Foliar stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in boreal forest plants exposed to long-term pollution from the nickel-copper smelter at Monchegorsk, Russia.

ABSTRACT: Long-term exposure to primary air pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x), alters the structure and functions of forest ecosystems. Many biochemical and biogeochemical processes discriminate against the heavier isotopes in a mixture; thus, the values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N (i.e. the ratio of stable isotopes ¹³C to ¹²C and that of ¹⁵ N to ¹⁴ N, respectively) may give insights into changes in ecosystem processes and identify the immediate drivers of these changes. We studied sources of variation in the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values in the foliage of eight boreal forest C3 plants at 10 sites located at the distance of 1-40 km from the Monchegorsk nickel-copper smelter in

SUBMITTER: Manninen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9252950 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature