Repeated Fire Shifts Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling by Changing Plant Inputs and Soil Decomposition Across Ecosystems
Adam F. A. Pellegrini, Sarah E. Hobbie, Peter B. Reich, Ari Jumpponen, E. N. Jack Brookshire, Anthony C. Caprio, Corli Coetsee, Robert B. Jackson
Abstract
Fires shape the biogeochemistry and functioning of many ecosystems. Here, we sampled seven sites exposed to different fire frequencies for 33–61 yr. Our results demonstrate that repeated burning reduced carbon and nitrogen storage, consistent with previous studies, but fire also reduced potential decomposition, likely contributing to slower carbon and nitrogen cycling. Trees were important in shaping soil carbon responses across sites, but the magnitude of tree effects differed and depended on how tree biomass inputs into soil responded to fire. These photographs illustrate the article “Repeated fire shifts carbon and nitrogen cycling by changing plant inputs and soil decomposition across ecosystems” by Adam F. A. Pellegrini, Sarah E. Hobbie, Peter B. Reich, Ari Jumpponen, E. N. Jack Brookshire, Anthony C. Caprio, Corli Coetsee and Robert B. Jackson published in Ecological Monographs. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1409