Prescribed fire, soil inorganic nitrogen dynamics, and plant responses in a semiarid grassland

Augustine, David J.; Brewer, Paul E.; Blumenthal, Dana M.; Derner, Justin D.; Fischer, Joseph C. von

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2014.01.022

Cited by 45 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Indeed, stand-replacing fires have been shown to result in changes to soil N pools that persist more than 1 year following the fires (Smithwick et al, 2005;Turner et al, 2007). In contrast, elevated inorganic N immediately following fires in grassland decreases throughout the growing season (Augustine et al, 2014). Low-intensity fires in grassdominated glades adjacent to oak-hickory forest sites in a Kentucky study resulted in increases in post-burn soil NO − 3 pool sizes, but no increase in lysimeter-detected NO − 3 leaching losses below 10 cm (Trammell et al, 2004).…”

Section: Assessing Mechanisms Of N Pulses Following Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of microbial activity and ash deposition to post-fire nitrogen availability in a pine savanna

Ficken

Wright

2017

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. Many ecosystems experience drastic changes to soil nutrient availability associated with fire, but the magnitude and duration of these changes are highly variable among vegetation and fire types. In pyrogenic pine savannas across the southeastern United States, pulses of soil inorganic nitrogen (N) occur in tandem with ecosystem-scale nutrient losses from prescribed burns. Despite the importance of this management tool for restoring and maintaining fire-dependent plant communities, the contributions of different mechanisms underlying fire-associated changes to soil N availability remain unclear. Pulses of N availability following fire have been hypothesized to occur through (1) changes to microbial cycling rates and (2) direct ash deposition. Here, we document fire-associated changes to N availability across the growing season in a longleaf pine savanna in North Carolina. To differentiate between possible mechanisms driving soil N pulses, we measured net microbial cycling rates and changes to soil δ 15 N before and after a burn. Our findings refute both proposed mechanisms: we found no evidence for changes in microbial activity, and limited evidence that ash deposition could account for the increase in ammonium availability to more than 5-25 times background levels. Consequently, we propose a third mechanism to explain post-fire patterns of soil N availability, namely that (3) changes to plant sink strength may contribute to ephemeral increases in soil N availability, and encourage future studies to explicitly test this mechanism.

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Section: Assessing Mechanisms Of N Pulses Following Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of microbial activity and ash deposition to post-fire nitrogen availability in a pine savanna

Ficken

Wright

2017

Biogeosciences

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“…2b). Fire likely increased NPP through a combination of a reduced early season shading by litter removal (Henry et al, 2006) and potentially through a fertilization effect, where litter combustion increased N and P inputs (Henry et al, 2006;Augustine et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2014).…”

Section: Short-duration Treatments: Effects Of Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental fire increases soil carbon dioxide efflux in a grassland long‐term multifactor global change experiment

Strong

Johnson

Chiariello

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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Numerous studies have demonstrated that soil respiration rates increase under experimental warming, although the long-term, multiyear dynamics of this feedback are not well constrained. Less is known about the effects of single, punctuated events in combination with other longer-duration anthropogenic influences on the dynamics of soil carbon (C) loss. In 2012 and 2013, we assessed the effects of decadal-scale anthropogenic global change - warming, increased nitrogen (N) deposition, elevated carbon dioxide (CO ), and increased precipitation - on soil respiration rates in an annual-dominated Mediterranean grassland. We also investigated how controlled fire and an artificial wet-up event, in combination with exposure to the longer-duration anthropogenic global change factors, influenced the dynamics of C cycling in this system. Decade-duration surface soil warming (1-2 °C) had no effect on soil respiration rates, while +N addition and elevated CO concentrations increased growing-season soil CO efflux rates by increasing annual aboveground net primary production (NPP) and belowground fine root production, respectively. Low-intensity experimental fire significantly elevated soil CO efflux rates in the next growing season. Based on mixed-effects modeling and structural equation modeling, low-intensity fire increased growing-season soil respiration rates through a combination of three mechanisms: large increases in soil temperature (3-5 °C), significant increases in fine root production, and elevated aboveground NPP. Our study shows that in ecosystems where soil respiration has acclimated to moderate warming, further increases in soil temperature can stimulate greater soil CO efflux. We also demonstrate that punctuated short-duration events such as fire can influence soil C dynamics with implications for both the parameterization of earth system models (ESMs) and the implementation of climate change mitigation policies that involve land-sector C accounting.

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“…Two often used management tools in the region are fire and biomass removal (via grazing or mowing). Spring fires increase warm‐season grass productivity and aboveground biomass (Collins et al ; Augustine et al ). Mowing (and removing clippings) has similar effects to burning without deposition of nutrients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using phenological niche separation to improve management in a Northern Glaciated Plains grassland

Bennett

Smart

Perkins

2019

Restoration Ecology

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Many of the remaining patches of untilled (native) prairie in the Northern Glaciated Plains of North America are heavily invaded by the cool-season grasses, Bromus inermis and Poa pratensis. However, the native vegetation in these patches contains many warm-season species. This difference in phenology can be used to benefit restoration. We conducted an experiment to examine the efficacy of restoration treatments (mowing and prescribed fire) applied early in the growing season for consecutive years to decrease cool-season invasive plant biomass without impacting the native warm-season species. Our treatments were successful at significantly decreasing invasive cool-season plant biomass and increasing native warm-season plant biomass. No differences between treatments (mowing and prescribed fire) were found. Results suggest that incorporating differences in phenology between target and nontarget species into management may increase restoration success. Implications for Practice • Invasive species (such as Bromus inermis [smooth brome]and Poa pratensis [Kentucky bluegrass]) grow earlier in the season than co-occurring native plants in the Northern Glaciated Plains grasslands. • This difference in phenology can be used to target restoration treatments. • Restoration treatments applied early, when invasive cool-season grasses but not native warm-season grasses are active, can control the invasive grasses without negatively impacting warm-season grasses. • Repeated biomass removal (either through mowing or fire) early in the season decreases invasive cool-season grass biomass without decreasing native warm-season grass biomass. • Mowing may offer restoration practitioners an alternative to prescribed burning for controlling invasive cool-season grasses in the Northern Glaciated Plains grasslands.

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Prescribed fire, soil inorganic nitrogen dynamics, and plant responses in a semiarid grassland

Cited by 45 publications

References 43 publications

Contributions of microbial activity and ash deposition to post-fire nitrogen availability in a pine savanna

Contributions of microbial activity and ash deposition to post-fire nitrogen availability in a pine savanna

Experimental fire increases soil carbon dioxide efflux in a grassland long‐term multifactor global change experiment

Using phenological niche separation to improve management in a Northern Glaciated Plains grassland

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