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Overview of funding institutions
Application of stable Carbon-, Nitrogen- and Sulphur isotopes to characterise and indicate fluxes in agricultural systems under different land use and environmental conditions
Project
Project code: vTI-AK-02-24
Contract period: 01.01.2001
- 31.12.2008
Purpose of research: Applied research
Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) naturally occur with several stable isotopes of different masses. The relative abundance of these isotopes is different and they are turned over in biological, chemical and physical processes at different rates. Hence pools of different isotopic composition develop and depending on their origin and history, C-, N- and S- containing substances differ in their isotopic signature. Stable isotope analysis carried out in different compartments of an ecosystem can give a clue to where e.g. atmospheric pollutants, which passively reach the ecosystem go. Specific addition of fertiliser as well allows tracing of where it is going supposed the isotopic composition differs from that of the elements naturally present in the ecosystem.The atmospheric CO2 concentration has been and is rising steadily resulting in changing environmental conditions for - among others ? agricultural systems. Using isotopically labelled CO2 in a field experiment where the predicted increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration is simulated, this C should be traced on its way through the ecosystem. As C isotope discrimination occurs during metabolism of plants, animals and microorganisms, such research has to be paralleled by an approach regarding the C isotopic composition in different compartments of a comparable ecosystem cultivated under present atmospheric CO2 conditions. This is inevitably necessary to understand and evaluate where the new C is going.Using isotopically labelled N-containing fertiliser provides information on where this N is going and applying such labelled N in addition to CO2 enrichment conditions gives insight into changes in N-translocation and N-turnover in the ecosystem as compared to present systems under present atmospheric CO2 conditions.
Section overview
Subjects
- Agroecology
- Climate Change