1
|
Moya D, Fonturbel MT, Lucas-Borja ME, Peña E, Alfaro-Sanchez R, Plaza-Álvarez PA, González-Romero J, de Las Heras J. Burning season and vegetation coverage influenced the community-level physiological profile of Mediterranean mixed-mesogean pine forest soils. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 277:111405. [PMID: 33032003 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of forest soil ecology is necessary to assess vulnerability to disturbances, such as wildfires, and improve its microbial diversity and functional value. Soil microbiota play an important role in forest soil processes and are a key driver of postfire recovery, but they are very vulnerable to heat. According to future scenarios for climate and land-use change, fire regimes will undergo transformations in semiarid terrestrial ecosystems, mainly in the Mediterranean Basin. To develop tools for forest management in fire-prone areas, i.e., fire prevention, we assessed the impact of prescribed burnings on soil microorganisms in Mediterranean mixed pine forests. We hypothesised that low severity fire burns would not influence the functional diversity of soil microorganisms, although the burning season could influence that response due to seasonal variations in its vulnerability. We used the Biolog EcoPlate System to record soil biological indicators and assess the effect of the prescribed burning season (early or late season) on bacterial communities, including the soil-plant interphase. The soil microbiome response differed significantly according to vegetation coverage but prescribed burning season was not directly related. Burning increased the proportions of soil organic matter and soil organic carbon, and also promoted cation-exchange capacity and total phosphorus, which were higher following spring burns. Microbial richness and the Shannon-Weaver diversity index both showed a positive correlation with vegetation cover. However, microbial richness was triggered after burning uncovered patches of vegetation. We also noted differences in the usage pattern for the six substrate groups defined in our study: the use of carboxylic acids, amino acids and carbohydrates was higher in unburned plots and those subject to late burns, whereas amino acids did not predominate in early burn plots.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Moya
- Forest Ecology Research Group (ECOFOR), Escuela Técnica Superior Ingenieros Agrónomos y Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071, Albacete, Spain.
| | - M T Fonturbel
- Centro de Investigación Forestal-Lourizán, Consellería do Medio Rural, Xunta de Galicia, P.O. Box 127, 36080, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - M E Lucas-Borja
- Forest Ecology Research Group (ECOFOR), Escuela Técnica Superior Ingenieros Agrónomos y Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071, Albacete, Spain
| | - E Peña
- Forest Ecology Research Group (ECOFOR), Escuela Técnica Superior Ingenieros Agrónomos y Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071, Albacete, Spain
| | - R Alfaro-Sanchez
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - P A Plaza-Álvarez
- Forest Ecology Research Group (ECOFOR), Escuela Técnica Superior Ingenieros Agrónomos y Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071, Albacete, Spain
| | - J González-Romero
- Forest Ecology Research Group (ECOFOR), Escuela Técnica Superior Ingenieros Agrónomos y Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071, Albacete, Spain
| | - J de Las Heras
- Forest Ecology Research Group (ECOFOR), Escuela Técnica Superior Ingenieros Agrónomos y Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071, Albacete, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yao X, Yu K, Wang G, Deng Y, Lai Z, Chen Y, Jiang Y, Liu J. Effects of soil erosion and reforestation on soil respiration, organic carbon and nitrogen stocks in an eroded area of Southern China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 683:98-108. [PMID: 31129335 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion and reforestation greatly affects the functionality of many terrestrial ecosystems. However, the effects of soil erosion and reforestation on soil respiration (SR), and soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the changes in SR, and SOC and TN stocks at four different soil erosion levels (severely, moderately, lightly, and non-eroded) and two different aged Pinus massoniana plantations (8- and 36-year-old) in the hilly red soil regions of Southern China. Our results showed that soil erosion level and reforestation significantly influenced SR, and SOC and TN stocks. Meanwhile, the mean SR, and SOC and TN stocks all significantly decreased with erosion level but increased significantly with times since reforestation. Soil temperature (ST) could explain 70-92% of SR seasonal variation based on exponential models, whereas no significant relationship between SR and soil water content were found. Furthermore, the structural equation modeling indicated that SOC stocks at 0-20 cm had a much stronger effect on SR than ST. Meanwhile, the SOC stocks for 0-20 cm increased by 177% and 558% in the 8- and 36-year-old Pinus massoniana plantations in comparison with the severely eroded forestland, respectively. This study highlights that reforestation could be an effective strategy for restoring the carbon and nitrogen storage in eroded regions of Southern China and emphasizes the need to consider the effects of soil erosion and reforestation when assessing regional carbon budgets under different climate scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiong Yao
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; University Key Lab for Geomatics Technology and Optimize Resources Utilization in Fujian Province, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Kunyong Yu
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; University Key Lab for Geomatics Technology and Optimize Resources Utilization in Fujian Province, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Guangyu Wang
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Yangbo Deng
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Zhuangjie Lai
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Yan Chen
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Yusen Jiang
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Jian Liu
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; University Key Lab for Geomatics Technology and Optimize Resources Utilization in Fujian Province, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bastida F, López-Mondéjar R, Baldrian P, Andrés-Abellán M, Jehmlich N, Torres IF, García C, López-Serrano FR. When drought meets forest management: Effects on the soil microbial community of a Holm oak forest ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 662:276-286. [PMID: 30690362 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The growth and survival of plants in semiarid Mediterranean forests can be improved through the benefits conferred by thinning, a forest management practice that removes trees and reduces the competition between the remaining ones. Here, we evaluate the impacts of induced drought (the exclusion of 25% of the natural rainfall for 5 years) and thinning, and their interaction, with the objective of determining whether the thinning of Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) modulates the resistance of the soil microbial community to drought. Sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS amplicons revealed that drought, thinning, and their interaction influenced the composition of the bacterial community, while the fungal community was exclusively affected by thinning. Thinning consisted of the removal of the aboveground parts of the Holm oak trees, which were thereafter left in forest stand. Thinning contributed to the C and N contents, with parallel increases in microbial biomass, particularly in summer. Drought increased the amounts of total organic C and total N, likely due to the reduced enzyme activities. Indeed, the composition of the bacterial community was modulated primarily by the indirect and long-term effects of drought - the accumulation of soil organic matter - rather than by the direct effect of the lower water content imposed by the drought treatments. Thinning under drought conditions did not increase soil organic C (SOC) content. However, the resistance of the soil microbial community to drought was fostered by thinning, particularly at the functional level, as indicated by the enzyme activities related to C, N and P cycles. These responses were associated to variations in the composition of the microbial communities in thinned, drought-exposed plots, in comparison to unthinned, drought-exposed plots. In conclusion, the interaction between forest management and drought influenced the soil microbial community of a Holm oak-dominated Mediterranean ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Bastida
- CEBAS-CSIC, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
| | - R López-Mondéjar
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, Vídeňská 1083, Praha 4 14220, Czech Republic
| | - P Baldrian
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, Vídeňská 1083, Praha 4 14220, Czech Republic
| | - M Andrés-Abellán
- Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, Albacete, Spain
| | - N Jehmlich
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - I F Torres
- CEBAS-CSIC, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - C García
- CEBAS-CSIC, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - F R López-Serrano
- Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, Albacete, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Parro K, Köster K, Jõgiste K, Seglinš K, Sims A, Stanturf JA, Metslaid M. Impact of post-fire management on soil respiration, carbon and nitrogen content in a managed hemiboreal forest. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 233:371-377. [PMID: 30590266 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Boreal forests are an important carbon (C) sink and fire is the main natural disturbance, directly affecting the C-cycle via emissions from combustion of biomass and organic matter and indirectly through long-term changes in C-dynamics including soil respiration. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from soil (soil respiration) is one of the largest fluxes in the global C-cycle. Recovery of vegetation, organic matter and soil respiration may be influenced by the intensity of post-fire management such as salvage logging. To study the impact of forest fire, fire and salvage, and recovery time on soil respiration and soil C and N content, we sampled two permanent research areas in north-western Estonia that were damaged by fire: Vihterpalu (59°13' N 23°49' E) in 1992 and Nõva (59°10' N 23°45' E) in 2008. Three types of sample plots were established: 1) unburned control with no harvesting (CO); 2) burned and uncleared (BU); and 3) burned and cleared (BC). Measurements were made in 2013, 21 years after wildfire in Vihterpalu and 5 years after wildfire in Nõva. Soil respiration ranged from 0.00 to 1.38 g CO2 m-2 h-1. Soil respiration in the burned and cleared areas (BC) was not reduced compared to burned and uncleared (BU) areas but the average soil respiration in unburned control areas was more than twice the value in burned areas (average soil respiration in CO areas was 0.34 CO2 m-2 h-1, versus 0.16 CO2 m-2 h-1, the average soil respiration of BC and BU combined). Recovery over 20 years was mixed; respiration was insignificantly lower on younger than older burned sites (when BC and BU values were combined, the average values were 0.15 vs. 0.17 g CO2 m-2 h-1, respectively); soil-C was greater in the older burned plots than the younger (when BC and BU values were combined, the average values were 9.71 vs. 5.99 kg m-2, respectively); but root biomass in older and recently burned areas was essentially the same (average 2.23 and 2.11 kg m-2, respectively); soil-N was highest on burned areas 20 years after fire. Twenty years post-fire may be insufficient time for carbon dynamics to fully recover on these low productivity sandy sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristi Parro
- Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kajar Köster
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research / Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 7, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kalev Jõgiste
- Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Katrin Seglinš
- Luua Forestry School, Luua, Jõgeva Parish, 49203, Jõgeva County, Estonia
| | - Allan Sims
- Environment Agency, Rõõmu tee 2, 50705, Tartu, Estonia
| | - John A Stanturf
- Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006, Tartu, Estonia; Center for Forest Disturbance Science, US Forest Service, 320 Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Marek Metslaid
- Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006, Tartu, Estonia; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, P.O. Box 115, 1431 Ås, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Francos M, Pereira P, Mataix-Solera J, Arcenegui V, Alcañiz M, Úbeda X. How clear-cutting affects fire severity and soil properties in a Mediterranean ecosystem. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 206:625-632. [PMID: 29132085 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Forest management practices in Mediterranean ecosystems are frequently employed to reduce both the risk and severity of wildfires. However, these pre-fire treatments may influence the effects of wildfire events on soil properties. The aim of this study is to examine the short-term effects of a wildfire that broke out in 2015 on the soil properties of three sites: two exposed to management practices in different years - 2005 (site M05B) and 2015 (site M15B) - and one that did not undergo any management (NMB) and to compare their properties with those recorded in a plot (Control) unaffected by the 2015 wildfire. We analyzed aggregate stability (AS), soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (TN), carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N), inorganic carbon (IC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), extractable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) and basal soil respiration (BSR). In the managed plots, a clear-cutting operation was conducted, whereby part of the vegetation was cut and left covering the soil surface. The AS values recorded at the Control site were significantly higher than those recorded at M05B, whereas the TN and SOM values at NMB were significantly higher than those recorded at M05B. IC was significantly higher at M05B than at the other plots. There were no significant differences in C/N ratio between the analyzed sites. Soil pH at M05B was significantly higher than the value recorded at the Control plot. Extractable Ca was significantly higher at NMB than at both M05B and the Control, while extractable Mg was significantly lower at M05B than at NMB. Extractable K was significantly lower at the Control than at the three fire-affected plots. Cmic was significantly higher at NMB than at the Control. BSR, BSR/C and BSR/Cmic values at the fire-affected sites were significantly lower than those recorded at the Control. No significant differences were identified in Cmic/C. Overall, a comparison of the pre-fire treatments showed that NMB was the practice that had the least negative effects on the soil properties studied, followed by M15B, and that fire severity was highest at M05B due to the accumulation of dead plant fuel.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Francos
- GRAM (Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània), Department of Geography, University of Barcelona, Montalegre, 6, 08001, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Paulo Pereira
- Environmental Management Centre, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Jorge Mataix-Solera
- GEA (Grupo de Edafología Ambiental), Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Victoria Arcenegui
- GEA (Grupo de Edafología Ambiental), Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Meritxell Alcañiz
- GRAM (Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània), Department of Geography, University of Barcelona, Montalegre, 6, 08001, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Úbeda
- GRAM (Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània), Department of Geography, University of Barcelona, Montalegre, 6, 08001, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Soil Respiration Changes after Prescribed Fires in Spanish Black Pine (Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii) Monospecific and Mixed Forest Stands. FORESTS 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/f8070248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
7
|
Pereira P, Rein G, Martin D. Past and Present Post-Fire Environments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 573:1275-1277. [PMID: 27369092 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Pereira
- Environmental Management Centre, Mykolas Romeris University, Ateities g. 20, 08303 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Guillermo Rein
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Deborah Martin
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street (E127), Boulder, CO 80303-1066, United States
| |
Collapse
|