Seasonal contribution of C3 and C4 species to ecosystem respiration and photosynthesis estimated from isotopic measurements of atmospheric CO2 at a grassland in Japan

Measurements of δ13C in atmospheric CO2 and plant samples were made in 2003, along with CO2 flux measurements, at a grassland site in Tsukuba in central Japan. The objective of the study was to obtain estimates of relative seasonal contributions of C3 and C4 plants to the net CO2 flux over a C3/C4 grassland area influenced by the Asian monsoon. C4 contribution to the ecosystem respiration (f4R) increased from June to September, and then became constant at 63–67% through October and November. The seasonal variation in f4R reflected the biomass composition of C3 and C4 plants at the measurement site. The seasonal C4 contribution to photosynthesis (f4P) was significantly different from its contribution to f4R in May (8%) while it showed similar values to f4R after June. The seasonal variations in f4R and f4P reflect the biomass composition ratio. Such seasonal transition from C3 to C4 of relative contribution to the carbon flux is similar to that observed in humid prairie ecosystems, while it is different from that in dry prairie ecosystems where the contribution of C3 plants is lower and the seasonal maximum of the C4-plant contribution occurs earlier compared to the humid prairie ecosystems.