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Effects of fire frequency on oak litter decomposition and nitrogen dynamics.
- Source :
-
Oecologia [Oecologia] 2008 Dec; Vol. 158 (3), pp. 535-43. Date of Electronic Publication: 2008 Oct 11. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Fire can alter a multitude of ecosystem properties that have the potential to affect rates of litter decomposition and nitrogen dynamics. In this study, we examined the effect of long-term variation in fire frequency in Minnesota oak savanna on rates of litter mass loss of a common tree species (Quercus ellipsoidalis) to determine how site and intraspecific litter characteristics impacted by variation in fire frequency affect rates of decomposition, litter N dynamics, and litter microbial biomass. Although an increase in fire frequency resulted in higher litter temperatures, lower litter moisture, and decreased soil N and P availability, site characteristics had no net effect on rates of mass loss. Rather, litter C:N ratio, which increased with increased fire frequency, was the dominant predictor of rates of decomposition and litter N dynamics. Increased litter C:N led to decreased rates of decomposition and N immobilization, regardless of the characteristics of the site of decomposition. Therefore, it is the indirect effects of long-term variation in fire frequency on litter characteristics rather than fire's direct effects on site characteristics that determine fire effects on decomposition and N dynamics in this system. Slower rates of decomposition and increased N immobilization of litter produced in frequently burned sites may enhance fire-induced N losses, further decelerating rates of N cycling in frequently burned sites.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0029-8549
- Volume :
- 158
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Oecologia
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 18850116
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1162-3