Carbon Stable Isotope Ratio of Dissolved Organic Matter as a Tool To Identify Its Sources and Transformations in a Tropical Montane Forest in Ecuador.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) contributes to forest C cycling. We assessed temporal variability, sources, and transformations of DOM during four years in a tropical montane forest with the help of stable C isotope ratios (δC values). We measured δC values of DOM in rainfall (RF), throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF), litter leachate (LL), soil solutions at the 0.15 and 0.30 m depths (SS15, SS30), and streamflow (ST) with TOC-IRMS. The δC values of DOM did not vary seasonally. We detected an event with a high δC value likely attributable to black carbon from local pasture fires. The mean δC values of DOM outside the event decreased in the order, RF (-26.0 ± 1.3‰) > TF (-28.7 ± 0.3‰) > SF (-29.2 ± 0.2‰) > LL (-29.6 ± 0.2‰) because of increasing leaching of C-isotopically light compounds. The higher δC values of DOM in SS15 (-27.8 ± 1.0‰), SS30 (-27.6 ± 1.1‰), and ST (-27.9 ± 1.1‰) than in the above-ground solutions suggested that roots and root exudates are major belowground DOM sources. Although in DOM the C/N ratios correlated with the δC values when all solutions were considered, this was not the case for SS15, SS30, and ST alone. Thus, the δC values of DOM provide an additional tool to assess the sources and turnover of DOM.