Abstract
Soil respiration is a major carbon pathway sensitive to environmental changes. Using prescribed burnings to reduce fuel accumulation and lower risks of large-scale wildfires has recently become more important. Prescribed burning can significantly alter the soil environment, but its effect in practice on soil respiration is not sufficiently understood. We evaluated the effects of prescribed burning on soil respiration before and after burning (May–July 2016). Prescribed burning was conducted in two natural pine areas by comparing a mixed stand of Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii with Pinus pinaster Ait. to a pure stand of Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii in the central Iberian Peninsula. Soil respiration was measured by an EGM-4 (Environmental Gas Monitor) infrared gas analyser in both burned and unburned (control) plots. Burnings were low-intensity, and slightly more energetic in the pure stand given its larger litter volume. Post-burning soil respiration followed a similar evolution to that in the control plots, but was greater in the pure stand burned zone and slightly lower in the burned plots in the mixed stand. No significant differences were found in any stand. Soil respiration significantly changed in temporal evolution due to increasing temperatures when summer began. We conclude that prescribed fire induces no changes in SR immediately after fire. This study helps understand how prescribed burnings can affect soil respiration in pure and mixed Spanish black pine forest stands.
Highlights
Fire is a natural disturbance that forms part of Mediterranean ecosystem dynamics [1], yet in the last few decades the number and scale of wildfires have increased in most countries of the Mediterranean Region [2] creating a major challenge to these ecosystems
There was a difference in the organic whichBurning was larger in the pure standsimilar than ininthe mixed one, and it Prescribed burning was layer, monitored
There was a difference in the organic layer,C.which was larger in the pure stand than in one, The duration of temperatures was somewhat longer in the organic layer of the pure stand and reached and it reached a maximum temperature of 362 °C
Summary
Fire is a natural disturbance that forms part of Mediterranean ecosystem dynamics [1], yet in the last few decades the number and scale of wildfires have increased in most countries of the Mediterranean Region [2] creating a major challenge to these ecosystems. The leading cause of the increasing size and number of fires is land use changes. Climate factors have contributed, less precipitation and rising temperatures, which are more acute during the driest season when plants display their lowest moisture levels, leading to an accumulated rise in fuel [1,3,4,5]. As a direct effect of heating, wildfires in terrestrial ecosystems remove and modify vegetation cover. The long-term spatial and temporal changes in soil properties related to the impact of fire potentially altering the ecosystem [6].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
