Stable carbon isotope ratios in tree rings of co-occurring species from semi-arid tropics in Africa: Patterns and climatic signals

Although several proxies have been proposed to trace the course of environmental and climatological fluctuations, precise paleoclimate records from the tropics, notably from Africa are still sorely lacking today. Stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) in tree rings are an attractive record of climate. In this study, the patterns and climatic signals of δ13C ratios were determined on tree rings of deciduous (Acacia senegal, Acacia tortilis, Acacia seyal) and an evergreen (Balanites aegyptiaca) species, from a semi-arid Acacia Woodland in Ethiopia. δ13C inter-annual patterns are synchronous among the co-occurring species. A declining trend with time was observed in δ13C, notably for B. aegyptiaca, which could be due to anthropogenic increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration and decrease in atmospheric δ13C. Tree ring δ13C values of all the species revealed significant negative correlation with precipitation amount but not with temperature and relative humidity. The δ13C series of the deciduous species shows a higher correlation (r = − 0.70 to − 0.78) with precipitation than the evergreen species (r = − 0.55). A master δ13C series, composed of the average of the three Acacia species, displayed stronger significant correlation (r = − 0.82) than any of the individual species δ13C series. The weak relationship between temperature and δ13C in this study indicates that photosynthetic rate is not a significant factor. Moisture stress, however, may have a direct impact on the stomatal conductance and explain the strong negative relationship between δ13C and precipitation. The results demonstrate the potential of δ13C in tree rings to reflect physiological responses to environmental changes as a vehicle for paleoclimatic reconstruction, which is important to understand tree response to past and future climate change.