The intimate relationships between plant roots, rhizosphere, and soil are fostered by the release of organic compounds from the plant into soil through various forms of rhizodeposition and the simultaneous exchange of inorganic nutrients from the soil to the plant. We developed methods to spatially track and map the migration of plant-derived carbon (C) through roots into the rhizosphere and surrounding soil using laser ablation-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LA-IRMS). This study used switchgrass microcosms containing soil from field plots at the Kellogg Biological Station (Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA), which have been cropped with switchgrass since 2008. We used a 13CO2 tracer to isotopically label switchgrass plants for two diel cycles and tracked subsequent movement of labeled C using the spatially specific (
Revised: September 30, 2019 |
Published: June 1, 2019
Citation
Denis E.H., P.D. Ilhardt, A.E. Tucker, N.L. Huggett, J.J. Rosnow, and J.J. Moran. 2019.Spatially tracking carbon through the root-rhizosphere-soil system using laser ablation-IRMS.Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 182, no. 3:401-410.PNNL-SA-135618.doi:10.1002/jpln.201800301