Short-term low-severity spring grassland fire impacts on soil extractable elements and soil ratios in Lithuania
Author(s) | ||
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Cerda, Artemi | University of Valencia | |
Martin, Deborah | USGS | |
Úbed, Xavier | University of Barcelona | |
Novara, Agata | University of Palermo | |
Martínez-Murillo, Juan F. | University of Málaga | |
Brevik, Eric C. | Dickinson State University | |
Menshov, Oleksandr | Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv | |
Comino, Jesus Rodrigo | University of Málaga | Trier University |
Miesel, Jessica | Michigan State University |
Elsevier |
Date Issued |
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2017 |
Spring grassland fires are common in boreal areas as a consequence of slash and burn agriculture used to remove dry grass to increase soil nutrient properties and crop production. However, few works have investigated fire impacts on these grassland ecosystems, especially in the immediate period after the fire. The objective of this work was to study the short-term impacts of a spring grassland fire in Lithuania. Four days after the fire we established a 400 m(2) sampling grid within the burned area and in an adjacent unburned area with the same topographical, hydrological and pedological characteristics. We collected topsoil samples immediately after the fire (0 months), 2, 5, 7 and 9 months after the fire. We analysed soil pH, electrical, conductivity (EC), major nutrients including calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), and the minor elements aluminium (AI), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). We also calculated the soil Na and K adsorption ratio (SPAR), Ca:Mg and Ca:Al. The results showed that this low-severity grassland fire significantly decreased soil pH, Al, and Mn but increased EC, Ca, Mg, and K,. There was no effect on Na, Fe, and Zn. There was a decrease of EC, Ca, Mg, and Na from 0 months after the fire until 7 months after the fire, with an increase during the last sampling period. Fire did not significantly affect SPAR. Ca:Mg decreased significantly immediately after the fire, but not to critical levels. Ca:Al increased after the fire, reducing the potential effects of Al on plants. Overall, fire impacts were mainly limited to the immediate period after the fire
Lithuanian Research Council |
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness |
Journal | IF | AIF | AIF (min) | AIF (max) | Cat | AV | Year | Quartile |
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SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT | 4.61 | 3.523 | 3.523 | 3.523 | 1 | 1.309 | 2017 | Q1 |
Journal | IF | AIF | AIF (min) | AIF (max) | Cat | AV | Year | Quartile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT | 4.61 | 3.523 | 3.523 | 3.523 | 1 | 1.309 | 2017 | Q1 |
Journal | Cite Score | SNIP | SJR | Year | Quartile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Science of the Total Environment | 7.5 | 1.68 | 1.546 | 2017 | Q1 |