Moran, J. J., T. J. Linley, C. N. Makarem, J. F. Kelly, E. D. Wilcox Freeburg, D. M. Cleary, M. L. Alexander, and J. M. Kriesel. 2022. Spectroscopy-based isotopic (δ13C) analysis for high spatial resolution of carbon exchange in the rhizosphere. Rhizosphere 23:100564.

Citable PDF link: https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/pub/4054

The rhizosphere is a highly dynamic zone bridging plant roots with needed nutrient resources in soil. While the rhizosphere may be small, it has a disproportionally large impact on plant success and biomass production. A suite of rhizosphere-hosted microbial and geochemical interactions facilitate nutrient acquisition by plant roots, and, in turn, the roots stimulate these processes by supplying organic carbon into the rhizosphere. The small physical dimensions of the rhizosphere, however, can constrain efforts to elucidate key carbon exchange processes and their spatial extent and localization. We present a method for spatially resolved δ13C analysis of rhizosphere samples by coupling laser ablation (LA) sampling with isotopic analysis using capillary absorption spectroscopy (CAS) which differs from conventional mass spectrometer (MS) approaches. The CAS system has high sensitivity (requires fewer nanomoles of CO2 per analysis) than comparable MS systems, which enables reduced sample size requirements to thereby improve spatial resolution (from 25 μm to as low as a projected 5 μm spatial resolution). We demonstrate the utility of CAS using rhizosphere samples from switchgrass plants exposed to 13CO2. This technique will provide a capability for tracking the extent and spatial distribution of root exudate into the rhizosphere at highly detailed spatial scales.

DOI: 10.1016/j.rhisph.2022.100564

Associated Treatment Areas:

G5

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