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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2022, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (6): 1441-1450.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202206.007

• Special Features of Stable Isotope Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Theory, method and application advance of isotopic flux partitioning of ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration

CHEN Chang-hua1, WANG Jing-yuan1, WEI Jie1, WEN Xue-fa1,2,3*   

  1. 1Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    2College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China;
    3Beijing Yanshan Earth Critical Zone National Research Station, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
  • Received:2021-08-19 Accepted:2022-03-29 Online:2022-06-15 Published:2022-12-15

Abstract: Photosynthesis and respiration are two important components of net ecosystem exchange (NEE). NEE can be directly observed by eddy covariance (EC) technique, and statistically separated into ecosystem assimilation and respiration based on the statistical flux partitioning of temperature response function or light-response curves. However, these methods would result in auto-correlation between assimilation and respiration, and overestimate daytime respiration. Recently-developed isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy permits high-resolution measurement of atmospheric CO2 and its stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) under field conditions, and achieves diurnal and seasonal partitioning of ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration by matching with NEE measurements from EC. We expounded the fundamental theories and assumptions of isotopic flux partitioning of ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration, elaborated the development and application advance of techniques in isotopic flux measurement, summarized the advance of isotopic flux partitioning to provide new insight into the assimilation and respiration processes, and prospected the uncertainty of isotopic flux partitioning theory and the necessity of comparative researches of various methods.

Key words: eddy covariance technique, isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy, isotopic flux partitioning, ecosystem photosynthesis, ecosystem respiration