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De Palma‐Dow A, McCullough IM, Brentrup JA. Turning up the heat: Long‐term water quality responses to wildfires and climate change in a hypereutrophic lake. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian M. McCullough
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USA
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2
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Paul MJ, LeDuc SD, Lassiter MG, Moorhead LC, Noyes PD, Leibowitz SG. Wildfire Induces Changes in Receiving Waters: A Review With Considerations for Water Quality Management. WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH 2022; 58:1-28. [PMID: 36968177 PMCID: PMC10034714 DOI: 10.1029/2021wr030699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires have increased in frequency in many ecosystems, with implications for human health and the environment, including water quality. Increased fire frequency and urbanization also raise the prospect of fires burning into urban areas, mobilizing pollutants few have considered to date. As a result, water quality managers lack information to anticipate, respond to and potentially mitigate wildfire impacts. Here, we reviewed the scientific literature to assess wildfire effects on response endpoints of a conceptual model linking fire to water quality, quantifying response directionality, magnitude and duration. Physically, water yield, sediments, and temperature all increased post-fire. Chemically, nutrients, ions, organic chemicals, and metals increased in burned watersheds, sometimes by orders of magnitude over pre-fire or reference conditions. In select cases, post-fire concentrations exceeded aquatic life criteria or drinking water standards, at times even in the finished drinking water. Biological assemblages commonly declined after post-fire runoff events. The duration of effects was less than 5 yr for most endpoints (e.g., metals) on average following fire, although effects did extend 15 yr or more in some individual cases. We found only a few studies on pollutants mobilized from wildfire impacted urban areas with benzene contamination in drinking water and high metal concentrations in ash prominent exceptions. Overall, this review provides a resource for understanding wildfire impacts on water quality endpoints, with the goal of informing the response of managers and other decision makers to this growing problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. J. Paul
- Tetra Tech Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - S. D. LeDuc
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - M. G. Lassiter
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - L. C. Moorhead
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - P. D. Noyes
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Washington, DC, USA
| | - S. G. Leibowitz
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR, USA
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Warren DR, Roon DA, Swartz AG, Bladon KD. Loss of riparian forests from wildfire led to increased stream temperatures in summer, yet salmonid fish persisted. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dana R. Warren
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - David A. Roon
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Allison G. Swartz
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Kevin D. Bladon
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
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4
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Roon DA, Dunham JB, Bellmore JR, Olson DH, Harvey BC. Influence of riparian thinning on trophic pathways supporting stream food webs in forested watersheds. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Roon
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Jason B. Dunham
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center US Geological Survey Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - J. Ryan Bellmore
- Pacific Northwest Research Station USDA Forest Service Juneau Alaska USA
| | - Deanna H. Olson
- Pacific Northwest Research Station USDA Forest Service Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Bret C. Harvey
- Pacific Southwest Research Station USDA Forest Service Arcata California USA
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5
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Cunillera-Montcusí D, Arim M, Gascón S, Tornero I, Sala J, Boix D, Borthagaray AI. Addressing trait selection patterns in temporary ponds in response to wildfire disturbance and seasonal succession. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2134-2144. [PMID: 32441323 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mediterranean ecosystems are increasingly threatened by disturbances such as wildfires. These disturbances are expected to shift the selective pressures that determine trait-dependent community assembly. In addition, the stochasticity in species assembly may decrease because of the introduction of strong selection regimes or may increase because of random variation in recruitment. However, these changes in the selection profile and stochasticity in disturbed communities have seldom been evaluated. We examined the relative roles of wildfire disturbance, local conditions and successional dynamics on the assembly of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. We used the theory of community assembly by trait selection (CATS) to identify traits under selection and to estimate their dependence on wildfire disturbance and environmental gradients. We took advantage of a natural wildfire that partially burned a Mediterranean system of temporary ponds, which were surveyed before and after the wildfire, creating a natural before-after-control-impact design. Before the wildfire, the burned and unburned ponds did not show differences in the selected traits. After the wildfire event, species with larger body sizes and scrapers were favoured in the burned ponds, while collectors and active dispersers were underrepresented. Nonetheless, local environmental conditions and successional dynamics had greater relevance in the selection of traits than the wildfire. This suggests that assembly mechanisms were largely determined by seasonal successional changes regardless of wildfire disturbance. Finally, the relevance of the analysed traits diminished during the hydroperiod, suggesting more stochastic assemblages and/or a replacement in the set of selected traits. Despite the prominent role of seasonal succession over wildfire, this disturbance was associated with a change in the selection strength over specific traits related with feeding strategies and species life histories. Both hydroperiod and wildfire highlighted a strong role of trait-mediated processes (i.e. niche assembly). Therefore, the predicted increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires is likely to result in community functional shifts. Furthermore, stochasticity was also important for community assembly, particularly from the middle towards the end of the hydroperiod. Our results evidenced the strong relevance of successional changes in trait-mediated assembly mechanisms and its interplay with wildfire disturbance in temporary pond communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matías Arim
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional Este (CURE), Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Stéphanie Gascón
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Irene Tornero
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Jordi Sala
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Dani Boix
- GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Ana Inés Borthagaray
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional Este (CURE), Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
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McCullough IM, Cheruvelil KS, Lapierre JF, Lottig NR, Moritz MA, Stachelek J, Soranno PA. Do lakes feel the burn? Ecological consequences of increasing exposure of lakes to fire in the continental United States. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:2841-2854. [PMID: 31301168 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires are becoming larger and more frequent across much of the United States due to anthropogenic climate change. No studies, however, have assessed fire prevalence in lake watersheds at broad spatial and temporal scales, and thus it is unknown whether wildfires threaten lakes and reservoirs (hereafter, lakes) of the United States. We show that fire activity has increased in lake watersheds across the continental United States from 1984 to 2015, particularly since 2005. Lakes have experienced the greatest fire activity in the western United States, Southern Great Plains, and Florida. Despite over 30 years of increasing fire exposure, fire effects on fresh waters have not been well studied; previous research has generally focused on streams, and most of the limited lake-fire research has been conducted in boreal landscapes. We therefore propose a conceptual model of how fire may influence the physical, chemical, and biological properties of lake ecosystems by synthesizing the best available science from terrestrial, aquatic, fire, and landscape ecology. This model also highlights emerging research priorities and provides a starting point to help land and lake managers anticipate potential effects of fire on ecosystem services provided by fresh waters and their watersheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M McCullough
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Kendra Spence Cheruvelil
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | | | - Noah R Lottig
- Trout Lake Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
| | - Max A Moritz
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
- University of California Cooperative Extension, Agriculture and Natural Resources Division, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Joseph Stachelek
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Patricia A Soranno
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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7
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Chipman ML, Hu FS. Resilience of lake biogeochemistry to boreal-forest wildfires during the late Holocene. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190390. [PMID: 31455173 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel fire regimes are expected in many boreal regions, and it is unclear how biogeochemical cycles will respond. We leverage fire and vegetation records from a highly flammable ecoregion in Alaska and present new lake-sediment analyses to examine biogeochemical responses to fire over the past 5300 years. No significant difference exists in δ13C, %C, %N, C : N, or magnetic susceptibility between pre-fire, post-fire, and fire samples. However, δ15N is related to the timing relative to fire (χ2 = 19.73, p < 0.0001), with higher values for fire-decade samples (3.2 ± 0.3‰) than pre-fire (2.4 ± 0.2‰) and post-fire (2.2 ± 0.1‰) samples. Sediment δ15N increased gradually from 1.8 ± 0.6 to 3.2 ± 0.2‰ over the late Holocene, probably as a result of terrestrial-ecosystem development. Elevated δ15N in fire decades likely reflects enhanced terrestrial nitrification and/or deeper permafrost thaw depths immediately following fire. Similar δ15N values before and after fire decades suggest that N cycling in this lowland-boreal watershed was resilient to fire disturbance. However, this resilience may diminish as boreal ecosystems approach climate-driven thresholds of vegetation structure, permafrost thaw and fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Chipman
- Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Feng Sheng Hu
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.,Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.,Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
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8
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Driessen MM. Fire resilience of a rare, freshwater crustacean in a fire-prone ecosystem and the implications for fire management. AUSTRAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael M. Driessen
- Biodiversity Monitoring Section; Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment; PO Box 44 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia
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Riggs CE, Kolka RK, Nater EA, Witt EL, Wickman TR, Woodruff LG, Butcher JT. Yellow Perch ( Perca flavescens) Mercury Unaffected by Wildland Fires in Northern Minnesota. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2017; 46:623-631. [PMID: 28724108 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2016.10.0418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wildland fire can alter mercury (Hg) cycling on land and in adjacent aquatic environments. In addition to enhancing local atmospheric Hg redeposition, fire can influence terrestrial movement of Hg and other elements into lakes via runoff from burned upland soil. However, the impact of fire on water quality and the accumulation of Hg in fish remain equivocal. We investigated the effects of fire-specifically, a low-severity prescribed fire and moderate-severity wildfire-on young-of-the-year yellow perch () and lake chemistry in a small remote watershed in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. We used a paired watershed approach: the fire-affected watershed was compared with an adjacent, unimpacted (reference) watershed. Prior to fire, upland organic horizons in the two study watersheds contained 1549 μg Hg m on average. Despite a 19% decrease in upland organic horizon Hg stocks due to the moderate severity wildfire fire, fish Hg accumulation and lake productivity were not affected by fire in subsequent years. Instead, climate and lake water levels were the strongest predictors of lake chemistry and fish responses in our study lakes over 9 yr. Our results suggest that low- to moderate-severity wildland fire does not alter lake productivity or Hg accumulation in young-of-the-year yellow perch in these small, shallow lakes in the northern deciduous and boreal forest region.
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Lewis TL, Schmutz JA, Amundson CL, Lindberg MS. Waterfowl populations are resilient to immediate and lagged impacts of wildfires in the boreal forest. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler L. Lewis
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK 99508 USA
| | - Joel A. Schmutz
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK 99508 USA
| | - Courtney L. Amundson
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK 99508 USA
| | - Mark S. Lindberg
- Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK 99775 USA
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Lewis TL, Lindberg MS, Schmutz JA, Heglund PJ, Rover J, Koch JC, Bertram MR. Pronounced chemical response of Subarctic lakes to climate-driven losses in surface area. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:1140-1152. [PMID: 25294238 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Losses in lake area have been observed for several Arctic and Subarctic regions in recent decades, with unknown consequences for lake ecosystems. These reductions are primarily attributed to two climate-sensitive mechanisms, both of which may also cause changes in water chemistry: (i) increased imbalance of evaporation relative to inflow, whereby increased evaporation and decreased inflow act to concentrate solutes into smaller volumes; and (ii) accelerated permafrost degradation, which enhances sublacustrine drainage while simultaneously leaching previously frozen solutes into lakes. We documented changes in nutrients [total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)] and ions (calcium, chloride, magnesium, sodium) over a 25 year interval in shrinking, stable, and expanding Subarctic lakes of the Yukon Flats, Alaska. Concentrations of all six solutes increased in shrinking lakes from 1985-1989 to 2010-2012, while simultaneously undergoing little change in stable or expanding lakes. This created a present-day pattern, much weaker or absent in the 1980s, in which shrinking lakes had higher solute concentrations than their stable or expanding counterparts. An imbalanced evaporation-to-inflow ratio (E/I) was the most likely mechanism behind such changes; all four ions, which behave semiconservatively and are prone to evapoconcentration, increased in shrinking lakes and, along with TN and TP, were positively related to isotopically derived E/I estimates. Moreover, the most conservative ion, chloride, increased >500% in shrinking lakes. Conversely, only TP concentration was related to probability of permafrost presence, being highest at intermediate probabilities. Overall, the substantial increases of nutrients (TN >200%, TP >100%) and ions (>100%) may shift shrinking lakes towards overly eutrophic or saline states, with potentially severe consequences for ecosystems of northern lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler L Lewis
- Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, USA
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Lewis TL, Lindberg MS, Schmutz JA, Bertram MR, Dubour AJ. Species richness and distributions of boreal waterbird broods in relation to nesting and brood-rearing habitats. J Wildl Manage 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler L. Lewis
- Department of Biology and Wildlife; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 101 Murie Building Fairbanks AK USA
| | - Mark S. Lindberg
- Department of Biology and Wildlife; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 101 Murie Building Fairbanks AK USA
| | - Joel A. Schmutz
- Alaska Science Center; United States Geological Survey; 4210 University Drive Anchorage AK USA
| | - Mark R. Bertram
- Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge; United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 101 12th Avenue Room 264 Fairbanks AK USA
| | - Adam J. Dubour
- Department of Biology and Wildlife; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 101 Murie Building Fairbanks AK USA
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