The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment (eCO2) can enhance plant carbon uptake and growth1-5, thereby providing an important negative feedback to climate change by slowing the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration6. Although evidence gathered from young aggrading forests has generally indicated a strong CO2 fertilization effect on biomass growth3-5, it is unclear whether mature forests respond to eCO2 in a similar way. In mature trees and forest stands7-10, photosynthetic uptake has been found to increase under eCO2 without any apparent accompanying growth response, leaving the fate of additional carbon fixed under eCO2 unclear4,5,7-11. Here using data from the first ecosystem-scale Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment in a mature forest, we constructed a comprehensive ecosystem carbon budget to track the fate of carbon as the forest responded to four years of eCO2 exposure. We show that, although the eCO2 treatment of +150 parts per million (+38 per cent) above ambient levels induced a 12 per cent (+247 grams of carbon per square metre per year) increase in carbon uptake through gross primary production, this additional carbon uptake did not lead to increased carbon sequestration at the ecosystem level. Instead, the majority of the extra carbon was emitted back into the atmosphere via several respiratory fluxes, with increased soil respiration alone accounting for half of the total uptake surplus. Our results call into question the predominant thinking that the capacity of forests to act as carbon sinks will be generally enhanced under eCO2, and challenge the efficacy of climate mitigation strategies that rely on ubiquitous CO2 fertilization as a driver of increased carbon sinks in global forests.

Optimal stomatal theory predicts CO2 responses of stomatal conductance in both gymnosperm and angiosperm trees.

Optimal stomatal theory predicts that stomata operate to maximise photosynthesis (Anet ) and minimise transpirational water loss to achieve optimal intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). We tested whether this theory can predict stomatal responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2 ), and whether it can capture differences in responsiveness among woody plant functional types (PFTs). We conducted a meta-analysis of tree studies of the effect of eCO2 on iWUE and its components Anet and stomatal conductance (gs ). We compared three PFTs, using the unified stomatal optimisation (USO) model to account for confounding effects of leaf-air vapour pressure difference (D). We expected smaller gs , but greater Anet , responses to eCO2 in gymnosperms compared with angiosperm PFTs. We found that iWUE increased in proportion to increasing eCO2 in all PFTs, and that increases in Anet had stronger effects than reductions in gs . The USO model correctly captured stomatal behaviour with eCO2 across most datasets. The chief difference among PFTs was a lower stomatal slope parameter (g1 ) for the gymnosperm, compared with angiosperm, species. Land surface models can use the USO model to describe stomatal behaviour under changing atmospheric CO2 conditions.

High safety margins to drought-induced hydraulic failure found in five pasture grasses.

Determining the relationship between reductions in stomatal conductance (gs ) and leaf water transport during dehydration is key to understanding plant drought responses. While numerous studies have analysed the hydraulic function of woody species, minimal research has been conducted on grasses. Here, we sought to characterize hydraulic vulnerability in five widely-occurring pasture grasses (including both C3 and C4 grasses) and determine whether reductions in gs and leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf ) during dehydration could be attributed to xylem embolism. Using the optical vulnerability (OV) technique, we found that all species were highly resistant to xylem embolism when compared to other herbaceous angiosperms, with 50% xylem embolism (PX50 ) occurring at xylem pressures ranging from -4.4 to -6.1 MPa. We observed similar reductions in gs and Kleaf under mild water stress for all species, occurring well before PX50 . The onset of xylem embolism (PX12 ) occurred consistently after stomatal closure and 90% reduction of Kleaf . Our results suggest that factors other than xylem embolism are responsible for the majority of reductions in gs and Kleaf during drought and reductions in the productivity of pasture species under moderate drought may not be driven by embolism.

Whole-tree mesophyll conductance reconciles isotopic and gas-exchange estimates of water-use efficiency.

Photosynthetic water-use efficiency (WUE) describes the link between terrestrial carbon (C) and water cycles. Estimates of intrinsic WUE (iWUE) from gas exchange and C isotopic composition (δ13 C) differ due to an internal conductance in the leaf mesophyll (gm ) that is variable and seldom computed. We present the first direct estimates of whole-tree gm , together with iWUE from whole-tree gas exchange and δ13 C of the phloem (δ13 Cph ). We measured gas exchange, online 13 C-discrimination, and δ13 Cph monthly throughout spring, summer, and autumn in Eucalyptus tereticornis grown in large whole-tree chambers. Six trees were grown at ambient temperatures and six at a 3°C warmer air temperature; a late-summer drought was also imposed. Drought reduced whole-tree gm . Warming had few direct effects, but amplified drought-induced reductions in whole-tree gm . Whole-tree gm was similar to leaf gm for these same trees. iWUE estimates from δ13 Cph agreed with iWUE from gas exchange, but only after incorporating gm . δ13 Cph was also correlated with whole-tree 13 C-discrimination, but offset by -2.5 ± 0.7‰, presumably due to post-photosynthetic fractionations. We conclude that δ13 Cph is a good proxy for whole-tree iWUE, with the caveats that post-photosynthetic fractionations and intrinsic variability of gm should be incorporated to provide reliable estimates of this trait in response to abiotic stress.

Increasing aridity will not offset CO2 fertilization in fast-growing eucalypts with access to deep soil water.

Rising atmospheric [CO2 ] (Ca ) generally enhances tree growth if nutrients are not limiting. However, reduced water availability and elevated evaporative demand may offset such fertilization. Trees with access to deep soil water may be able to mitigate such stresses and respond more positively to Ca . Here, we sought to evaluate how increased vapor pressure deficit and reduced precipitation are likely to modify the impact of elevated Ca (eCa ) on tree productivity in an Australian Eucalyptus saligna Sm. plantation with access to deep soil water. We parameterized a forest growth simulation model (GOTILWA+) using data from two field experiments on E. saligna: a 2-year whole-tree chamber experiment with factorial Ca (ambient =380, elevated =620 µmol mol-1 ) and watering treatments, and a 10-year stand-scale irrigation experiment. Model evaluation showed that GOTILWA+ can capture the responses of canopy C uptake to (1) rising vapor pressure deficit (D) under both Ca treatments; (2) alterations in tree water uptake from shallow and deep soil layers during soil dry-down; and (3) the impact of irrigation on tree growth. Simulations suggest that increasing Ca up to 700 µmol mol-1 alone would result in a 33% increase in annual gross primary production (GPP) and a 62% increase in biomass over 10 years. However, a combined 48% increase in D and a 20% reduction in precipitation would halve these values. Our simulations identify high D conditions as a key limiting factor for GPP. They also suggest that rising Ca will compensate for increasing aridity limitations in E. saligna trees with access to deep soil water under non-nutrient limiting conditions, thereby reducing the negative impacts of global warming upon this eucalypt species. Simulation models not accounting for water sources available to deep-rooting trees are likely to overestimate aridity impacts on forest productivity and C stocks.

Ecotrons: Powerful and versatile ecosystem analysers for ecology, agronomy and environmental science.

Ecosystems integrity and services are threatened by anthropogenic global changes. Mitigating and adapting to these changes require knowledge of ecosystem functioning in the expected novel environments, informed in large part through experimentation and modelling. This paper describes 13 advanced controlled environment facilities for experimental ecosystem studies, herein termed ecotrons, open to the international community. Ecotrons enable simulation of a wide range of natural environmental conditions in replicated and independent experimental units while measuring various ecosystem processes. This capacity to realistically control ecosystem environments is used to emulate a variety of climatic scenarios and soil conditions, in natural sunlight or through broad-spectrum lighting. The use of large ecosystem samples, intact or reconstructed, minimizes border effects and increases biological and physical complexity. Measurements of concentrations of greenhouse trace gases as well as their net exchange between the ecosystem and the atmosphere are performed in most ecotrons, often quasi continuously. The flow of matter is often tracked with the use of stable isotope tracers of carbon and other elements. Equipment is available for measurements of soil water status as well as root and canopy growth. The experiments ran so far emphasize the diversity of the hosted research. Half of them concern global changes, often with a manipulation of more than one driver. About a quarter deal with the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning and one quarter with ecosystem or plant physiology. We discuss how the methodology for environmental simulation and process measurements, especially in soil, can be improved and stress the need to establish stronger links with modelling in future projects. These developments will enable further improvements in mechanistic understanding and predictive capacity of ecotron research which will play, in complementarity with field experimentation and monitoring, a crucial role in exploring the ecosystem consequences of environmental changes.

Thermoelectric Signature of Individual Skyrmions.

We experimentally study the thermoelectrical signature of individual skyrmions in chiral Pt/Co/Ru multilayers. Using a combination of controlled nucleation, single skyrmion annihilation, and magnetic field dependent measurements the thermoelectric signature of individual skyrmions is characterized. The observed signature is explained by the anomalous Nernst effect of the skyrmion's spin structure. Possible topological contributions to the observed thermoelectrical signature are discussed. Such thermoelectrical characterization allows for noninvasive detection and counting of skyrmions and enables fundamental studies of topological thermoelectric effects on the nanoscale.

Comparison and Validation of Different Magnetic Force Microscopy Calibration Schemes.

The future of consumer electronics depends on the capability to reliably fabricate nanostructures with given physical properties. Therefore, techniques to characterize materials and devices with nanoscale resolution are crucial. Among these is magnetic force microscopy (MFM), which transduces the magnetic force between the sample and a magnetic oscillating probe into a phase shift, enabling the locally resolved study of magnetic field patterns down to 10 nm. Here, the progress done toward making quantitative MFM a common tool in nanocharacterization laboratories is shown. The reliability and ease of use of the calibration method based on a magnetic reference sample, with a calculable stray field, and a deconvolution algorithm is demonstrated. This is achieved by comparing two calibration approaches combined with numerical modeling as a quantitative link: measuring the probe's effect on the voltage signal when scanning above a nanosized graphene Hall sensor, and recording the MFM phase shift signal when the probe scans across magnetic fields produced by metallic microcoils. Furthermore, in the case of the deconvolution algorithm, it is shown how it can be applied using the open-source software package Gwyddion. The estimated magnetic dipole approximation for the most common probes currently in the market is also reported.

No evidence of homeostatic regulation of leaf temperature in Eucalyptus parramattensis trees: integration of CO2 flux and oxygen isotope methodologies.

Thermoregulation of leaf temperature (Tleaf ) may foster metabolic homeostasis in plants, but the degree to which Tleaf is moderated, and under what environmental contexts, is a topic of debate. Isotopic studies inferred the temperature of photosynthetic carbon assimilation to be a constant value of c. 20°C; by contrast, leaf biophysical theory suggests a strong dependence of Tleaf on environmental drivers. Can this apparent disparity be reconciled? We continuously measured Tleaf and whole-crown net CO2 uptake for Eucalyptus parramattensis trees growing in field conditions in whole-tree chambers under ambient and +3°C warming conditions, and calculated assimilation-weighted leaf temperature (TL-AW ) across 265 d, varying in air temperature (Tair ) from -1 to 45°C. We compared these data to TL-AW derived from wood cellulose δ18 O. Tleaf exhibited substantial variation driven by Tair , light intensity, and vapor pressure deficit, and Tleaf was strongly linearly correlated with Tair with a slope of c. 1.0. TL-AW values calculated from cellulose δ18 O vs crown fluxes were remarkably consistent; both varied seasonally and in response to the warming treatment, tracking variation in Tair . The leaves studied here were nearly poikilothermic, with no evidence of thermoregulation of Tleaf towards a homeostatic value. Importantly, this work supports the use of cellulose δ18 O to infer TL-AW , but does not support the concept of strong homeothermic regulation of Tleaf.

Climate warming and tree carbon use efficiency in a whole-tree 13 CO2 tracer study.

Autotrophic respiration is a major driver of the global C cycle and may contribute a positive climate warming feedback through increased atmospheric concentrations of CO2 . The extent of this feedback depends on plants' ability to acclimate respiration to maintain a constant carbon use efficiency (CUE). We quantified respiratory partitioning of gross primary production (GPP) and CUE of field-grown trees in a long-term warming experiment (+3°C). We delivered a 13 C-CO2 pulse to whole tree crowns and chased that pulse in the respiration of leaves, whole crowns, roots, and soil. We also measured the isotopic composition of soil microbial biomass and the respiration rates of leaves and whole crowns. We documented homeostatic respiratory acclimation of foliar and whole-crown respiration rates; the trees adjusted to experimental warming such that leaf-level respiration rates were not increased. Experimental warming had no detectable impact on respiratory partitioning or mean residence times. Of the 13 C label acquired by the trees, aboveground respiration consumed 10%, belowground respiration consumed 40%, and the remaining 50% was retained. Experimental warming of +3°C did not alter respiratory partitioning at the scale of entire trees, suggesting that complete acclimation of respiration to warming is likely to dampen a positive climate warming feedback.

The partitioning of gross primary production for young Eucalyptus tereticornis trees under experimental warming and altered water availability.

The allocation of carbon (C) is an important component of tree physiology that influences growth and ecosystem C storage. Allocation is challenging to measure, and its sensitivity to environmental changes such as warming and altered water availability is uncertain. We exposed young Eucalyptus tereticornis trees to +3°C warming and elimination of summer precipitation in the field using whole-tree chambers. We calculated C allocation terms using detailed measurements of growth and continuous whole-crown CO2 and water exchange measurements. Trees grew from small saplings to nearly 9 m height during this 15-month experiment. Warming accelerated growth and leaf area development, and it increased the partitioning of gross primary production (GPP) to aboveground respiration and growth while decreasing partitioning below ground. Eliminating summer precipitation reduced C gain and growth but did not impact GPP partitioning. Trees utilized deep soil water and avoided strongly negative water potentials. Warming increased growth respiration, but maintenance respiration acclimated homeostatically. The increasing growth in the warmed treatment resulted in higher rates of respiration, even with complete acclimation of maintenance respiration. Warming-induced stimulations of tree growth likely involve increased C allocation above ground, particularly to leaf area development, whereas reduced water availability may not stimulate allocation to roots.

Trees tolerate an extreme heatwave via sustained transpirational cooling and increased leaf thermal tolerance.

Heatwaves are likely to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change, which may impair tree function and forest C uptake. However, we have little information regarding the impact of extreme heatwaves on the physiological performance of large trees in the field. Here, we grew Eucalyptus parramattensis trees for 1 year with experimental warming (+3°C) in a field setting, until they were greater than 6 m tall. We withheld irrigation for 1 month to dry the surface soils and then implemented an extreme heatwave treatment of 4 consecutive days with air temperatures exceeding 43°C, while monitoring whole-canopy exchange of CO2 and H2 O, leaf temperatures, leaf thermal tolerance, and leaf and branch hydraulic status. The heatwave reduced midday canopy photosynthesis to near zero but transpiration persisted, maintaining canopy cooling. A standard photosynthetic model was unable to capture the observed decoupling between photosynthesis and transpiration at high temperatures, suggesting that climate models may underestimate a moderating feedback of vegetation on heatwave intensity. The heatwave also triggered a rapid increase in leaf thermal tolerance, such that leaf temperatures observed during the heatwave were maintained within the thermal limits of leaf function. All responses were equivalent for trees with a prior history of ambient and warmed (+3°C) temperatures, indicating that climate warming conferred no added tolerance of heatwaves expected in the future. This coordinated physiological response utilizing latent cooling and adjustment of thermal thresholds has implications for tree tolerance of future climate extremes as well as model predictions of future heatwave intensity at landscape and global scales.

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations promote ant tending of aphids.

Animal mutualisms, which involve beneficial interactions between individuals of different species, are common in nature. Insect-insect mutualism, for example, is widely regarded as a keystone ecological interaction. Some mutualisms are anticipated to be modified by climate change, but the focus has largely been on plant-microbe and plant-animal mutualisms rather than those between animals. Ant-aphid mutualisms, whereby ants tend aphids to harvest their honeydew excretions and, in return, provide protection for the aphids, are widespread. The mutualism is heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of honeydew produced by aphids, which is directly affected by host plant quality. As predicted increases in concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO2 ) are widely reported to affect plant nutritional chemistry, this may also alter honeydew quality and hence the nature of ant-aphid mutualisms. Using glasshouse chambers and field-based open-top chambers, we determined the effect of eCO2 on the growth and nutritional quality (foliar amino acids) of lucerne (Medicago sativa). We determined how cowpea aphid (Aphis craccivora) populations and honeydew production were impacted when feeding on such plants and how this affected the tending behaviour of ants (Iridomyrmex sp.). eCO2 stimulated plant growth but decreased concentrations of foliar amino acids by 29% and 14% on aphid-infested plants and aphid-free plants, respectively. Despite the deterioration in host plant quality under eCO2 , aphids maintained performance and populations were unchanged by eCO2 . Aphids induced higher concentrations of amino acids (glutamine, asparagine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid) important for endosymbiont-mediated synthesis of essential amino acids. Aphids feeding under eCO2 also produced over three times more honeydew than aphids feeding under ambient CO2 , suggesting they were imbibing more phloem sap at eCO2 . The frequency of ant tending of aphids more than doubled in response to eCO2 . To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the effects of atmospheric change on an ant-aphid mutualism. In particular, these results highlight how impending changes to concentrations of atmospheric CO2 may alter mutualistic behaviour between animals. These could include positive impacts, as reported here, shifts from mutualism to antagonism, partner switches and mutualism abandonment.

Does physiological acclimation to climate warming stabilize the ratio of canopy respiration to photosynthesis?

Given the contrasting short-term temperature dependences of gross primary production (GPP) and autotrophic respiration, the fraction of GPP respired by trees is predicted to increase with warming, providing a positive feedback to climate change. However, physiological acclimation may dampen or eliminate this response. We measured the fluxes of aboveground respiration (Ra ), GPP and their ratio (Ra /GPP) in large, field-grown Eucalyptus tereticornis trees exposed to ambient or warmed air temperatures (+3°C). We report continuous measurements of whole-canopy CO2 exchange, direct temperature response curves of leaf and canopy respiration, leaf and branch wood respiration, and diurnal photosynthetic measurements. Warming reduced photosynthesis, whereas physiological acclimation prevented a coincident increase in Ra . Ambient and warmed trees had a common nonlinear relationship between the fraction of GPP that was respired above ground (Ra /GPP) and the mean daily temperature. Thus, warming significantly increased Ra /GPP by moving plants to higher positions on the shared Ra /GPP vs daily temperature relationship, but this effect was modest and only notable during hot conditions. Despite the physiological acclimation of autotrophic respiration to warming, increases in temperature and the frequency of heat waves may modestly increase tree Ra /GPP, contributing to a positive feedback between climate warming and atmospheric CO2 accumulation.

Testing the generality of above-ground biomass allometry across plant functional types at the continent scale.

Accurate ground-based estimation of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems is critical to quantifying the global carbon budget. Allometric models provide cost-effective methods for biomass prediction. But do such models vary with ecoregion or plant functional type? We compiled 15 054 measurements of individual tree or shrub biomass from across Australia to examine the generality of allometric models for above-ground biomass prediction. This provided a robust case study because Australia includes ecoregions ranging from arid shrublands to tropical rainforests, and has a rich history of biomass research, particularly in planted forests. Regardless of ecoregion, for five broad categories of plant functional type (shrubs; multistemmed trees; trees of the genus Eucalyptus and closely related genera; other trees of high wood density; and other trees of low wood density), relationships between biomass and stem diameter were generic. Simple power-law models explained 84-95% of the variation in biomass, with little improvement in model performance when other plant variables (height, bole wood density), or site characteristics (climate, age, management) were included. Predictions of stand-based biomass from allometric models of varying levels of generalization (species-specific, plant functional type) were validated using whole-plot harvest data from 17 contrasting stands (range: 9-356 Mg ha(-1) ). Losses in efficiency of prediction were <1% if generalized models were used in place of species-specific models. Furthermore, application of generalized multispecies models did not introduce significant bias in biomass prediction in 92% of the 53 species tested. Further, overall efficiency of stand-level biomass prediction was 99%, with a mean absolute prediction error of only 13%. Hence, for cost-effective prediction of biomass across a wide range of stands, we recommend use of generic allometric models based on plant functional types. Development of new species-specific models is only warranted when gains in accuracy of stand-based predictions are relatively high (e.g. high-value monocultures).

Woody clockworks: circadian regulation of night-time water use in Eucalyptus globulus.

The role of the circadian clock in controlling the metabolism of entire trees has seldom been considered. We tested whether the clock influences nocturnal whole-tree water use. Whole-tree chambers allowed the control of environmental variables (temperature, relative humidity). Night-time stomatal conductance (gs ) and sap flow (Q) were monitored in 6- to 8-m-tall Eucalyptus globulus trees during nights when environmental variables were kept constant, and also when conditions varied with time. Artificial neural networks were used to quantify the relative importance of circadian regulation of gs and Q. Under a constant environment, gs and Q declined from 0 to 6 h after dusk, but increased from 6 to 12 h after dusk. While the initial decline could be attributed to multiple processes, the subsequent increase is most consistent with circadian regulation of gs and Q. We conclude that endogenous regulation of gs is an important driver of night-time Q under natural environmental variability. The proportion of nocturnal Q variation associated with circadian regulation (23-56%) was comparable to that attributed to vapor pressure deficit variation (25-58%). This study contributes to our understanding of the linkages between molecular and cellular processes related to circadian regulation, and whole-tree processes related to ecosystem gas exchange in the field.

Photosynthesis of temperate Eucalyptus globulus trees outside their native range has limited adjustment to elevated CO2 and climate warming.

Eucalyptus species are grown widely outside of their native ranges in plantations on all vegetated continents of the world. We predicted that such a plantation species would show high potential for acclimation of photosynthetic traits across a wide range of growth conditions, including elevated [CO2] and climate warming. To test this prediction, we planted temperate Eucalyptus globulus Labill. seedlings in climate-controlled chambers in the field located >700 km closer to the equator than the nearest natural occurrence of this species. Trees were grown in a complete factorial combination of elevated CO2 concentration (eC; ambient [CO2] +240 ppm) and air warming treatments (eT; ambient +3 °C) for 15 months until they reached ca. 10 m height. There was little acclimation of photosynthetic capacity to eC and hence the CO2-induced photosynthetic enhancement was large (ca. 50%) in this treatment during summer. The warming treatment significantly increased rates of both carboxylation capacity (V(cmax)) and electron transport (Jmax) (measured at a common temperature of 25 °C) during winter, but decreased them significantly by 20-30% in summer. The photosynthetic CO2 compensation point in the absence of dark respiration (Γ*) was relatively less sensitive to temperature in this temperate eucalypt species than for warm-season tobacco. The temperature optima for photosynthesis and Jmax significantly changed by about 6 °C between winter and summer, but without further adjustment from early to late summer. These results suggest that there is an upper limit for the photosynthetic capacity of E. globulus ssp. globulus outside its native range to acclimate to growth temperatures above 25 °C. Limitations to temperature acclimation of photosynthesis in summer may be one factor that defines climate zones where E. globulus plantation productivity can be sustained under anticipated global environmental change.

Local thermoelectric response from a single Néel domain wall.

Spatially resolved thermoelectric detection of magnetic systems provides a unique platform for the investigation of spintronic and spin caloritronic effects. Hitherto, these investigations have been resolution-limited, confining analysis of the thermoelectric response to regions where the magnetization is uniform or collinear at length scales comparable to the domain size. Here, we investigate the thermoelectric response from a single trapped domain wall using a heated scanning probe. Following this approach, we unambiguously resolve the domain wall due to its local thermoelectric response. Combining analytical and thermal micromagnetic modeling, we conclude that the measured thermoelectric signature is unique to that of a domain wall with a Néel-like character. Our approach is highly sensitive to the plane of domain wall rotation, which permits the distinct identification of Bloch or Néel walls at the nanoscale and could pave the way for the identification and characterization of a range of noncollinear spin textures through their thermoelectric signatures.

Distinguishing Local Demagnetization Contribution to the Magnetization Process in Multisegmented Nanowires.

Cylindrical magnetic nanowires are promising materials that have the potential to be used in a wide range of applications. The versatility of these nanostructures is based on the tunability of their magnetic properties, which is achieved by appropriately selecting their composition and morphology. In addition, stochastic behavior has attracted attention in the development of neuromorphic devices relying on probabilistic magnetization switching. Here, we present a study of the magnetization reversal process in multisegmented CoNi/Cu nanowires. Nonstandard 2D magnetic maps, recorded under an in-plane magnetic field, produce datasets that correlate with magnetoresistance measurements and micromagnetic simulations. From this process, the contribution of the individual segments to the demagnetization process can be distinguished. The results show that the magnetization reversal in these nanowires does not occur through a single Barkhausen jump, but rather by multistep switching, as individual CoNi segments in the NW undergo a magnetization reversal. The existence of vortex states is confirmed by their footprint in the magnetoresistance and 2D MFM maps. In addition, the stochasticity of the magnetization reversal is analysed. On the one hand, we observe different switching fields among the segments due to a slight variation in geometrical parameters or magnetic anisotropy. On the other hand, the stochasticity is observed in a series of repetitions of the magnetization reversal processes for the same NW under the same conditions.