| Summary: | Root-derived carbon sources supporting photosynthesis have been demonstrated to contribute to plant carbon gain in many laboratory experiments. However, it remains largely unknown whether and to what extent soil dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) influences leaf photosynthesis in karst habitats characterized by alkaline soils with low water content. We explored this relationship by measuring the concentrations and carbon isotope signals (δ<sup>13</sup>C) of soil DIC, as well as the δ<sup>13</sup>C of water-soluble organic matter (δ<sub>WSOM</sub>) in leaves of nine woody species across an altitudinal gradient in karst habitats. The δ<sub>WSOM</sub> varied among species by 7.23‰ and deviated from the δ<sup>13</sup>C of photosynthates solely assimilated from atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> (δ<sub>A</sub>) by 0.44–5.26‰, with a mean value of 2.20‰. This systematical discrepancy (δ<sub>A</sub> − δ<sub>WSOM</sub>) could only be explained by the contribution of soil DIC to leaf total photosynthesis (<i>f</i><sub>DIC_soil</sub>). The average values of <i>f</i><sub>DIC_soil</sub> considerably varied among the nine species, ranging from 2.48% to 9.99%, and were comparable with or slightly lower than those of previous laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the <i>f</i><sub>DIC_soil</sub> of two species significantly increased with altitude, whereas another species exhibited an opposite pattern, suggesting a highly spatial heterogeneity of DIC utilization. The present study improved our understanding of how plants adapt to the alkaline–drought soil conditions of karst habitats and thus acquire additional carbon for growth.
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