Progress in high-resolution isotope-ratio analysis of tree rings using laser ablation

TY - JOUR

T1 - Progress in high-resolution isotope-ratio analysis of tree rings using laser ablation

AU - Saurer, Matthias

AU - Sahlstedt, Elina

AU - Rinne-Garmston, Katja T

AU - Lehmann, Marco M

AU - Oettli, Manuela

AU - Gessler, Arthur

AU - Treydte, Kerstin

N1 - © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PY - 2023/5/12

Y1 - 2023/5/12

N2 - Stable isotope ratio analysis of tree rings has been widely and successfully applied in recent decades for climatic and environmental reconstructions. These studies were mostly conducted at an annual resolution, considering one measurement per tree ring, often focusing on latewood. However, much more information could be retrieved with high-resolution intra-annual isotope studies, based on the fact that the wood cells and the corresponding organic matter are continuously laid down during the growing season. Such studies are still relatively rare, but have a unique potential for reconstructing seasonal climate variations or short-term changes in physiological plant properties, like water-use efficiency. The reason for this research gap is mostly technical, as on the one hand sub-annual, manual splitting of rings is very tedious, while on the other hand automated laser ablation for high-resolution analyses is not yet well established and available. Here, we give an update on the current status of laser ablation research for analysis of the carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) of wood, describe an easy-to-use laser ablation system, its operation and discuss practical issues related to tree core preparation, including cellulose extraction. The results show that routine analysis with up to 100 laser shot-derived δ13C-values daily and good precision and accuracy (ca. 0.1‰) comparable to conventional combustion in an elemental analyzer are possible. Measurements on resin-extracted wood is recommended as most efficient, but laser ablation is also possible on cellulose extracted wood pieces. Considering the straightforward sample preparation, the technique is therefore ripe for wide-spread application. With this work, we hope to stimulate future progress in the promising field of high-resolution environmental reconstruction using laser ablation.

AB - Stable isotope ratio analysis of tree rings has been widely and successfully applied in recent decades for climatic and environmental reconstructions. These studies were mostly conducted at an annual resolution, considering one measurement per tree ring, often focusing on latewood. However, much more information could be retrieved with high-resolution intra-annual isotope studies, based on the fact that the wood cells and the corresponding organic matter are continuously laid down during the growing season. Such studies are still relatively rare, but have a unique potential for reconstructing seasonal climate variations or short-term changes in physiological plant properties, like water-use efficiency. The reason for this research gap is mostly technical, as on the one hand sub-annual, manual splitting of rings is very tedious, while on the other hand automated laser ablation for high-resolution analyses is not yet well established and available. Here, we give an update on the current status of laser ablation research for analysis of the carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) of wood, describe an easy-to-use laser ablation system, its operation and discuss practical issues related to tree core preparation, including cellulose extraction. The results show that routine analysis with up to 100 laser shot-derived δ13C-values daily and good precision and accuracy (ca. 0.1‰) comparable to conventional combustion in an elemental analyzer are possible. Measurements on resin-extracted wood is recommended as most efficient, but laser ablation is also possible on cellulose extracted wood pieces. Considering the straightforward sample preparation, the technique is therefore ripe for wide-spread application. With this work, we hope to stimulate future progress in the promising field of high-resolution environmental reconstruction using laser ablation.

KW - Carbon Isotopes/analysis

KW - Seasons

KW - Cellulose/analysis

KW - Wood/chemistry

KW - Laser Therapy

KW - Oxygen Isotopes/analysis

U2 - 10.1093/treephys/tpac141

DO - 10.1093/treephys/tpac141

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 36519757

VL - 43

SP - 694

EP - 705

JO - TREE PHYSIOL

JF - TREE PHYSIOL

SN - 0829-318X

IS - 5

ER -