaliana Using Amino Acid Analysis.

Plants continually synthesize and degrade proteins, for example, to adjust protein content during development or during adaptation to new environments. In order to estimate global protein synthesis and degradation rates in plants, we developed a relatively simple and inexpensive method using a combination of 13 CO2 labeling and mass spectrometry-based analyses. Arabidopsis thaliana plants are subjected to a 24-hr 13 CO2 pulse followed by a 4-day 12 CO2 chase. Soluble alanine and serine from total protein and glucose from cell wall material are analyzed by gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and their 13 C enrichment (%) is estimated. The rate of protein synthesis during the 13 CO2 pulse experiment is defined as the rate of incorporation of labeled amino acids into proteins normalized by a correction factor for incomplete enrichment in free amino acid pools. The rate of protein degradation is estimated as the difference between the rate of protein synthesis and the relative growth rate calculated using the 13 C enrichment of glucose from cell wall material. Degradation rates are also estimated from the 12 CO2 pulse experiment. The following method description includes setting up and performing labeling experiments, preparation and measurement of samples, and calculation steps. In addition, an R script is provided for the calculations. 2021 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Setting up the 13 CO2 labeling system and stable isotope labeling of Arabidopsis thaliana rosette leaves Basic Protocol 2: Extraction of soluble amino acids for GC-TOF-MS analysis Basic Protocol 3: Preparation of amino acids from total protein for GC-TOF-MS analysis Basic Protocol 4: Preparation of sugars from cell wall material for GC-TOF-MS analysis Basis Protocol 5: GC-TOF-MS analysis of 13 C-labeled samples and estimation of 13 C enrichment (%) Basis Protocol 6: Estimation of protein synthesis and degradation rates.

Permafrost Carbon and CO2 Pathways Differ at Contrasting Coastal Erosion Sites in the Canadian Arctic

Warming air and sea temperatures, longer open-water seasons and sea-level rise collectively promote the erosion of permafrost coasts in the Arctic, which profoundly impacts organic matter pathways. Although estimates on organic carbon (OC) fluxes from erosion exist for some parts of the Arctic, little is known about how much OC is transformed into greenhouse gases (GHGs). In this study we investigated two different coastal erosion scenarios on Qikiqtaruk – Herschel Island (Canada) and estimate the potential for GHG formation. We distinguished between adelayedrelease represented bymud debrisdraining a coastal thermoerosional feature and adirectrelease represented bycliff debrisat a low collapsing bluff. Carbon dioxide (CO2) production was measured during incubations at 4°C under aerobic conditions for two months and were modeled for four months and a full year. Our incubation results show thatmud debrisandcliff debrislost a considerable amount of OC as CO2(2.5 ± 0.2 and 1.6 ± 0.3% of OC, respectively). Although relative OC losses were highest in mineralmud debris, higher initial OC content and fresh organic matter incliff debrisresulted in a ∼three times higher cumulative CO2release (4.0 ± 0.9 compared to 1.4 ± 0.1 mg CO2gdw–1), which was further increased by the addition of seawater. After four months, modeled OC losses were 4.9 ± 0.1 and 3.2 ± 0.3% in set-ups without seawater and 14.3 ± 0.1 and 7.3 ± 0.8% in set-ups with seawater. The results indicate that adelayedrelease may support substantial cycling of OC at relatively low CO2production rates during long transit timesonshoreduring the Arctic warm season. By contrast,directerosion may result in a single CO2pulse and less substantial OC cyclingonshoreas transfer times are short. Once eroded sediments are deposited in thenearshore, highest OC losses can be expected. We conclude that the release of CO2from eroding permafrost coasts varies considerably between erosion types and residence timeonshore. We emphasize the importance of a more comprehensive understanding of OC degradation during the coastal erosion process to improve thawed carbon trajectories and models.

Quantifying and correcting for pre-assay CO<sub>2</sub> loss in short-term carbon mineralization assays

Abstract. The active fraction of soil organic carbon is an important component of soil health and often is quickly assessed as the pulse of CO2 released by re-wetting dried soils in short-term (24–72 h) assays. However, soils can lose carbon (C) as they dry and, if soil samples vary in moisture content at sampling, differential C loss during the pre-assay dry-down period may complicate the assay's interpretations. We examined the impact of pre-assay CO2 loss in a long-cultivated agricultural soil at initial moisture contents of 30 %, 50 %, and 70 % water-filled pore space (WFPS). We found that 50 % and 70 % WFPS treatments lost more C during drying than did those in the 30 % WFPS treatment and that dry-down losses led to a 26 %–32 % underestimate of their CO2 pulses. We developed a soil-specific correction factor to account for these initial soil moisture effects. Future C mineralization studies may benefit from similar corrections.

Atlantic Ocean Ventilation Changes Across the Last Deglaciation and Their Carbon Cycle Implications

AbstractChanges in ocean ventilation, controlled by both overturning rates and air‐sea gas exchange, are thought to have played a central role in atmospheric CO2 rise across the last deglaciation. Here, we constrain the nature of Atlantic Ocean ventilation changes over the last deglaciation using radiocarbon and stable carbon isotopes from two depth transects in the Atlantic basin. Our findings broadly cohere with the established pattern of deglacial Atlantic overturning change, and underline the existence of active northern sourced deep‐water export at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We find that the western Atlantic was less affected by incursions of southern‐sourced deep water, as compared to the eastern Atlantic, despite both sides of the basin being strongly influenced by the air‐sea equilibration of both northern and southern deep‐water end‐members. Ventilation at least as strong as modern is observed throughout the Atlantic during the Bølling‐Allerød (BA), implying a “flushing” of the entire Atlantic water column that we attribute to the combined effects of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) reinvigoration and increased air‐sea equilibration of southern sourced deep‐water. This ventilation “overshoot” may have counteracted a natural atmospheric CO2 decline during interstadial conditions, helping to make the BA a “point of no return” in the deglacial process. While the collected data emphasize a predominantly indirect AMOC contribution to deglacial atmospheric CO2 rise, via far field impacts on convection in the Southern Ocean and/or North Pacific during Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas, the potential role of the AMOC in centennial CO2 pulses emerges as an important target for future work.

Changes of Pd Oxidation State in Pd/Al2O3 Catalysts Using Modulated Excitation DRIFTS

Infrared spectroscopy is typically not used to establish the oxidation state of metal-based catalysts. In this work, we show that the baseline of spectra collected in diffuse reflectance mode of a series of Pd/Al2O3 samples of increasing Pd content varies significantly and reversibly under alternate pulses of CO or H2 and O2. Moreover, these baseline changes are proportional to the Pd content in Pd/Al2O3 samples exhibiting comparable Pd particle size. Similar measurements by X-ray absorption spectroscopy on a different 2 wt.% Pd/Al2O3 confirm that the baseline changes reflect the reversible reduction-oxidation of Pd. Hence, we demonstrate that changes in oxidation state of metal-based catalysts can be determined using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and that this behavior is part of the spectral changes that are returned by experiments under operando conditions.

Soil microbial legacies differ following drying-rewetting and freezing-thawing cycles

Climate change alters frequencies and intensities of soil drying-rewetting and freezing-thawing cycles. These fluctuations affect soil water availability, a crucial driver of soil microbial activity. While these fluctuations are leaving imprints on soil microbiome structures, the question remains if the legacy of one type of weather fluctuation (e.g., drying-rewetting) affects the community response to the other (e.g., freezing-thawing). As both phenomenons give similar water availability fluctuations, we hypothesized that freezing-thawing and drying-rewetting cycles have similar effects on the soil microbiome. We tested this hypothesis by establishing targeted microcosm experiments. We created a legacy by exposing soil samples to a freezing-thawing or drying-rewetting cycle (phase 1), followed by an additional drying-rewetting or freezing-thawing cycle (phase 2). We measured soil respiration and analyzed soil microbiome structures. Across experiments, larger CO2 pulses and changes in microbiome structures were observed after rewetting than thawing. Drying-rewetting legacy affected the microbiome and CO2 emissions upon the following freezing-thawing cycle. Conversely, freezing-thawing legacy did not affect the microbial response to the drying-rewetting cycle. Our results suggest that drying-rewetting cycles have stronger effects on soil microbial communities and CO2 production than freezing-thawing cycles and that this pattern is mediated by sustained changes in soil microbiome structures.

Fatigue crack growth in laser-treated adhesively bonded composite joints: An experimental examination

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are commonly used in structures in which weight and strength determine energy efficiency, such as automobiles and aircraft. CFRPs are light in weight, and they provide design flexibility, low thermal expansion, and high specific strength. Bonding CFRPs to make larger structures, however, is problematic. Recently, laser pretreatment has been used to improve bonding of CFRPs. This study investigates the effects of uniform surface pretreatment with a laser on the resistance of secondary bonded carbon fiber reinforced structures to mode-I fatigue crack growth. The joint fatigue limit was characterized by carrying out displacement-controlled cyclic testing on treated double cantilever beam specimens. A mid-infrared-range CO2 pulse laser with a 10.6 μm wavelength was used to treat the CFRP substrates with the aim to increase the substrates’ fatigue limit and thereby expand the design envelope for secondary bonding. The cured substrates were treated uniformly with either high (laser-ablated) or low (laser-cleaned) CO2 laser irradiation and compared with specimens that were treated with a baseline Teflon film treatment such that their bonding surfaces were smooth. Our results show that uniform laser treatment increased the fatigue limit evaluated at a threshold crack growth rate of 10−5 mm/cycle. Furthermore, the laser-ablated specimens, in which the carbon fibers were totally exposed, achieved triple the strain energy release rate threshold value of the laser-cleaned samples.

Exotic grass litter modulates seasonal pulse dynamics of CO2 and N2O, but not NO, in Mediterranean-type coastal sage scrub at the wildland-urban interface

Mediterranean shrublands adjacent to urbanization experience nitrogen deposition and exotic grass invasions which likely have downstream consequences for carbon and nitrogen emissions from soils. We tested a hypothesis that soil wetting produces trace gas pulses modified by seasonal wetting history, grass litter availability, and cover type in these systems. Over two seasons, we conducted 48-h wetting experiments and measured CO2, N2O, and NO pulses at an invaded, polluted California shrubland following grass litter addition to sites dominated by either an invasive grass (Schismus barbatus) or a native shrub (Erioginum fasciculatum). CO2 and N2O pulses consistently appeared 15 min post-wetting and diminished within 12 h; NO peaked later and remained elevated at 24 h. All pulses were stronger in the dry season than wet season. Grass litter amendments increased CO2 and dry-season N2O pulses without significantly modifying NO pulses. Grass cover reduced CO2 pulses compared to shrub cover. Our results support the hypothesis that shrubland soils produce stronger pulses of CO2, N2O, and NO during the dry season when wetting is less frequent. We show that invasive grass litter can provide a labile C source that stimulates CO2 and N2O, but not NO, emissions from shrubland soils.

Seasonality and Budgets of Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions From a Tropical Dry Forest Successional Gradient in Costa Rica

AbstractLimited information on greenhouse gas emissions from tropical dry forest soils still hinders the assessment of the sources/sinks from this ecosystem and their contribution at global scales. Particularly, rewetting events after the dry season can have a significant effect on soil biogeochemical processes and associated exchange of greenhouse gases. This study evaluated the temporal variation and annual fluxes of CO2, N2O, and CH4 from soils in a tropical dry forest successional gradient. After a prolonged drought of 5 months, large emissions pulses of CO2 and N2O were observed at all sites following first rain events, caused by the “Birch effect,” with a significant effect on the net ecosystem exchange and the annual emissions budget. Annual CO2 emissions were greatest for the young forest (8,556 kg C ha−1 yr−1) followed by the older forest (7,420 kg C ha−1 yr−1) and the abandoned pasture (7,224 kg C ha−1 yr−1). Annual emissions of N2O were greatest for the forest sites (0.39 and 0.43 kg N ha−1 yr−1) and least in the abandoned pasture (0.09 kg N ha−1 yr−1). CH4 uptake was greatest in the older forest (−2.61 kg C ha−1 yr−1) followed by the abandoned pasture (−0.69 kg C ha−1 yr−1) and the young forest (−0.58 kg C ha−1 yr−1). Fluxes were mainly influenced by soil moisture, microbial biomass, and soil nitrate and ammonium concentrations. Annual CO2 and N2O soil fluxes of tropical dry forests in this study and others from the literature were much lower than the annual fluxes in wetter tropical forests. Conversely, tropical dry forests and abandoned pastures are on average stronger sinks for CH4 than wetter tropical forests.

Microbial Biomass Drives Seasonal Hysteresis in Litter Heterotrophic Respiration in Relation to Temperature in a Warm‐Temperate Forest

AbstractCO2 efflux from the litter layer, litter heterotrophic respiration, is an important component of the forest carbon cycle. Litter heterotrophic respiration mediated by microorganisms varies in response to seasonal environmental changes, such as temperature and moisture. Here, we aimed to quantify seasonal variation in litter heterotrophic respiration and determine how the microbial biomass influences microbial activity and hence litter heterotrophic respiration in a warm temperate forest. We performed in situ high‐frequency measurements of litter heterotrophic respiration per unit area (R_area), which are able to capture CO2 pulses during rainfall, for over 2 years. Microbial activity, which is the CO2 efflux per unit weight (R_mass) considering the change in the amount of substrate, was calculated based on R_area. In parallel, we measured substrate‐induced respiration (SIR) each month, as an index of microbial biomass. We identified seasonal hysteresis in R_area, which was higher in spring (January to July) than in fall (August to December), despite the temperature being similar in both periods. Of interest, R_mass and SIR also showed similar seasonal hysteresis in relation to temperature. Additionally, potential microbial activity without the effect of temperature and moisture was positively related to SIR. This result indicates that seasonal hysteresis with temperature in microbial activity was driven by microbial biomass seasonality, and thus, it leads to seasonal hysteresis in litter heterotrophic respiration in relation to temperature. Our findings highlight the importance of not only the environmental factors and substrate depletion but also biotic factors for estimating heterotrophic respiration.

Self-sustained oscillations and global climate changes

The periodic changes of atmospheric CO2 and temperature over the last 5 Myr reveal three features that challenge current climate research, namely: (i) the mid-Pleistocene transition of dominant 41-kyr cycles to dominant 100-kyr cycles, (ii) the absence of a strong precession signal of approximately 20 kyr, and (iii) the cooling through the middle and late Holocene. These features are not directly addressable by Earth’s orbital changes described by Milankovitch. Here we show that a closed photochemical system exposed to a constant illumination source can sustain oscillations. In this simple conceptual model, the oscillations are intrinsic to the system and occur even in the absence of periodic radiative forcing. With proper adaptations to the Earth system, this oscillator explains the main features of past climate dynamics. Our model places photosynthesis and the carbon cycle as key drivers of climate change. We use this model to predict the relaxation of a 1,000 PgC pulse of CO2. The removal of 50% of this CO2 will require one century, and will lead to a warmer and wetter future. However, more pronounced glaciation cycles emerge on the millennial timescale.

Sucrose synthase determines carbon allocation in developing wood and alters carbon flow at the whole tree level in aspen.

Despite the ecological and industrial importance of biomass accumulation in wood, the control of carbon (C) allocation to this tissue and to other tree tissues remain poorly understood. We studied sucrose synthase (SUS) to clarify its role in biomass formation and C metabolism at the whole tree level in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula×tremuloides). To this end, we analysed source leaves, phloem, developing wood, and roots of SUSRNAi trees using a combination of metabolite profiling, 13 CO2 pulse labelling experiments, and long-term field experiments. The glasshouse grown SUSRNAi trees exhibited a mild stem phenotype together with a reduction in wood total C. The 13 CO2 pulse labelling experiments showed an alteration in the C flow in all the analysed tissues, indicating that SUS affects C metabolism at the whole tree level. This was confirmed when the SUSRNAi trees were grown in the field over a 5-yr period; their stem height, diameter and biomass were substantially reduced. These results establish that SUS influences C allocation to developing wood, and that it affects C metabolism at the whole tree level.