大兴安岭火烧迹地恢复初期土壤微生物群落特征

对大兴安岭兴安落叶松2003年重度和中度火烧迹地以及未过火样地的土壤微生物群落进行了考察,旨在揭示火烧迹地恢复初期土壤微生物群落变化特征。研究结果表明火烧迹地土壤养分(全氮、全碳、土壤有机质、有效氮)和土壤水分与未过火对照样地存在显著差异;火烧迹地土壤微生物量碳氮、微生物代谢活性以及碳源利用能力均显著高于对照样地;但火烧迹地与对照样地土壤微生物群落结构指标土壤微生物量碳氮比(MBC/MBN)以及多样性指数没有显著差异。相关分析结果表明:土壤微生物量、代谢活性和碳源利用能力与土壤养分指标(全碳、全氮、速效氮、有机质)和土壤水分含量有显著相关性。主成分分析的结果表明火烧与否是火烧样地与对照样地土壤微生物对碳源利用能力差异的原因。所有样地土壤微生物群落真菌比例较高,可能与该地区土壤酸碱度有关(pH=4.12—4.68)。经过6a的恢复,重度和中度火烧迹地的土壤养分和水分、土壤微生物群落的生长、代谢、以及群落多样性仍存在差异,但均不显著,表明此时火烧程度对土壤微生物群落的影响已很微弱。     

重度火烧迹地微地形对土壤微生物特性的影响——以坡度和坡向为例

通过对大兴安岭重度火烧迹地不同坡度和坡向的土壤微生物群落进行调查研究,旨在揭示重度火烧迹地过火6a后森林恢复过程土壤微生物群落的变化规律与影响因素.研究结果表明:平地土壤微生物生物量碳含量(MBC)和土壤微生物生物量碳氮比(MBC/MBN)均高于坡地,其中MBC/MBN达到差异极显著水平.平地土壤微生物的代谢活性AWCD值、对31种4类碳源(糖类、脂类、氨基酸、代谢物)的利用能力和Shannon-Winner多样性指数(H')均极显著低于坡地.西坡土壤微生物AWCD值和H'高于南坡,但AWCD和H'与土壤养分、pH值、EC无显著相关关系,说明坡向可能与土壤微生物代谢活性和多样性的关系并不密切,反映了两坡向土壤微生物群落结构的相似性.坡度由于影响了土壤养分和水分条件,进而影响了土壤微生物的生物量、群落结构、物种多样性和碳源利用能力.火烧迹地恢复初期平地土壤微生物量碳高于坡地,西坡高于南坡;恢复6a后,土壤微生物量碳的差异己不显著,但土壤微生物群落结构、物种多样性以及代谢特性仍具有显著差异,这可能与地形坡度仍然显著影响土壤水分含量的因素有关.     

兴安落叶松林火烧迹地土壤有效磷与土壤微生物生物量磷时空演变特征

野火是大兴安岭活跃的生态干扰因子，显著影响火烧迹地土壤有效磷(AP, Available Phosphorus)和土壤微生物生物量磷(MBP, Microbial Biomass Phosphorus),本文旨在了解兴安落叶松林火烧迹地AP、MBP的时空演变特征，并在此基础上探究两者间的偶联机制。采用“以空间换时间”的研究方法，于大兴安岭塔河地区兴安落叶松林火烧迹地选取实验样地，于未过火兴安落叶松林选取对照样地，踏查每个样地的海拔、坡度、坡向、坡位信息，测定火烧迹地土壤AP、MBP含量，分析兴安落叶松林火烧迹地AP与MBP的时空演变特征。火干扰后，火烧迹地土壤AP、MBP含量均随恢复时间表现出先减少后增加的趋势，恢复初期火烧迹地MBP含量显著低于未过火样地，AP含量显著高于未过火样地(P<0.05);不同海拔火烧迹地AP、MBP含量差异显著(P<0.05),不同海拔未过火样地AP、MBP含量均无显著差异(P>0.05)。火烧迹地土壤MBP、AP的随机森林回归模型的模型总解释度约为84%,而未过火样地的模型总解释度约为60%,两个模型均达到了极显著水平(P<0.0...     

不同火强度对河北平泉油松林土壤有机碳及土壤养分影响

选择河北省平泉县油松林火烧迹地为研究区, 按照过火林地燃烧状况, 划分轻度火烧(L)、中度火烧(M)、重度火烧(H)3 个强度的林地作为研究样地, 选择相邻未过火林地(CK)作为对照样地。以0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm 的顺序采集土壤样品。样品用于分析不同火烧影响下土壤有机碳(SOC)、土壤养分中铵态氮(NH₄⁺-N)、硝态氮(NO₃^- -N)、全氮(TN)、全钾(TK)、全磷(TP)、速效氮(AN)、速效钾(AK)、速效磷(AP)含量和土壤pH 值变化, 以及土壤有机碳和土壤养分其在火烧之后不同土层深度之间的数值波动。结果表明: (1)不同火烧强度对土壤有机碳含量差异影响显著(P<0.05), 与未过火林地相比, 中度、轻度火烧的土壤有机碳含量降低, 重度火烧土壤有机碳含量增加; 土壤有机碳含量变化随土层深度增加而降低; (2)不同火烧强度对土壤养分中所有指标的差异性显著 (P < 0.05), 不同土层深度之间的数量变化明显。铵态氮含量在各土层均表现为重度火烧后增加, 中、轻度火烧则减少; 硝态氮含量受轻度、中度、重度火烧后在各土层整体增加; 速效氮含量在0-10 cm 土层轻度、中度、重度火烧后增加, 在10-20 cm 土层中度、重度火烧后减少而轻度火烧后增加, 在20-30 cm 土层重度和轻度火烧后增加, 中度火烧后减少。轻度、中度、重度火烧后的全氮和全磷含量在各土层整体降低。速效磷含量在0-10 cm 土层受重度和轻度火烧后增加, 10-20 cm、20-30 cm 土层重度、中度、轻度火烧后含量皆减少。全钾含量在0-10 cm 土层重度、轻度火烧后含量降低, 中度火烧后含量增加, 10-20 cm土层火烧后含量均会增加, 20-30 cm 土层火烧后含量均会降低。速效钾含量受重度、中度、轻度火烧后在各土层含量均会减少; (3) 不同火烧强度与土壤pH 值差异性极显著(P < 0.01), 火烧后pH 值上升。上述结果可为研究林火干扰后土壤有机碳和土壤养分的变化规律, 以及火烧迹地植被恢复的研究提供参考。     

不同火烧强度迹地林下灌草层物种多样性及其与土壤因子的关系

为揭示胶东丘陵区麻栎黑松混交林过火后林下灌丛群落结构和多样性变化,探究群落物种分布和多样性指数与土壤因子之间的相互关系,该研究以威海仙姑顶中度、轻度、未过火林地为研究对象,对不同火烧强度林地进行土壤的定量分析和植物物种多样性调查,并运用典范对应分析法(CCA)和冗余分析法(RDA)进行排序,以明确影响不同火烧迹地林下灌丛群落物种多样性的关键土壤因子。结果表明:(1)各林地丰富度、多样性、均匀度指数在群落垂直方向上均表现为草本层大于灌木层。灌木层丰富度、多样性、均匀度指数均随火烧强度的增加先升后降,轻度火烧达到最大值,是灌丛群落特征变化的关键转折期;草本层Patrick、Shannon-Wiener和Simpson指数逐渐降低,Margalef指数先降低后微弱上升,均在未过火林地达到最大值,均匀度指数各林地无显著差别(P0.05)。(2)未过火与中度火烧地之间的Morista-Horn指数在灌木层、草本层和灌草层中均为最小,β多样性最高,林下物种组成差别迥异;轻度与中度火烧地在灌木层次上物种异质性较高,未过火与轻度火烧地在草本层次上拥有较高异质性的物种更替。(3)中度和轻度火烧地林下灌丛群落大致均可分为3个类群,未过火林下灌丛植物疏离分散,则未形成类群;中度火烧影响植物物种多样性的正向主要因子为碳氮比(C/N),逆向主要因子为全磷(TP)、全钾(TK);轻度火烧正向因子为氮磷比(N/P),逆向因子为pH;未过火林地物种多样性受多种土壤因子的共同作用。(4)火烧提高了林下灌丛群落物种更替速率,增加了灌木层物种多样性,降低了草本层物种多样性,轻度火烧地的物种丰富度水平较高,火烧迹地影响群落物种多样性的因子既有相似性又存在差异性,TK和TP是火烧迹地物种多样性的共同影响因子,磷(P)是火烧迹地物种多样性的共同限制性元素。     

罕山土壤微生物群落组成对植被类型的响应

选取分布在中国东北部地区的阔叶林-针叶林-亚高山草甸这一明显的植被垂直带谱来研究植被类型对土壤微生物群落组成的影响。选取5种植被类型-山杨(Populus davidiana)(1250—1300 m),山杨(P.davidiana)与白桦(Betula platyphylla)的混交林(1370—1550 m),白桦(B.platyphylla)(1550—1720 m),落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)(1840—1890 m),亚高山草甸(1900—1951 m),采用磷脂脂肪酸(Phopholipid Fatty Acids,PLFAs)分析方法测定不同植被类型下的土壤微生物群落组成。分别采用主成分分析(Principal Components Analysis,PCA)以及冗余分析(Redundancy Analysis,RDA)来解释单种特征PLFAs的分异以及土壤理化指标与微生物PLFAs指标间的相关性。结果表明不同植被类型下土壤有机碳(SOC)对土壤微生物PLFAs总量,各类群(真菌(f)、细菌(b)、革兰氏阳性菌(G+)、革兰氏阴性菌(G-))生物量以及群落结构影响显著;土壤微生物PLFAs总量及各类群的生物量随土层加深总体上表现降低趋势,G+/G-和f/b分别随土层加深总体上表现升高趋势。不同植被类型下,阔叶混交林土壤PLFAs总量及各类群生物量总体上最高;针叶林比阔叶林下的f/b和G+/G-高;亚高山草甸下低的p H值对有机碳的可利用性有一定的抑制作用,导致f/b和G+/G-的值相对较高。总之,不同植被类型下SOC对土壤微生物群落组成的影响最为显著,而较低的p H对有机碳的可利用性有一定的抑制作用;真菌对植被类型的变化比细菌更敏感,而细菌更易受可利用性养分和p H变异的影响,这对预测不同林型下的土壤微生物群落组成有重要的启示作用。     

兴安落叶松林火烧迹地土壤理化性质驱动因子

探索火烧迹地土壤理化性质的驱动因子是解释生态系统响应火干扰机制的重要组成部分。旨在分析兴安落叶松林火烧迹地土壤理化性质的决定因子，深入认识火干扰在北方森林生态系统所扮演的角色，为北方森林火烧迹地火后恢复、林业可持续发展提供科学支持和理论依据。以过火后1 a的兴安落叶松林火烧迹地为研究对象，设置了不同火烈度和立地条件的火烧迹地及对照研究样地共计35块。在每个研究样地记录了树种、胸径、存活状态等乔木数据，测量了坡向、坡位、坡度、海拔等地形数据，利用植被变化情况量化了火烈度。分别采集了0—5 cm和5—10 cm的土壤样品并测定其9种理化指标，对比了过火与未过火样地这些土壤理化指标的差异。然后，分析了各土壤理化指标与火烈度量化结果的关联趋势，比较了火烈度、地形和乔木因子对火烧迹地土壤理化性质的影响程度。与对照样地相比，火干扰提升了土壤理化指标观测值的离散程度，显著提高了0—5 cm土壤含水率(MC)(P<0.05)和5—10 cm土壤MC、总氮(TN)、总有机碳(TOC)含量(P<0.05)。土壤理化性质与火烈度有明显关联趋势的并不多，观察到0—5 cm土壤MC随火烈度指数的增加...     

海拔对辽东栎林地土壤微生物群落的影响

以北京东灵山辽东栎林地土壤为对象,运用氯仿熏蒸-浸提法及磷脂脂肪酸分析(PLFA)法,研究林木生长季节土壤微生物群落随海拔梯度的变化特征.结果表明:随着海拔升高,辽东栎林土壤微生物生物量碳、氮,以及微生物各类群含量均有差异但不显著;土壤细菌/真菌升高,而革兰氏阳性菌(G+)/革兰氏阴性菌(G-)降低.土壤微生物生物量碳、氮以及细菌、真菌、G+细菌、G-细菌的含量与土壤含水量、有机碳、全氮呈显著正相关,土壤真菌含量与土壤碳氮比值呈正相关.土壤微生物群落组成结构(细菌/真菌和G+细菌/G-细菌)的变化主要受土壤温度和土壤含水量的显著影响,说明土壤微生物群落结构对环境条件的变化敏感.随着全球变暖的加剧,暖温带辽东栎林地土壤真菌和G+细菌的比例有升高的趋势.     

高寒草甸连续围封与施肥对土壤微生物群落结构的影响

以放牧为对照,应用PLFA法分析研究了放牧、连续6年围封及围封内连续6年施肥后高寒草甸土壤微生物群落结构的变化.结果表明:围封和围封内施肥对不同土层各菌群和微生物总量均有显著影响,其对0 ～ 10 cm土层微生物的影响大于10～20 cm土层,不同土层的PLFA种类发生显著变化.围封和围封内施肥处理不同土层的革兰氏阴性菌(G-)含量均低于放牧;放牧0 ～10 cm土层中细菌、真菌、革兰氏阳性菌(G+)、微生物总量大干围封和围封内施肥处理,但其放线菌生物量均低于围封和围封内施肥处理;在10～20 cm土层中,各样地土壤中的G+无显著差异,围封土壤中的细菌、真菌、放线菌、微生物总量显著高于放牧,而围封内施肥后各菌群生物量及微生物总量明显下降.围封和围封内施肥不同土层的细菌/真菌均高于放牧;一般饱和脂肪酸/单烯不饱和脂肪酸(SAT/MONO)和革兰氏阳性菌/革兰氏阴性菌(G+/G－),围封处理均低于放牧,围封内施肥处理均高于放牧.连续围封和围封内施肥后降低了土壤微生物活性和土壤生态系统的稳定性.     

呼伦贝尔典型退化草原土壤理化与微生物性状

以内蒙古克鲁伦河流域呼伦贝尔典型草原为对象,设置了轻度、中度和重度退化3种类型样地,研究不同程度退化草原的物种组成、地上生物量、土壤理化性状、土壤微生物数量和酶活性,以及微生物生物量的变化.结果表明: 中度退化样地的群落物种丰富度最大,轻度退化样地的地上生物量显著高于重度退化样地.退化样地的土壤水分、养分(有机质、全氮),微生物量碳、氮,以及微生物数量和酶活性显著下降,土壤容重显著增加.退化样地的土壤微生物生物量碳、氮在128～185和5.6～13.6 g·kg^-1,土壤脱氢酶和脲酶活性均与土壤容重呈显著负相关,与土壤全氮、有机质、微生物数量以及微生物生物量碳、氮呈显著正相关,地上生物量与土壤细菌和真菌数量呈不同程度的正相关.     

Wildfire reduces carbon dioxide efflux and increases methane uptake in ponderosa pine forest soils of the southwestern USA

Severe wildfire may cause long-term changes in the soil-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide and methane, two gases known to force atmospheric warming. We examined the effect of a severe wildfire 10?years after burning to determine decadal-scale changes in soil gas fluxes following fire, and explored mechanisms responsible for these dynamics. We compared soil carbon dioxide efflux, methane uptake, soil temperature, soil water content, soil O horizon mass, fine root mass, and microbial biomass between a burned site and an unburned site that had similar stand conditions to the burned site before the fire. Compared to the unburned site, soil carbon dioxide efflux was 40% lower and methane uptake was 49% higher at the burned site over the 427-day measurement period. Soil O horizon mass, microbial biomass, fine root mass, and surface soil water content were lower at the burned site than the unburned site, but soil temperature was higher. A regression model showed soil carbon dioxide efflux was more sensitive to changes in soil temperature at the burned site than the unburned site. The relative importance of methane uptake to carbon dioxide efflux was higher at the burned site than the unburned site, but methane uptake compensated for only 1.5% of the warming potential of soil carbon dioxide efflux at the burned site. Our results suggest there was less carbon available at the burned site for respiration by plants and microbes, and the loss of the soil O horizon increased methane uptake in soil at the burned site.     

Burning in a New Zealand snow-tussock grassland: Effects on soil microbial biomass and nitrogen and phosphorus availability

Fire has been an important management tool in the pastoral use of New Zealand tussock grasslands. The effects of a farm-scale pastoral fire and subsequent grazing by sheep on soil biochemical properties in tussock grasslands dominated by the narrow-leaved snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida ssp. rigida) were investigated, 1.5 and 2.5 years after the fire event, in 0-2 cm depth mineral soil at a site at 975 m altitude in Central Otago, New Zealand. The nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations of C. rigida leaves were also measured. Comparisons were made with soil and tussock leaves from an adjacent unburned site. At both samplings, values of total soil organic carbon (C), extractable C, microbial biomass C, and basal respiratory activity were, on average, 14%, 18%, 23%, and 40%, respectively, lower at the burned than at the unburned site. In contrast, microbial N values were roughly similar at both sites, while microbial P values were 42% higher at the burned site after 1.5 years. Phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase activities were then also similar at both sites, whereas invertase activity was higher at the burned site. The greater availability of N and P at the burned site was confirmed by the higher concentrations of N and P in C. rigida leaves sampled 2 years after the fire. Ratios of microbial C:microbial N and microbial C:microbial P were significantly lower at both samplings at the burned site, and emphasise the importance of the soil microbial biomass in conserving N and P after pastoral burning in a grassland ecosystem.     

Complex Effects of Prescribed Fire on Restoring the Soil Water Content in a High-Elevation Riparian Meadow, Arizona

One of the largest and rarest Bebb willow (Salix bebbiana) communities in the United States occurs at Hart Prairie, Arizona. Low recruitment of the willow over the past several decades has been linked to inadequate soil water content for seed germination and seedling establishment. We tested a hypothesis that a prescribed burn would reduce biomass of and evapotranspiration by herbaceous plants, thereby increasing soil water content. Three treatments (unburned control, early‐growing season burned, late‐growing season burned) were applied in year 2001 to replicated plots in fern‐ and grass‐dominated herbaceous communities. Soil water content (0–30 cm) was measured weekly in plots during the 2001, 2002, and 2003 growing seasons. Both early‐ and late‐season burning reduced herbaceous biomass in the fern‐dominated community in 2002 and 2003 and reduced biomass in the grass‐dominated community in 2002 but not in 2003. Soil water content increased for approximately four weeks in 2001 following the early‐season burn, but the early‐season and late‐season burns reduced soil water content in both communities over much of the 2002 and 2003 growing seasons. Thus, early‐season burning may benefit willow seed germination by increasing soil water content immediately following burning but be detrimental to germination in the second and third growing seasons after burning because of drier soil. Large temporal variation in the effect of prescribed burning on soil water content will complicate the use of fire as a restoration tool to manage soil water available for threatened plants such as Bebb willow and for recharge of groundwater.     

Spatial heterogeneity of understory vegetation and soil in an Alaskan upland boreal forest fire chronosequence

In this study we characterized spatial heterogeneity of soil carbon and nitrogen pools, soil moisture, and soil pH of the first 15?cm of the soil profile; depth of the organic horizon; forest floor covers; and understory vegetation abundances in three sites (1999, 1987 and 1920 wildfires) of a boreal forest chronosequence of interior Alaska. We also investigated the cross-dependence between understory vegetation distribution and soil characteristics. Our results showed higher microbial respiration rates and microbial biomass in the oldest site and greater net N mineralization rates in the mid-successional site. Although spatial heterogeneity was absent at the scale studied for the majority of soil variables (60%), understory vegetation abundances and forest floor cover, spatial heterogeneity decreased with time after fire for the depth of organic horizon, soil microbial biomass, N mineralization rates and feathermoss cover. Our results also showed that increasing time after fire decreased the number of correlations between understory vegetation and soil characteristics while it increased between forest floor covers and soil characteristics. Overall, our study suggest that fire initially creates a patchy mosaic of forest floor cover, from fire hot spots, where high intensity burning exposes mineral soil, to practically unburned areas with intact mosses and lichens. As time since fire passes, forest floor cover and soil characteristics tend to become more uniform as understory species fill in severely burned areas.     

Controls of nitrogen limitation in tallgrass prairie

Summary The relationship between fire frequency and N limitation to foliage production in tallgrass prairie was studied with a series of fire and N addition experiments. Results indicated that fire history affected the magnitude of the vegetation response to fire and to N additions. Sites not burned for over 15 years averaged only a 9% increase in foliage biomass in response to N enrichment. In contrast, foliage production increased an average of 68% in response to N additions on annually burned sites, while infrequently burned sites, burned in the year of the study, averaged a 45% increase. These findings are consistent with reports indicating that reduced plant growth on unburned prairie is due to shading and lower soil temperatures, while foliage production on frequently burned areas is constrained by N availability. Infrequent burning of unfertilized prairie therefore results in a maximum production response in the year of burning relative to either annually burned or long-term unburned sites.Foliage biomass of tallgrass prairie is dominated by C₄ grasses; however, forb species exhibited stronger production responses to nitrogen additions than did the grasses. After four years of annual N additions, forb biomass exceeded that of grass biomass on unburned plots, and grasses exhibited a negative response to fertilizer, probably due to competition from the forbs. The dominant C₄ grasses may out-compete forbs under frequent fire conditions not only because they are better adapted to direct effects of burning, but because they can grow better under low available N regimes created by frequent fire.     

Effects of a surface wildfire on soil nutrient and microbial functional diversity in a shrubbery

The aim of the study was to determine effects of a wildfire on soil nutrients and soil microbial functional diversity in short-term time scales. Burned and unburned control soil samples were collected 1 day, and 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 and 15 months after a shrubbery fire in Yumin county of Xinjiang, Northwest China. Nutrients of soil in each sampling time were detected and soil microbial functional diversity was measured by Biolog Eco plates. Results of the study showed that soil nutrients were significantly affected by fire. Soil pH increased immediately after the wildfire and was higher than that of unburned soil during 15 months post fire. Soil organic matter and total N significantly decreased immediately after the fire and was even lower than control soil at the 15th month post fire. Soil available P level increased sharply during the 4th month after the fire, and later reached to the maximum value with eight times higher than that of unburned soil. Soil available N and available K were more than the control site in 2 months after the fire, then decreased, but available N began to increase, when vegetations restored 1 year after the fire. Soil microbial activity and functional diversity recovered gradually after fire. The average well color development (AWCD) and functional diversity indices (Shannon index, Simpson index, and McIntosh index) decreased significantly 1 day after the fire, but then increased and were similar to that of undisturbed soil 15 months after the fire, when plant started to regenerate in burned area. The changes in soil nutrients after the fire affected soil microbial activity and functional diversity. Correlation analysis revealed that AWCD was negatively correlated with soil pH and positively correlated with soil total N and available N, Shannon and Simpson index had positive significantly correlation with soil total N and McIntosh index had positive significantly correlation with available N. Result of principal component analysis based on the data of carbons metabolism showed that microbial catabolic profiles of burned soils of each sampling time after the wildfire were different and all were distinct from those of unburned soils, which might suggest that microbial community structure of fire-impacted area changed dynamically on monthly scale and was distinct from that of the control site in 15 months after fire, although microbial activity or richness showed similar to pre-fire level at the 15th month post-fire.     

Effects of fire on sandhill herbs: nutrients, mycorrhizae, and biomass allocation

Differences in growth responses, tissue and soil inorganic nutrients, and mycorrhizal relationships of four herbaceous species were studied on burned and unburned sandhill sites in south-central Florida, USA. Three species, (Aristida stricta, Liatris tenuifolia var. laevigata, and Pityopsis graminifolia) responded positively to conditions following the burn by increased vegetative growth and flowering. The fourth species, Balduina angustifolia, is a fire-sensitive biennial and its first-year rosettes were, with an occasional exception, unable to survive or resprout following fire. Availability of all soil inorganic nutrients examined (Ca, K, Mg, and P) was low, as were total nitrogen, soil organic matter, and pH. There was a slight nutrient pulse of phosphorus into the soil following burning. For two species (Aristida and Liatris), shoot tissue concentrations of several inorganic nutrients (especially N and P) were higher on the burned site than the unburned site following burning. These differences generally dissipated over time since burning. The high concentration of tissue nutrients postburn followed by a decline on the burned site may result from rapid nutrient uptake after fire and dilution of this concentration following restoration of plant mass. Despite low levels of soil inorganic nutrients, including phosphorus, mycotrophy was absent or weakly developed among the herbaceous species examined, except for the tap-rooted Balduina angustifolia. Colonization of host plants by vesicular mycorrhizal fungi was unaffected by burning. Mycorrhizal inoculum potentials of sandhill soil were extremely low, varying seasonally from (mean +/- 1 SE) 0.3 +/- 0.2 to 3.8 +/- 0.7%.     

Effects of wildfire and permafrost on soil organic matter and soil climate in interior Alaska

The influence of discontinuous permafrost on ground‐fuel storage, combustion losses, and postfire soil climates was examined after a wildfire near Delta Junction, AK in July 1999. At this site, we sampled soils from a four‐way site comparison of burning (burned and unburned) and permafrost (permafrost and nonpermafrost). Soil organic layers (which comprise ground‐fuel storage) were thicker in permafrost than nonpermafrost soils both in burned and unburned sites. While we expected fire severity to be greater in the drier site (without permafrost), combustion losses were not significantly different between the two burned sites. Overall, permafrost and burning had significant effects on physical soil variables. Most notably, unburned permafrost sites with the thickest organic mats consistently had the coldest temperatures and wettest mineral soil, while soils in the burned nonpermafrost sites were warmer and drier than the other soils. For every centimeter of organic mat thickness, temperature at 5 cm depth was about 0.5°C cooler during summer months. We propose that organic soil layers determine to a large extent the physical and thermal setting for variations in vegetation, decomposition, and carbon balance across these landscapes. In particular, the deep organic layers maintain the legacies of thermal and nutrient cycling governed by fire and revegetation. We further propose that the thermal influence of deep organic soil layers may be an underlying mechanism responsible for large regional patterns of burning and regrowth, detected in fractal analyses of burn frequency and area. Thus, fractal geometry can potentially be used to analyze changes in state of these fire prone systems.     

Application of the chloroform fumigation-incubation method to the estimation of soil microbial biomass in burned and unburned Japanese red pine forests

Abstract Estimation of soil microbial biomass in burned and unburned Japanese red pine forests was attempted using the chloroform fumigation-incubation method. As the amount of CO₂-C evolved from the fumigated soil for 10–20 days after fumigation (designated as F') was always lower than that from the unfumigated soil during the same period (UF'), the formula, microbial biomass-C(M) = the amount of CO₂-C evolved from the fumigated soil for 0–10 days after fumigation, F) − F'/ k _c, was proposed instead of Jenkinson's conventional formula, M = (F − UF')/ k _c. The k _c value was also determined as 0.30 using 3 fungal and 3 bacterial cultured species as internal standards. Microbial biomass-C calculated by (F − F')/0.30 decreased with soil depth at both the burned (Nenoura, 3.5 years after fire) and unburned (Ato) sites, showing the significant correlation with the decrease of soil respiration and organic C content along soil depth. Microbial biomass-C in the 0–2 cm soil layer at the burned site at Nenoura was 130 mg/100 g dry soil and those in the HF horizon and 0–2 cm soil layer at the unburned site at Ato were 686 and 146 mg/100 g dry soil, respectively.