Notes: We measured the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of stem cellulose of Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus excelsior. Several sites along a transect of a small valley in Switzerland were selected which differ in soil moisture conditions. At every site, six trees per species were sampled, and a sample representing a mean value for the period from 1940 to 1990 was analysed. For all species, the mean site δ13C and δ18O of stem cellulose are related to the soil moisture availability, whereby higher isotope ratios are found at drier sites. This result is consistent with isotope fractionation models when assuming enhanced stomatal resistance (thus higher δ13C of incorporated carbon) and increased oxygen isotope enrichment in the leaf water (thus higher δ18O) at the dry sites. δ18 O-δ13C plots reveal a linear relationship between the carbon and oxygen isotopes in cellulose. To interpret this relationship we developed an equation which combines the above-mentioned fractionation models. An important new parameter is the degree to which the leaf water enrichment is reflected in the stem cellulose. In the combined model the slope of the δ18O-δ13C plot is related to the sensitivity of the pi/pa of a plant to changing relative humidity.

Notes: Soil contains the major part of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, but the response of this carbon to enriching the atmosphere in CO2 and to increased N deposition is not completely understood. We studied the effects of CO2 concentrations at 370 and 570 μmol CO2 mol−1 air and increased N deposition (7 against 0.7 g N m−2 year−1) on the dynamics of soil organic C in two types of forest soil in model ecosystems with spruce and beech established in large open-top chambers containing an acidic loam and a calcareous sand. The added CO2 was depleted in 13C and thus the net input of new C into soil organic carbon and the mineralization of native C could be quantified.Soil type was the greatest determining factor in carbon dynamics. After 4 years, the net input of new C in the acidic loam (670 ± 30 g C m−2) exceeded that in the calcareous sand (340 ± 40 g C m−2) although the soil produced less biomass. The mineralization of native organic C accounted for 700 ± 90 g C m−2 in the acidic loam and for 2800 ± 170 g C m−2 in the calcareous sand. Unfavourable conditions for mineralization and a greater physico-chemical protection of C by clay and oxides in the acidic loam are probably the main reasons for these differences. The organic C content of the acidic loam was 230 g C m−2 more under the large than under the small N treatment. As suggested by a negligible impact of N inputs on the fraction of new C in the acidic loam, this increase resulted mainly from a suppressed mineralization of native C. In the calcareous sand, N deposition did not influence C concentrations. The impacts of CO2 enrichment on C concentrations were small. In the uppermost 10 cm of the acidic loam, larger CO2 concentrations increased C contents by 50–170 g C m−2. Below 10 cm depth in the acidic loam and at all soil depths in the calcareous sand, CO2 concentrations had no significant impact on soil C concentrations. Up to 40% of the ‘new’ carbon of the acidic loam was found in the coarse sand fraction, which accounted for only 7% of the total soil volume. This suggests that a large part of the CO2-derived ‘new’ C was incorporated into the labile and easily mineralizable pool in the soil.

Notes: Abstract Databases describing branch gas exchange ofPicea abies L. at two montane forest sites, Lägeren, Switzerland (National Forschungsprojekt 14 of the Schweizerische Nationalfonds) and Oberwarmensteinach, Germany (Bayerische Forschungsgruppe Forsttoxikologie), were analyzed in conjunction with a physiologically based model. Parameter estimates for describing carboxylase kinetics, electron transport, and stomatal function were derived, utilizing information from both single factor dependencies and diurnal time course measurements of gas exchange. Data subsets were used for testing the model at the branch level. Most of the observed variation in gas exchange characteristics can be explained with the model, while a number of systematic errors remain unexplained. Factors seen as contributing to the unexplained residual variation and not included in the model are light acclimation, degree of damage in adjustment to pollutant deposition, needle age, and cold stress effects. Nevertheless, a set of parameter values has been obtained for general application with spruce, e.g., for use in calculating canopy flux rates and to aid in planning of focused leaf and canopy level experiments. The value of the model for estimating fluxes between the forest and the atmosphere must be evaluated together with measurements at the stand level.

Notes: Abstract  Databases describing branch gas exchange of Picea abies L. at two montane forest sites, Lägeren, Switzerland (National Forschungsprojekt 14 of the Schweizerische Nationalfonds) and Oberwarmensteinach, Germany (Bayerische Forschungsgruppe Forsttoxikologie), were analyzed in conjunction with a physiologically based model. Parameter estimates for describing carboxylase kinetics, electron transport, and stomatal function were derived, utilizing information from both single factor dependencies and diurnal time course measurements of gas exchange. Data subsets were used for testing the model at the branch level. Most of the observed variation in gas exchange characteristics can be explained with the model, while a number of systematic errors remain unexplained. Factors seen as contributing to the unexplained residual variation and not included in the model are light acclimation, degree of damage in adjustment to pollutant deposition, needle age, and cold stress effects. Nevertheless, a set of parameter values has been obtained for general application with spruce, e. g., for use in calculating canopy flux rates and to aid in planning of focused leaf and canopy level experiments. The value of the model for estimating fluxes between the forest and the atmosphere must be evaluated together with measurements at the stand level.

Notes: Abstract The 15N ratio of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from vehicles, measured in the air adjacent to a highway in the Swiss Middle Land, was very high [δ15N(NO2) = +5.7‰]. This high 15N abundance was used to estimate long-term NO2 dry deposition into a forest ecosystem by measuring δ15N in the needles and the soil of potted and autochthonous spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst] exposed to NO2 in a transect orthogonal to the highway. δ15N in the current-year needles of potted trees was 2.0‰ higher than that of the control after 4 months of exposure close to the highway, suggesting a 25% contribution to the N-nutrition of these needles. Needle fall into the pots was prevented by grids placed above the soil, while the continuous decomposition of needle litter below the autochthonous trees over previous years has increased δ15N values in the soil, resulting in parallel gradients of δ15N in soil and needles with distance from the highway. Estimates of NO2 uptake into needles obtained from the δ15N data were significantly correlated with the inputs calculated with a shoot gas exchange model based on a parameterisation widely used in deposition modelling. Therefore, we provide an indication of estimated N inputs to forest ecosystems via dry deposition of NO2 at the receptor level under field conditions.

Notes: Abstract. Based on measurements of δ18O and δ13C in organic matter of C3-plants, we have developed a conceptual model that gives insight into the relationship between stomatal conductance (g l) and photosynthetic capacity (A max) resulting from differing environmental constraints and plant-internal factors. This is a semi-quantitative approach to describing the long-term effects of environmental factors on CO2 and H2O gas exchange, whereby we estimate the intercellular CO2 concentration (c i) from δ13C and the air humidity from δ18O. Assuming that air humidity is an important factor influencing g l, the model allows us to distinguish whether differences in c i are caused by a response of g l or of A max. As an application of the model we evaluated the isotope data from three species in plots differing in intensity of land use (hay meadows and abandoned areas) at three sites along a south north transect in the Eastern Alps. We found three different δ18O–δ13C response patterns in native and planted grassland species (cultivated in the greenhouse). After preliminary confirmation by gas-exchange measurements we conclude that the proposed model is a promising tool for deriving carbon water relations in different functional groups from δ18O and δ13C isotope data.

Notes: Abstract Nitrogen (N) was added over two years to a spruce-dominated (Picea abies) montane forest at Alptal, central Switzerland. A solution of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO2) was frequently sprinkled on the forest floor (1500 m2) to simulate an additional input of 30 kg N ha-1 yr-1 over the ambient 12 kg bulk inorganic N deposition. The added nitrogen was labelled with 15NH4 15NO3 during the first year. Results are compared to a control plot. Neither the trees nor the ground vegetation showed any increase in their N content. Only 4.1% of N in the ground vegetation came from the N addition. Current-year needles contained 11 mg N g-1 dry weight, of which only 2% was from labelled N; older needles had approximately half as much 15N. The uptake from the treatment was therefore very small. Redistribution of N also took place in the trunks: 1 to 2-year-old wood contained 0.7% labelled N, tree rings dating back 3 to 14 years contained 0.4%. Altogether, the above-ground vegetation took up 12% of the labelled N. Most 15N was recovered in the soil: 13% in litter and roots, 63% in the sieved soil. Nitrate leaching accounted for 10%. Factors thought to be influencing N uptake are discussed in relation to plant use of N and soil conditions.

Notes: Summary In May 1992 during the interdisciplinary measurement campaign HartX (Hartheim eXperiment), several independent estimates of stand water vapor flux were compared at a 12-m high Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) plantation on a flat fluvial terrace of the Rhine close to Freiburg, Germany. Weather during the HartX period was characterized by ten consecutive clear days with exceptionally high input of available energy for this time of year and with a slowly shifting diurnal pattern in atmospheric variables like vapor pressure deficit. Methods utilized to quantify components of stand water flux included porometry measurements on understory graminoid leaves and on pine needles and three different techniques for determining individual tree xylem sap flow. Micrometeorological methods included eddy covariance and eddy covariance energy balance techniques with six independent systems on two towers separated by 40 m. Additionally, Bowen ratio energy balance estimates of water flux were conducted and measurements of the gradients in water vapor, CO2, and trace gases within and above the stand were carried out with an additional, portable 30 m high telescoping mast. Biologically-based estimates of overstory transpiration were obtained by up-scaling tree sap flow rates to stand level via cumulative sapwood area. Tree transpiration contributed between 2.2 and 2.6 mm/day to ET for a tree leaf area index (LAI) of 2.8. The pine stand had an understory dominated by sedge and grass species with overall average LAI of 1.5. Mechanistic canopy gas exchange models that quantify both water vapor and CO2 exchange were applied to both understory and tree needle ecosystem compartments. Thus, the transpiration by graminoid species was estimated at approximately 20% of total stand ET. The modelled estimates for understory contribution to stand water flux compared well with micrometeorologically-based determinations. Maximum carbon gain was estimated from the canopy models at approximately 425 mmol/(m2day) for the tree needles and at 100 mmol/(m2day) for the understory. Carbon gain was suggested by the modelling analysis to remain relatively constant during the HartX period, while water use efficiency in carbon fixation increased with decreasing vapor pressure deficit. Biologically- and micrometeorologically-based estimates of stand water flux showed good general agreement with variation of up to 20% that reflects both errors due to the inherent assumptions associated with different methods as well as natural spatial variability in fluxes. The various methods support a reliable estimate of average ET from this homogeneous canopy during HartX of about 2.6 mm/day (a maximum of about 3.1 mm/day) with an insignificant decreasing trend in correlation with decreasing vapor pressure deficit and possibly soil moisture. Findings during HartX were embedded in local scale heterogeneity with greater roughness over the forest and much higher ET over the surrounding agricultural fields which results in weak but clearly existant circulation patterns. A variety of measurements were continued after the HartX campaign. They allow us to extend our findings for six months with changing environmental conditions, including shortage of soil moisture. Hydrological estimates of soil water extractions and micrometeorological estimates of ET by the one-propeller eddy covariance (OPEC) system were in very good agreement, supporting the use of this robust eddy covariance energy balance technique for long-term monitoring.

Notes: Summary A single layer (Penman-Monteith) and a two layer (modified Shuttleworth-Wallace) evapotranspiration (ET) model are used alternatively to derive conductances related to the dominant fluxes of water vapor from a semi-closed Scots pine plantation. The derivations are based on micrometeorological measurements of above canopy energy flux densities and a simple resistance network. For a period of consecutive fine weather days, below canopy net radiation and below canopy ET were about 20 percent of the corresponding above canopy values. Resulting conductances for latent heat flux agreed well with porometric measurements of pines and understory scaled to canopy level. The shift from single to two layer modelling reduced the canopy conductance to pine conductance by the fraction of understory ET. However, characteristics of porometer results and micrometeorologically derived conductances were quite different: The porometer estimates of conductance were highly variable due to stomatal response to local environmental conditions or “natural” variability within the tree canopy and vegetation patches which characterized the forest understory. Micrometeorologically derived conductances integrate spatially resulting in relatively smooth and repetitive daily patterns that lack the information of small scale variability. This is seen as a favorable feature of micrometeorological derived conductances when used for the parameterization of atmospheric models for climate research as long as small scale bio-diversity is irrelevant.

Notes: Summary During the Hartheim Experiment (HartX) 1992 conducted in the upper Rhine Valley, Germany, three different methods were used to measure sap flow in Scots pine trees via heating of water transported in the xylem: (1) constant heating applied radially in the sapwood (“Granier-system”-G), (2) constant heating of a stem segment (“Čermák-system”-C), and (3) regulated variable heating of a stem segment that locally maintains a constant temperature gradient in the trunk (“Čermák/Schulze-system”-CS). While the constant heating methods utilize changes in the induced temperature gradient to quantify sap flux, the CS-system estimates water flow from the variable power requirement to maintain a 2 or 3 degree Kelvin temperature gradient over a short distance between inserted electrodes and reference point. The C- and CS-systems assume that all transported water is encompassed and equally heated by the electrodes. In this case, flux rate is determined from temperature difference or energy input and the heat capacity of water. Active sapwood area need not be determined exactly. In contrast, the G-system requires an empirical calibration of the sensors that allows conversion of temperature difference into sap flow density. Estimates of sapwood area are used to calculate the total flux. All three methods assume that the natural fluctuation in temperature of the trunk near the point of insertion of heating and sensing elements is the same as that where reference thermocouples are inserted. Using all three systems, 24 trees were simultaneously monitored during the HartX campaign. Tree size within the stand ranged between 18 and 61 cm circumference at breast height, while sample trees ranged between 24 and 55 cm circumference. The smallest trees could only be measured by utilizing the G-system. Sap flow rates of individual trees measured at breast height increased rapidly in the morning along with increases in irradiance and vapor pressure deficit (D), decreased slowly during the course of the afternoon with continued increase inD, and decreased more slowly during the night. Ignoring potential effects introduced by the different methods, maximum flow rates of individual trees ranged between 0.5 and 2.5 kg H2O h−1 tree−1 or 0.3 and 0.6 mm h−1 related to projected crown area of trees and daily sums of sap flow for individual trees varied between 4.4 and 24 kg H2O tree−1 d−1 or 1.1 and 6.0 mm d−1. Maximum sap flow rates per sapwood area of trees varied least for the G-system (11–17 g cm−2 h−1) and was of similar magnitude as the C- (8–21 g cm−2 h−1) and CS-system (4–14 g cm−2 h−1). Regressions of total tree conductance (g t ) derived from sap flow estimates demonstrated the same linear increase of conductance with increasing irradiance, however decrease of conductance with increasingD under non-limiting light conditions was different for the three systems with strongest reduction ofg t measured with the CS-system followed by the C- and G-system. This led to different estimates of daily sap flow rates especially during the second part of the measurement period. Variation in sap flow rates is explained on the basis of variation in leaf area index of individual trees, heterogeneity in soil conditions, and methodological differences in sap flow measurements. Despite the highly uniform plantation forest at the scale of hectares, the heterogeneity in tree size and soil depth at the scale of square meters still make it difficult to appropriately and efficiently select sample trees and to scale-up water flux from individual trees to the stand level.