Post-fire soil nitrogen content and vegetation composition in Sub-Boreal spruce forests of British Columbia's central interior,Canada |
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| Affiliation: | 1. University of Tartu, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia;2. Estonian Environmental Research Centre, Marja 4d, 10617 Tallinn, Estonia;3. Tallinn Botanic Garden, Kloostrimetsa tee 52, 11913 Tallinn, Estonia;4. Estonian Environment Agency, Rõõmu tee 2, 51013 Tartu, Estonia;1. Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States;2. Santee-Cooper Experimental Forest, USDA Forest Service, 3734 Hwy, Cordesville, SC 29434, United States;3. National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), P.O. Box 13318, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3318, United States;1. Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States;2. USDA Forest Service, Santee-Cooper Experimental Forest, 3734 Hwy, Cordesville, SC 29434, United States;3. National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), P.O. Box 13318, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3318, United States;1. State Key Laboratory of Oasis Desert and Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS, Urumqi 830011, China;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;1. Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran;2. School of Forest Resources, The Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA |
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| Abstract: | Forest fires are known to influence nutrient cycling, particularly soil nitrogen (N), as well as plant succession in northern forest ecosystems. However, few studies have addressed the dynamics of soil N and its relationship to vegetation composition after fire in these forests. To investigate soil N content and vegetation establishment after wildfire, 13 sites of varying age class were selected in the Sub-Boreal spruce zone of the central interior of British Columbia, Canada. Sites varied in time since the last forest fire and were grouped into three seral age classes: (a) early-seral (<14 years), (b) mid-seral (50–80 years) and (c) late-seral (>140 years). At each site, we estimated the percent cover occupied by trees, shrubs, herbs and mosses. In addition, the soil samples collected from the forest floor and mineral horizons were analyzed for the concentrations of total N, mineralizable N, available NO3−-N and available NH4+-N. Results indicated that soil N in both the forest floor and mineral horizons varied between the three seral age classes following wildfire. Significant differences in mineralizable N, available NO3−-N and available NH4+-N levels with respect to time indicated that available soil N content changes after forest fire. Percent tree and shrub cover was significantly correlated to the amount of available NH4+-N and mineralizable N contents in the forest floor. In the mineral horizons, percent tree cover was significantly correlated to the available NH4+-N, while herb cover was significantly correlated with available NO3−-N. Moss cover was significantly correlated with total N, available NO3−-N and mineralizable N in the forest floor and available NO3−-N in the mineral horizons. We identified several unique species of shrubs and herbs for each seral age class and suggest that plant species are most likely influencing the soil N levels by their contributions to the chemical composition and physical characteristics of the organic matter. |
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