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13 C and 15 N natural abundances of urban soils and herbaceous vegetation in Karlsruhe, Germany
Author(s) -
Norra S.,
Handley L. L.,
Berner Z.,
Stüben D.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
european journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 1351-0754
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.2005.00701.x
Subject(s) - soil water , vegetation (pathology) , environmental science , herbaceous plant , abundance (ecology) , woodland , agriculture , physical geography , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , soil science , geology , geography , archaeology , medicine , geotechnical engineering , pathology , biology
Summary We undertook what we believe to be a unique survey of the natural abundances of 13 C and 15 N in urban soils and plants in Karlsruhe (Germany), a European city of average size. We found broad patterns of these abundances in both soils and plants, which reflected geology and land use. In contrast with studies on smaller areas (showing the direct effect of human activities), our study first determined the extent to which the abundances correlated with land use or underlying geology and then assessed how we could further test such relationships. The spatial pattern of δ 13 C in surface soil correlated with that of the underlying parent material; construction activities superimposed a secondary signal. Maize cultivation was a source of less negative soil δ 13 C, whereas the C 3 vegetation is a source of more negative soil δ 13 C. There was a footprint of less negative plant δ 13 C in the industrial and port areas; plant δ 13 C downwind of the city was less negative than upwind, which might relate to atmospheric pollution from the port area or to differences in soil properties. There was no significant effect of wind direction or geology on soil or plant δ 15 N, which was correlated mainly with land use. The largest soil δ 15 N was under agriculture and the smallest under woodland. The abundance of 15 N in inner‐urban soil and plants was intermediate between those of agriculture and forests. This study represents a major advance in the use of stable isotope geochemistry in understanding urban environments.