Fire enhances litter decomposition and reduces vegetation cover influences on decomposition in a dry woodland

Throop, Heather L.; Salem, M. Abu; Whitford, Walter G.

doi:10.1007/s11258-017-0730-1

Cited by 27 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…A litterbag study of pine litter decomposing in Arkansas, USA, revealed a minimal difference in mass loss and nutrient dynamics between burned and control forests [31]. Other research even found enhanced decomposition in a postfire period in the one-seed juniper woodland of New Mexico, USA [32]. All these works were conducted directly or a few years after forest fires, whereas the long-term legacy of fire remains largely unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Fire-Affected Larch Forests in the Russian Far East

Bryanin

Kondratova

Abramova

2020

Forests

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Russian boreal forests hold a considerable carbon (C) stock and are subjected to frequent surface fires that unbalance C storage and ecosystem function. Although postfire ecological changes aboveground are well understood, biological C flows (e.g., decomposition in the postfire period) remain unclear. We present the results of a long-term field litterbag experiment on needle litter decomposition in typical Larix gmelinii boreal forests in the Russian Far East. For 3 years, we measured mass loss, C and nitrogen (N) concentrations, lignin and manganese dynamics, respiration intensity and enzyme activity in decaying needles, and environmental conditions (temperature and litter moisture). The decomposition rate at 850 days was 0.435 and 0.213 yr−1 in a control forest and in a forest 15 years after a surface fire, respectively. Early stages of needle decay did not differ among sites, whereas decomposition slowed in later stages in burned forest relative to the control (p < 0.01). This was supported by hampered respiration, slow lignin accumulation in decaying needles, and low peroxidase activity in burned forest. We found no direct N release, and decaying litter immobilization was more pronounced in the control forest. In the later stages, we revealed restrained mass loss and associated C release from larch litter in burned forest. Slow and delayed N release may alter organic matter accumulation, the N cycle, and regeneration of the fire-disturbed larch ecosystem. Our investigations highlight hampered C flow from aboveground litter to soil humus even decades after surface fire in a larch ecosystem. Given the climate-induced increase of fire activity, C retained in the litter layer represents a pool that is more vulnerable to the next fire event.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Fire-Affected Larch Forests in the Russian Far East

Bryanin

Kondratova

Abramova

2020

Forests

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“…climate and litter quality) (Garc ıa-Palacios, Maestre, Kattge, & Wall, 2013;Hobbie, 1992;Wardle et al, 2004). To-date, only a handful of studies, all restricted to North American drylands, have assessed how woody encroachment might affect decomposition (Hewins, Sinsabaugh, Archer, & Throop, 2017;Throop, Abu Salem, & Whitford, 2017;Throop & Archer, 2007), with differences in decomposition rates largely attributed to alterations in abiotic controls, such as soil-litter mixing and solar radiation. However, the influence of woody encroachment on the decomposer community and their effects on decomposition remains unknown.…”

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confidence: 99%

Woody encroachment slows decomposition and termite activity in an African savanna

Leitner

Davies

Parr

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Woody encroachment can lead to a complete switch from open habitats to dense thickets, and has the potential to greatly alter the biodiversity and ecological functioning of grassy ecosystems across the globe. Plant litter decomposition is a critical ecosystem process fundamental to nutrient cycling and global carbon dynamics, yet little is known about how woody encroachment might alter this process. We compared grass decay rates of heavily encroached areas with adjacent nonencroached open areas in a semi-arid South African savanna using litterbags that allowed or excluded invertebrates. We also assessed the effect of woody encroachment on the activity of termites- dominant decomposer organisms in savanna systems. We found a significant reduction in decomposition rates within encroached areas, with litter taking twice as long to decay compared with open savanna areas. Moreover, invertebrates were more influential on grass decomposition in open areas and termite activity was substantially lower in encroached areas, particularly during the dry season when activity levels were reduced to almost zero. Our results suggest that woody encroachment created an unfavourable environment for invertebrates, and termites in particular, leading to decreased decomposition rates in these areas. We provide the first quantification of woody encroachment altering the functioning of African savanna ecosystems through the slowing of aboveground plant decomposition. Woody encroachment is intensifying across the globe, and our results suggest that substantial changes to the carbon balance and biodiversity of grassy biomes could occur.

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“…12 Negative responses to fire were further exacerbated by low soil nutrient 19 and water availability 20 conditions. Fire changed the spatial patterning of native vegetation 21 and leaf litter decomposition, 22 and enhanced soil erosion by decreasing native perennial vegetation cover. 23 Similar to the large variation in the responses of native plant species, native wildlife species had both positive and negative responses to fire.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire Risk and Hazardous Fuel Reduction Treatments Along the US-Mexico Border: A Review of the Science (1986-2019)

Laushman

Munson

Villarreal

2020

Air, Soil and Water Research

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The ecosystems along the border between the United States and Mexico are at increasing risk to wildfire due to interactions among climate, land-use, and fuel loads. A wide range of fuel treatments have been implemented to mitigate wildfire and its threats to valued resources, yet we have little information about treatment effectiveness. To fill critical knowledge gaps, we reviewed wildfire risk and fuel treatment studies that were conducted near the US-Mexico border and published in the peer-reviewed literature between 1986 and 2019. The number of studies has grown during this time in warm desert to forest ecosystems on primarily federal lands. The most common study topics included fire effects on native species, the role of invasive species and woody encroachment on wildfire risk, historical fire regimes, and remote sensing and modeling to study wildfire risk across the landscape. A majority of fuel treatment studies focused on prescribed burns, and fuel treatments collectively had mixed effects on mitigating future wildfire risk and threats to ecosystems depending on vegetation and fire characteristics. The diversity of ecosystems and land ownership along the US-Mexico border present unique challenges for understanding and managing wildfire risk, and also create opportunities for collaboration and cross-site studies to promote knowledge across broad environmental gradients.

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Fire enhances litter decomposition and reduces vegetation cover influences on decomposition in a dry woodland

Cited by 27 publications

References 39 publications

Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Fire-Affected Larch Forests in the Russian Far East

Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Fire-Affected Larch Forests in the Russian Far East

Woody encroachment slows decomposition and termite activity in an African savanna

Wildfire Risk and Hazardous Fuel Reduction Treatments Along the US-Mexico Border: A Review of the Science (1986-2019)

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