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Title: Multiple, Compounding Disturbances in a Forest Ecosystem: Fire Increases Susceptibility of Soil Edaphic Properties, Bacterial Community Structure, and Function to Change with Extreme Precipitation Event

Abstract

The intensity and frequency of ecosystem disturbances are shifting with climate change, and multiple disturbances in close succession have the potential to compound their independent effects and strongly alter ecosystem structure and function. In this paper, we examine the effects of an extreme precipitation event on a montane forest landscape that was previously decimated by wildfire (37 months prior) relative to an unburned site in the same ecosystem. We assessed responses in soil edaphic properties, bacterial community composition and assembly, and soil enzyme activities involved in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) acquisition. Our research reveals that previously burned landscapes are susceptible to a subsequent extreme precipitation event via significant increases in soil pH where unburned soils are not. Beta- and Delta-proteobacteria associated with early succession increased and shifts were observed in N- vs. C-acquiring extracellular enzymes within burned soils after the extreme precipitation event. Finally, we connected variation in ecological selective pressures on bacterial communities associated with pH change to these differences in microbial mediated soil enzyme activity. Thus, this research demonstrates how multiple, compounding disturbances drive distinct changes relative to systems experiencing a single disturbance and suggests that changes in bacterial community assembly process with disturbance may underlie thismore » response.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1582597
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-144296
Journal ID: ISSN 2571-8789
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Soil Systems
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 3; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2571-8789
Publisher:
MDPI
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; multiple disturbances; microbial community assembly; flood; soil; bacterial community; carbon cycle; nitrogen cycle; extracellular enzyme activity; selection

Citation Formats

Knelman, Joseph E., Schmidt, Steve K., Garayburu-Caruso, Vanessa, Kumar, Swatantar, and Graham, Emily B. Multiple, Compounding Disturbances in a Forest Ecosystem: Fire Increases Susceptibility of Soil Edaphic Properties, Bacterial Community Structure, and Function to Change with Extreme Precipitation Event. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.3390/soilsystems3020040.
Knelman, Joseph E., Schmidt, Steve K., Garayburu-Caruso, Vanessa, Kumar, Swatantar, & Graham, Emily B. Multiple, Compounding Disturbances in a Forest Ecosystem: Fire Increases Susceptibility of Soil Edaphic Properties, Bacterial Community Structure, and Function to Change with Extreme Precipitation Event. United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3020040
Knelman, Joseph E., Schmidt, Steve K., Garayburu-Caruso, Vanessa, Kumar, Swatantar, and Graham, Emily B. Wed . "Multiple, Compounding Disturbances in a Forest Ecosystem: Fire Increases Susceptibility of Soil Edaphic Properties, Bacterial Community Structure, and Function to Change with Extreme Precipitation Event". United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3020040. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1582597.
@article{osti_1582597,
title = {Multiple, Compounding Disturbances in a Forest Ecosystem: Fire Increases Susceptibility of Soil Edaphic Properties, Bacterial Community Structure, and Function to Change with Extreme Precipitation Event},
author = {Knelman, Joseph E. and Schmidt, Steve K. and Garayburu-Caruso, Vanessa and Kumar, Swatantar and Graham, Emily B.},
abstractNote = {The intensity and frequency of ecosystem disturbances are shifting with climate change, and multiple disturbances in close succession have the potential to compound their independent effects and strongly alter ecosystem structure and function. In this paper, we examine the effects of an extreme precipitation event on a montane forest landscape that was previously decimated by wildfire (37 months prior) relative to an unburned site in the same ecosystem. We assessed responses in soil edaphic properties, bacterial community composition and assembly, and soil enzyme activities involved in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) acquisition. Our research reveals that previously burned landscapes are susceptible to a subsequent extreme precipitation event via significant increases in soil pH where unburned soils are not. Beta- and Delta-proteobacteria associated with early succession increased and shifts were observed in N- vs. C-acquiring extracellular enzymes within burned soils after the extreme precipitation event. Finally, we connected variation in ecological selective pressures on bacterial communities associated with pH change to these differences in microbial mediated soil enzyme activity. Thus, this research demonstrates how multiple, compounding disturbances drive distinct changes relative to systems experiencing a single disturbance and suggests that changes in bacterial community assembly process with disturbance may underlie this response.},
doi = {10.3390/soilsystems3020040},
journal = {Soil Systems},
number = 2,
volume = 3,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 12 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Wed Jun 12 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

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