Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026

A CO2 Concentration Gradient Facility for Testing CO2 Enrichment and Soil Effects on Grassland Ecosystem Function
Published on: November 21, 2015
[Investigation on effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration on plant-soil system carbon cycling: Based on
Rui Zhang1,2, Yu Zhao1,2, Hong Bo He1
1Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
Abstract:
Elevated atmospheric CO2 affects plant photosynthesis process and biomass accumulation, furthermore alters the distribution of photosynthetic carbon (C) above- and below-ground. The formation and turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) depends on the input of photosynthetic C, so the change of plant physiology and metabolism caused by increasing CO2 concentration will further affect the balance of SOC pool. Therefore, stable isotope 13C technique is powerful for clarifying the influence of elevated atmospheric CO2 on C cycling in plant-soil system, including the distribution of photosynthetic C among plant organs, and the transformation and accumulation of photosynthetic C in soil. This review summarized research focused on the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems based on 13C natural abundance or 13C tracing technique, including: 1) isotopic fractionation effect in plant photosynthesis; 2) the distribution of photosynthetic C in plant organs; 3) the transformation and stabilization of photosynthetic C in SOC driven by microbial process. Clarifying the above processes and controlling mechanisms is essential to predict long-term influence of elevated CO2 on C cycling and evaluate the source-sink function of SOC in terrestrial ecosystems.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Carbon Cycle
Isotopes
An element's atomic mass, or weight,...
Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes
Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common name)...
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Sulfur Cycle
Key Elements for Plant Nutrition

