Multiscale responses and recovery of soils to wildfire in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Ecological theory predicts a pulse disturbance results in loss of soil organic carbon and short-term respiration losses that exceed recovery of productivity in many ecosystems. However, fundamental uncertainties remain in our understanding of ecosystem recovery where spatiotemporal variation in structure and function are not adequately represented in conceptual models. Here we show that wildfire in sagebrush shrublands results in multiscale responses that vary with ecosystem properties, landscape position, and their interactions. Consistent with ecological theory, soil pH increased and soil organic carbon (SOC) decreased following fire. In contrast, SOC responses were slope aspect and shrub-microsite dependent, with a larger proportional decrease under previous shrubs on north-facing aspec

SUBMITTER: Lohse KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9794722 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature