Possible Depletion in 14C in Trees Growing in Calcareous Soils

Abstract

14C activities of decadal samples from beech trees growing under extreme calcareous conditions were compared to 14C activities of decadal samples of the same age from a beech tree growing in a normal mold soil in order to see whether part of the carbon assimilated during photosynthesis might originate from 14C-deficient carbonates in the soil. The calcareous soils contained from 18 to 52% calcium carbonate, and this carbonate had a mean 14C age of 10,200 to 17,600 years BP. A comparison was also made with the 14C activity of contemporaneous samples from Douglas Fir from the US North Pacific (Stuiver, 1982). No significant depletion in 14C activity in beech trees growing in the highly calcareous soils was detected. The measured mean difference in 14C activity in beech trees from calcareous and non-calcareous sites corresponds to an uptake of 0.12 +/- 0.3% carbon from soil carbonates in the calcareous sites.