Source Material and Concentration of Wildfire-Produced Pyrogenic Carbon Influence Post-Fire Soil Nutrient Dynamics

Forests

Lucas A. Michelotti¹  Jessica R. Miesel² 

[1] Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road Room 126, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; E-Mail

关键词: pyrogenic carbon;    black carbon;    nitrogen;    soil respiration;    N mineralization;    wildfire;    Pinus banksiana;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f6041325

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) is produced by the thermal decomposition of organic matter in the absence of oxygen (O). PyC affects nutrient availability, may enhance post-fire nitrogen (N) mineralization rates, and can be a significant carbon (C) pool in fire-prone ecosystems. Our objectives were to characterize PyC produced by wildfires and examine the influence that contrasting types of PyC have on C and N mineralization rates. We determined C, N, O, and hydrogen (H) concentrations and atomic ratios of charred bark (BK), charred pine cones (PC), and charred woody debris (WD) using elemental analysis. We also incubated soil amended with BK, PC, and WD at two concentrations for 60 days to measure C and N mineralization rates. PC had greater H/C and O/C ratios than BK and WD, suggesting that PC may have a lesser aromatic component than BK and WD. C and N mineralization rates decreased with increasing PyC concentrations, and control samples produced more CO₂ than soils amended with PyC. Soils with PC produced greater CO₂ and had lower N mineralization rates than soils with BK or WD. These results demonstrate that PyC type and concentration have potential to impact nutrient dynamics and C flux to the atmosphere in post-fire forest soils.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.