Wildfire-Induced Losses of Soil Particulate and Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon Persist for Over 4 Years in a Chaparral Ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Wildfires can lower soil carbon (C) stocks directly through combustion, but also indirectly during post-fire recovery if microbial C demands outpace photosynthetic C inputs. However, how much C is respired by soil microorganisms post-fire may depend on wildfire effects on particulate organic carbon (POC; mostly plant material accessible to microbes) and/or mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC; considered C protected by minerals from decomposers), meaning assessment of wildfire impacts on these pools is necessary to predict microbial decomposition rates and, thus, the fate of soil C. Here, we measured POC, MAOC, pyrogenic organic matter C, plant cover, extracellular enzyme activity (EEA), and microbial community abundance and composition 17 days, and 1, 3, and 4 years after the Holy Fire

SUBMITTER: Krichels AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12319890 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature