Influence of air pollution and site conditions on trends of carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in tree ring cellulose

Oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of tree ring cellulose (delta13Ccell and delta18Ocell) were measured for pines growing at four sites in east Germany. Three sites differed markedly in soil water availability within a short distance and the fourth site served as a reference. The choice of the sites was guided by the desire to detect effects of air pollution on the long-term trend of isotopic compositions and to examine the influence of soil water availability on the relationship between the carbon and oxygen isotope ratios. Locations in east Germany are particularly well suited for the study of pollution effects because there was a steady increase in environmental contamination until the German Reunification in 1990, followed by a sharp decline due to the implementation of stricter environmental standards. The long-term trend of delta13Ccell showed an extraordinary increase in the period 1945-1990 and a rapid decrease after 1990, whereas delta18Ocell remained nearly constant. The increase of delta13Ccell is explained by secondary fractionation caused by phytotoxicity of SO2. Two effects are mainly responsible for the secondary fractionation under SO2 exposure: increase of dark respiration, and changes in photosynthate allocation and partitioning. Both effects do not influence delta18Ocell. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation between the year-to-year variations of carbon and oxygen isotope ratios (delta13Cresid and delta18Oresid) has been found for all sites. The slopes of the relationship between delta13Cresid and delta18Oresid differ insignificantly. It is concluded that this relationship is not influenced by soil water availability but by climatic variables.