Above-ground biomass accumulation patterns in moorlands after prescribed burning and low-intensity grazing

Alday, Josu G.; Santana, Víctor M.; Lee, Hyohyemi; Allen, Katherine A.; Marrs, Rob H.

doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2015.06.007

Cited by 13 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This temperature was chosen as it is comparable to temperatures recorded during prescribed burning in the field (Whittaker 1961). One third of the 108 pots used in the experiment had no ash added, while ash was scattered on the surface of the remaining two thirds at a rate of 10 g m −2 to correspond to a dry weight of 672 g m −2 , the average C.vulgaris biomass 16 years after burning recorded by Alday et al (2015) at Moor House. Half of the ash added was subject to leaching with artificial rainwater (corresponding with the type to be supplied during the experiment) before adding to pots at a rate of 413 L m −2 (1.5 L per pot), which approximates a mean value for total spring (March, April and May) rainfall at Moor House (Rennie et al 2015).…”

Section: Ash Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of peat bulk density, ash deposition and rainwater chemistry on establishment of peatland mosses

et al. 2017

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Background and aims Peatland moss communities play an important role in ecosystem function. Drivers such as fire and atmospheric pollution have the capacity to influence mosses via multiple pathways. Here, we investigate physical and chemical processes which may influence establishment and growth of three key moss species in peatlands. Methods A controlled factorial experiment investigated the effects of different peat bulk density, ash deposition and rainwater chemistry treatments on the growth of Sphagnum capillifolium, S. fallax and Campylopus introflexus. Results Higher peat bulk density limited growth of both Sphagnum species. S. capillifolium and C. introflexus responded positively to ash deposition. Less polluted rain limited growth of C. introflexus. Biomass was well correlated with percentage cover in all three species. Conclusions Peat bulk density increases caused by fire or drainage can limit Sphagnum establishment and growth, potentially threatening peatland function. Ash inputs may have direct benefits for some Sphagnum species, but are also likely to increase competition from other bryophytes and vascular plants which may offset positive effects. Rainwater pollution may similarly increase competition to Sphagnum, and could enhance positive effects of ash addition on C. introflexus growth. Finally, cover can provide a useful approximation of biomass where destructive sampling is undesirable.

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Section: Ash Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of peat bulk density, ash deposition and rainwater chemistry on establishment of peatland mosses

et al. 2017

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“…Grassland productivity is determined by various factors, such as temperature, altitude, rainfall, soil type and nutrients (e.g., Hector et al, 1999;Lane et al, 2000;Munson and Lauenroth, 2014). Depending on local site conditions, aboveground European grassland productivity ranges between 2 and 13 ton dry matter per hectare per year ( Alday et al (2015), Cerrillo and Oyonarte (2006), Leeuw et al (1990), Truus (2010), Willems et al (1993) Grassland type Potential AGB (ton/ha/yr) If T < 2500, AGB = 0.75…”

Section: Recurrent Costs 231 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating costs of nature management in the European Union : Exploration modelling for PBL’s Nature Outlook

Verburg¹,

Landuse²,

Hennen³

et al. 2017

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“…It is well known that at the global-scale wildfires in fire-prone ecosystems release significant amounts of C annually [4]. On the other hand, prescribed fire is also a significant C source, but it is commonly used as management tool for minimizing wildfire hazard, maintaining habitat quality, creating new agricultural land and stimulating pasture and forest regeneration [5–7]. An obvious, yet ambitious, challenge for ecologists is, therefore, to optimize prescribed fire management techniques to maximize provision of required ecological services and minimize C emissions [6, 8–9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fire-return interval, for example, defines the accumulated amount of biomass burned within a period of time, which is clearly a function of the ecosystem regeneration capacity through time [7, 12]. Similarly, fire severity (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the major difficulties in defining generalised management prescriptions is the wide differences in growth rates and biomass loads within Great Britain [7]. Clearly, any rotation interval has a potential associated annual carbon loss, which depends on the interaction between the biomass accumulated between burns and the fire-return interval.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modelling Carbon Emissions in Calluna vulgaris–Dominated Ecosystems when Prescribed Burning and Wildfires Interact

et al. 2016

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A present challenge in fire ecology is to optimize management techniques so that ecological services are maximized and C emissions minimized. Here, we modeled the effects of different prescribed-burning rotation intervals and wildfires on carbon emissions (present and future) in British moorlands. Biomass-accumulation curves from four Calluna-dominated ecosystems along a north-south gradient in Great Britain were calculated and used within a matrix-model based on Markov Chains to calculate above-ground biomass-loads and annual C emissions under different prescribed-burning rotation intervals. Additionally, we assessed the interaction of these parameters with a decreasing wildfire return intervals. We observed that litter accumulation patterns varied between sites. Northern sites (colder and wetter) accumulated lower amounts of litter with time than southern sites (hotter and drier). The accumulation patterns of the living vegetation dominated by Calluna were determined by site-specific conditions. The optimal prescribed-burning rotation interval for minimizing annual carbon emissions also differed between sites: the optimal rotation interval for northern sites was between 30 and 50 years, whereas for southern sites a hump-backed relationship was found with the optimal interval either between 8 to 10 years or between 30 to 50 years. Increasing wildfire frequency interacted with prescribed-burning rotation intervals by both increasing C emissions and modifying the optimum prescribed-burning interval for minimum C emission. This highlights the importance of studying site-specific biomass accumulation patterns with respect to environmental conditions for identifying suitable fire-rotation intervals to minimize C emissions.

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Above-ground biomass accumulation patterns in moorlands after prescribed burning and low-intensity grazing

Cited by 13 publications

References 35 publications

Impacts of peat bulk density, ash deposition and rainwater chemistry on establishment of peatland mosses

Impacts of peat bulk density, ash deposition and rainwater chemistry on establishment of peatland mosses

Estimating costs of nature management in the European Union : Exploration modelling for PBL’s Nature Outlook

Modelling Carbon Emissions in Calluna vulgaris–Dominated Ecosystems when Prescribed Burning and Wildfires Interact

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