One of the best ways to trace the fate of carbon through an ecological system is with the use of isotopes. By introducing carbon-13 into a controlled system, we can see where that carbon ends up which can help to answer questions related to soil carbon formation and long term stabilization. To facilitate our plant-microbe-mineral project the Ernakovich lab has built an isotope labeling chamber based on designs in Butler, J., & Eickhoff, C. P. (1979). The chamber was constructed to create a sealed greenhouse environment for the growth of plants using isotopically labeled CO2. The chamber can monitor, temperature (both soil and air), relative humidity, CO2 levels, and soil moisture levels. Additionally, the chamber was split into two grow spaces with separate controls to allow for experiments to run simultaneously under different environmental conditions.
Current research with the chamber includes looking at the effect of elevated CO2 on priming of native soil carbon in permafrost soils of varying minerology. Using the carbon isotope tracer, we will be able to follow the flow of C from the atmosphere, into plants, and into the soil where we will tease apart where that C ends up.
