Files and links (2)
Energetic efficiency and temperature sensitivity of soil heterotrophic respiration vary with decadal-scale fire history in a wet sclerophyll forest593.84 kB
Accepted VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Energetic efficiency and temperature sensitivity of soil heterotrophic respiration vary with decadal-scale fire history in a wet sclerophyll forest
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol.134, pp.62-71
2019
Abstract
Changes in fire regime and soil temperatures will be simultaneous symptoms of climate change in many regions around the world, yet very few studies have investigated how these factors will interact to affect soil carbon (C) cycling. Interacting effects of fire regime and temperature on soil C cycling processes might constitute an important but poorly-understood feedback to the global climate system. Using soils from one of the world's longest running prescribed fire trials in eastern Australia, we investigated the effect of fire regime on the rate, energetic efficiency, and temperature sensitivity of soil heterotrophic respiration and associated properties across a range of incubation temperatures (15°C, 25°C, and 35°C). Levels of total, labile, soluble, and microbial biomass C were 32%, 59%, 64%, and 38% lower, respectively, in biennially-burned (2 yB) soils than in soils that had not been exposed to fire since 1969 (NB soils). Moreover, while rates of heterotrophic respiration did not vary among NB, 2 yB or quadrennially-burned (4 yB) soils during the 55-day incubation period, values of qCO2 (which are inversely related to microbial energetic efficiency) were 59.8% higher in 2 yB soils than in NB soils. This suggests that biennial-burning is associated with soil conditions that promote energetic inefficiency in the microbial community and highlights the role of environmental stress as a determinant of respiratory responses to fire regime. Respiration temperature sensitivity (i.e. Q10 values) of 2 yB soils was 86% greater than that of 4 yB soils at the temperature range of 15-25°C. This effect was absent at the temperature range of 25-35°C and in soils to which labile C levels had been boosted through glucose addition. This pattern in Q10 values might be attributed to low quality soil organic matter in 2 yB soils in combination with mechanisms associated with microbial community structure. Together these results enhance our understanding of C cycling in fire-affected soils and suggest at a potentially important positive feedback between fire, climate change, and the terrestrial C cycle that warrants further investigation.
Details
- Title
- Energetic efficiency and temperature sensitivity of soil heterotrophic respiration vary with decadal-scale fire history in a wet sclerophyll forest
- Authors
- Orpheus M Butler (Author) - Griffith UniversityTom Lewis (Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastMehran Rezaei Rashti (Author) - Griffith UniversityChengrong Chen (Author) - Griffith University
- Publication details
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol.134, pp.62-71
- Publisher
- Pergamon
- Date published
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.03.022
- ISSN
- 0038-0717
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450750002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
146 File views/ downloads
475 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Soil Science
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites